Of the 22 seats falling vacant, the BJP holds 11, while the Congress has four
The YSRCP will see three members retire from the Upper House
The Congress may seek to increase its seats in Karnataka from one to three
The Upper House of Parliament could have a new look in June with 22 of the 242 members in the Rajya Sabha set to retire next month. Prominent members include Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders such as Digvijay Singh and HD Deve Gowda.
Of the 22 seats falling vacant, the BJP holds 11, while the Congress has four.
Berths for the upper house soon to be available in Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
State of the Rajya Sabha
Karnataka will see four seats going vacant, including those held by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are also projected to have four vacancies each. Three seats each from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will also be vacant alongside single seats from Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand.
The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) will see three members retire, with a member each from Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS), Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and National People's Party (NPP) set to retire as well.
According to a media report, in Karnataka, the Congress is hopeful of increasing its tally up to three from a single representative. The report in New Indian Express further states that the Congress is expected to retain one seat each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, even as it may lose its lone Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat with the veteran Shaktisinh Gohil retiring.
Names such as Ashok Gehlot, Pawan Khera, Kamal Nath, and Jitu Patwari, among others, are doing the rounds for the Grand Old Party’s candidature in the coming elections.
The Rajya Sabha has 113 members from the BJP, whereas the Congress has 29 members in the Upper House. The Trinamool Congress has 13 members alongside 8 members from the DMK and 7 from the YSRCP.
Beyond the numbers
Apart from the numbers, the recent election cycle gains traction due to Congress’ claim over the 24 Akbar Road. Earlier, the party was issued notice to vacate the iconic address that has housed its headquarters sinceJanuary 1978. With the coming upper house vacancies, The Statesman reports that the party might be looking for a ‘a permanent legal solution to retain 24 Akbar Road.’
How Are Members Of The Upper House Elected?
Members to the upper house are elected indirectly by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of that state comprising what is called ‘Electoral College’ for the concerned state. These assembly members are asked to rank candidates in the order of preference known as the Single Transferable Vote. To win a seat, the candidate must attain the specific quota of votes calculated by dividing total valid votes to the number of vacant seats plus one. Put simply, the candidate must secure 51 votes if 100 valid votes are cast for one seat.
