BJP’s Rajya Sabha Milestone

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reached a significant milestone by crossing the 100-member mark in the Rajya Sabha for the first time since April 2022. This development comes as a boost for the ruling party ahead of the Vice Presidential elections scheduled for September 9. The BJP’s tally now stands at 102 members, following the inclusion of three nominated members.

New Members Strengthen BJP’s Position

Top lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, former foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and social worker C Sadanandan Master were sworn in as Rajya Sabha MPs last month and have since joined the BJP, contributing to this historic achievement. The Rajya Sabha currently comprises 240 MPs, including 12 nominated members, with five seats vacant.

Historical Context and Recent Developments

After the March 31, 2022 elections for 13 Rajya Sabha seats, the BJP became only the second party in India’s history to surpass 100 MPs in the Upper House, a feat previously achieved by the Congress between 1988 and 1990. At that time, the BJP’s numbers rose from 97 to 101. However, their tally had decreased to 99 until this recent increase.

NDA’s Majority in Rajya Sabha

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes the BJP, now holds a total of 134 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, comfortably exceeding the majority mark of 121. This includes five of the twelve nominated members.

Profiles of New BJP Members

Ujjwal Nikam gained prominence as the special public prosecutor for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016. Despite contesting a Lok Sabha seat last year, he lost to Congress’ Varsha Gaikwad. Harsh Vardhan Shringla served as India’s foreign secretary and was instrumental as chief coordinator for the G20 summit in 2023. C Sadanandan Master, a social worker from Kerala, survived a brutal attack in 1994 and later contested assembly elections on a BJP ticket.

Additional Nominations

Alongside these three individuals, political scientist Meenakshi Jain was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha last month. A former member of the Indian Council of Historical Research, she received the Padma Shri in 2020.