Centre Set To Prevail In Rajya Sabha Over Ordinance To Control Delhi Bureaucrats

Despite the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) gaining support from the Congress, the Centre is unlikely to face any trouble passing its ordinance on the control of Delhi's bureaucrats through Rajya Sabha, where it lacks a majority.

Currently, the government holds a strong position in Rajya Sabha, unless the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Naveen Patnaik or the YSR Congress Party led by Jagan Reddy have different plans.

After the closure of nominations today, five BJP members and six Trinamool MPs will be elected unopposed to 11 Rajya Sabha seats.

As a result, the Congress is expected to lose one seat, bringing their count down to 30, while the BJP is set to gain one seat, increasing their count to 93.

After 24 July, there will be seven vacant seats in the 245-member Rajya Sabha.

These vacancies include four seats in Jammu and Kashmir, two nominated seats, and one vacant seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Next week, during the monsoon session, the Rajya Sabha will have a total of 238 seats, with the majority mark set at 120.

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the BJP and its allies, will have a total of 105 members.

Additionally, the BJP is confident in the support of five nominated members and two independent MPs.

Therefore, the government will have a total of 112 members in its favor, which falls eight members short of the new majority mark, reports NDTV.

The government is also counting on the support of Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Janata Dal Secular, and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), each of which has one MP in the house.

Among the opposition, 105 members are against the Delhi Ordinance.

In order to pass the Rajya Sabha test, the government will require assistance from the BJD and YSRCP, both of which have nine members each.

The BJD has stated that it will decide when the bill to replace the Delhi ordinance will be discussed and voted upon.

The decision of YSRCP's Jagan Reddy is still unknown.

Earlier last year, both political parties had exited the voting process in Rajya Sabha for a controversial bill. This action inadvertently benefited the government by reducing the required majority.

If the same scenario occurs this time, the BJP and its allies will surpass the reduced majority mark of 111.

The government will only face trouble if the two parties vote against the bill, although this outcome seems unlikely.

The government can also increase its tally to 114 in the Rajya Sabha by nominating two members before voting on the Delhi Ordinance.

The conflict between the ruling BJP and the AAP government in Delhi intensified when the Centre passed a special order to override a Supreme Court ruling. The ruling stated that the elected government in Delhi, not the Centre, has control over the transfer and appointments of bureaucrats.

Arvind Kejriwal has turned this issue into a rallying point for the opposition.

He has been meeting with numerous party leaders nationwide to seek support. Additionally, he has made it a condition for AAP's participation in opposition meetings that include the Congress.