BJP hopes to get majority in Rajya Sabha via Karnataka

The BJP, which is hoping to form the government in Karnataka after dislodging JD(S)-Congress coalition, is also eyeing to increase its strength in Rajya Sabha as four sitting members of the Upper House from the state will retire mid-next year.

Rajya Sabha members B K Hariprasad and Rajeev Gowda of the Congress, D Kupendra Reddy of the JD(S) and Prabhakar Kore from BJP will retire in June 2020.

If BJP could form a government now and is able to maintain a magic figure in the 224 strength Assembly after the by-poll necessitated due to the resignation of MLAs, then it would gain seats next year in Rajya Sabha polls. Out of four seats in the state, the ruling dispensation can win three seats easily while the opposition would get only one seat.

The BJP-led NDA at the Centre is struggling to pass key legislations in the Upper House and is working overtime to increase its strength. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first tenure, the BJP government failed to pass 22 bills including triple talaq bill, land acquisition bill, citizenship bill and motor vehicle bill.

Modi during his speech in Rajya Sabha on the President's address had also rued that several key bills are stuck in Rajya Sabha due to lack of strength. He had said he had to beg the House of seniors to allow his speech a bit early as he had to leave for a tour abroad.

In Modi 2:0 dispensation, the BJP is making all efforts to increase its strength.

MPs from two regional parties—C M Ramesh, Y S Chowdary, Garikapati Mohan Rao and T G Venkatesh from TDP, Ram Kumar Kashyap of INLD already joined BJP while Neeraj Shekhar from Samajwadi Party resigned from the Upper House and joined the BJP. Shekhar is likely to fielded from BJP in Rajya Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh where the BJP is the ruling party. Two more MPs from Samajwadi Party may switch to the BJP.

In the House of 245, the NDA's current strength is 115, just eight short of the majority mark.

Though the speculation was that the NDA would get majority only at the end of 2021, sources said the BJP was hoping to get a majority in the biennial elections for Rajya Sabha in June 2020.