Rajya Sabha Polls On 23 March: Congress Likely To Come Down To 48 Seats, NDA’s Tally May Go Up To 86

Elections to 58 Rajya Sabha seats in 16 states will be held on 23 March, the Election Commission announced on Friday.

The election is likely to change the current strengths of key political parties in the House, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Although the BJP became the single largest party in the House with 58 seats in January, it only has a one-seat lead over the Congress. With the party set to gain significantly from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand, its lead over the Congress is likely to grow further.

The party is likely to gain eight seats from Uttar Pradesh, one from Uttrakhand, and 10 to 11 seats from Bihar. In Maharashtra, the party is likely to get three of the six vacant seats. Nominated members may also help take the party’s tally beyond 70. Of the 12 nominated members, the current government has appointed seven. Four of these seven members have declared allegiance to the BJP.

The National Democratic Alliance would gain from Andhra Pradesh, where two of the three seats going to the polls will go to the Telugu Desam Party.

The Congress may gain two seats from Gujarat, two from Karnataka, and one in Maharashtra. The Congress’s strength may come down to 48 from the current 57 as the party will likely lose nine seats in the House.

Counting of votes will also take place on 23 March.