Rajya Sabha polls for 8 seats slated for June 19, opposition bloc may gain additional 2 members

NEW DELHI: The opposition alliance may have an advantage of two additional seats in Rajya Sabha after the biennial elections which are going to be held on June 19.

Election Commission Monday announced conducting polls for eight Rajya Sabha seats — two from Assam and six from Tamil Nadu. These seats are going to be vacant due to the retirement of members. Six members from Tamil Nadu are going to retire in July whereas the remaining two from Assam will complete their tenures next month.

Three members out of six from Tamil Nadu belong to the DMK whereas one each belongs to AIADMK, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and MDMK. Parties’ current strength in the state assembly indicates that either DMK may improve its tally from three to four or its alliance partner Congress may get one seat from Tamil Nadu, improving UPA’s tally in Upper House.

Similarly, the opposition alliance may gain one seat from Assam. The two MPs going to retire from the state belong to the BJP and its ally AGP (one each). But current strength of assembly indicates a possibility that one of it may either go to Congress or its ally.

Currently, the ruling NDA has majority in the Upper House with 128 members, including six nominated on board, whereas the INDIA bloc has 89 members including 27 from the Congress and 10 from the DMK. Non-aligned parties, including YSRCP, BRS, BJD, BSP and MNF, have 20 members in the House of 237 (current strength). The Rajya Sabha has, at present, eight vacancies - four each from J&K and nominated category.