First time ever, BJP is largest party in Rajya Sabha
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) overtook the Congress on Thursday to become the largest party in the Rajya Sabha with 58 MPs. The party has the maximum number of MPs after Sampatiya Uikey was elected unopposed to the Upper House in place of late leader Anil Madhav Dave. Meanwhile, Congress has 57 MPs, SP has 18, AIADMK, TMC, JD(U) has 13, 12 and 10 respectively.
BJP enjoys maximum majority in Lok Sabha too
The BJP-led NDA enjoys majority in the Lower House too with 281 members, followed by Opposition Congress having 45 members. The saffron party has 51.85 percent of the total number of seats.
Speculations rife ahead of RS polls
With BJP gaining a foothold in the Upper House by having 58 MPs, speculations remain rife for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in West Bengal and Gujarat. While in West Bengal, TMC seems to have an upper hand with the party having a majority; in Gujarat, the BJP has a strong presence with Amit Shah and Smriti Irani running at the forefront.
What does BJP's upper hand in Rajya Sabha mean?
With the saffron party having the maximum number of MPs in Rajya Sabha, the BJP-led NDA government will be able to push the economic reform bills it has been thinking of bringing forward. On the other hand, having an upper hand in the RS also means that the BJP could push for its Hindutva agenda.
