New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) recorded a strong showing in the latest round of Rajya Sabha elections, securing eight of the 11 seats that went to polls in Bihar, Odisha and Haryana. However, the final outcome remains incomplete as counting of votes for the two seats in Haryana has been temporarily put on hold after objections were raised regarding the validity and secrecy of certain ballots.
The elections were held as part of the biennial polls to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states. Earlier, 26 candidates from seven states had already been elected unopposed, leaving 11 seats for polling in the three states.
NDA Sweeps Bihar
In Bihar, the NDA secured a clean sweep by winning all five seats. The winning candidates include Nitish Kumar and Ram Nath Thakur from the Janata Dal (United), Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Upendra Kushwaha from the Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
The contest for the fifth seat had attracted significant attention after the opposition fielded RJD candidate Amarendra Dhari Singh. Ultimately, second-preference votes favoured BJP candidate Shivesh Kumar, ensuring all five seats for the NDA.
BJP Performs Strongly in Odisha
In Odisha, where four seats were contested, the BJP won three seats, while the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured one seat. The outcome reportedly involved cross-voting by some legislators, which helped tilt the result in favour of the BJP.
Haryana Counting Paused
In Haryana, the results are still awaited. Counting for the two Rajya Sabha seats was halted after complaints were raised over the validity and secrecy of certain ballots. Election officials are reviewing the objections before resuming the counting process.
Current Composition of the Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament, has a maximum strength of 245 members, including 233 elected members and 12 nominated members.
The approximate party-wise strength in the House currently stands as follows:
-
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – 97
-
Indian National Congress (INC) – 30
-
All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) – 13
-
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – 10
-
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) – 9
-
Janata Dal (United) – 8
-
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) – 8
-
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – 7
-
Shiv Sena (various factions) – 7
-
Samajwadi Party (SP) – 5
-
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) – 4
-
Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI(M) – 4
-
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – 3
-
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) – 3
-
AIADMK – 3
-
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) – 3
-
Other regional parties and independents – around 13
-
Nominated Members – 12
NDA vs Opposition Strength
In terms of alliances, the NDA bloc currently holds roughly around 115–120 seats in the Rajya Sabha, including members from BJP, JD(U), Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), RPI(A), Rashtriya Lok Morcha, and other allies.
The opposition parties collectively hold around 95–100 seats, including Congress, TMC, DMK, SP, AAP, RJD, CPI(M), CPI and several regional parties, while some parties remain neutral or non-aligned, such as BJD and YSRCP, whose support often varies depending on specific legislation.
The latest election results have further strengthened the NDA’s position in the Upper House, though the final tally from Haryana will be known once the counting process resumes.
