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Recent Rajya Sabha gains have brought the NDA closer to constitutional majority.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has moved significantly closer to securing a two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha following the recently concluded elections for 27 seats in the Upper House. With the BJP winning 19 of these seats and receiving issue-based support from Mizoram’s newly elected Rajya Sabha MP, the alliance has strengthened its position ahead of the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
The latest electoral gains have increased the NDA’s tally in the 245-member Rajya Sabha to around 152 seats, bringing it within striking distance of the two-thirds mark of 164 members. While the alliance still falls short of the required number, political developments in several regional parties have fuelled speculation that the target could be achieved sooner than expected.
The BJP remains the single largest party in the Rajya Sabha with 115 members. Within the NDA, it is followed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (United), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), each with four MPs. The Shiv Sena has two members, while the Jana Sena Party, led by Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, has one member. The House also includes seven nominated members and four Independents.
The Congress continues to be the second-largest party in the Upper House with 28 MPs.
According to sources within the NDA, the alliance is optimistic about crossing the two-thirds threshold in the near future. One of the key factors behind this expectation is the ongoing political turbulence within the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The TMC, which originally had 13 Rajya Sabha members, has already witnessed the resignation of four MPs. Those who have stepped down include Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, Koyel Mallick and Prakash Barik. Party insiders and political observers suggest that more resignations could follow, although there is no official confirmation regarding the exact number.
If the resulting vacancies are filled in future elections under favourable political circumstances, the BJP is expected to be in a strong position to win these seats. Such an outcome would take the NDA’s tally to around 156 members, reducing the gap to the two-thirds mark even further.
Adding to the alliance’s momentum, seven Rajya Sabha MPs—including Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh and Ashok Mittal—recently switched political allegiance and joined the BJP, pushing the BJP’s strength within the NDA beyond the 110-member mark.
Sources also point to longer-term political possibilities in southern India. They suggest that if the DMK suffers electoral setbacks in the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and the party witnesses internal divisions or a realignment of political equations involving the Congress, some members could eventually extend support to the NDA in the Rajya Sabha. However, these developments remain speculative and there has been no official indication of such a shift.
Meanwhile, another boost for the ruling alliance could come through issue-based support from regional parties. K. Laltoliana, who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha from Mizoram, has stated that he would support the NDA on matters related to the development and welfare of the state. However, he also clarified that the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), founded in 2017, is aligned with neither the NDA nor the opposition INDIA bloc.
Laltoliana further said that both he and the party’s lone Lok Sabha MP, Richard Vanlalhmangaiha, would continue to maintain an independent position in Parliament while extending support on issues concerning Mizoram’s interests.
A political analyst told Read that with the NDA now just a few seats away from the two-thirds mark, attention will remain focused on evolving political equations in regional parties and possible shifts in the composition of the Upper House in the months ahead. While the alliance has not yet secured the numbers required for a constitutional majority, its recent gains have placed it closer than at any point in recent years.
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