Rajya Sabha session begins today; BJD’s 9 MPs to swell Opposition strength

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, June 26

The Rajya Sabha is likely to see more fireworks from Opposition parties in the wake of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD)’s decision to act as an Opposition party. The BJD and former Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Reddy’s YSRCP had earlier sided with the ruling BJP and backed the government on crucial issues.

Following a recent meeting of BJD MPs, party supremo Naveen Patnaik announced that his party would don the mantle of an Opposition party from now on. While the BJD has failed to win any seat in the Lok Sabha, it has nine MPs in the Rajya Sabha.

TMC floor leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien has tweeted footage of BJD MP Sasmit Patra telling an interviewer about the party’s decision to sit in the Opposition benches in the Rajya Sabha.

“Khela hobe in Rajya Sabha”, the TMC slogan, which literally translates as “there will be play”, but in reality means a political showdown, was inscribed by an excited O’Brien on top of the video posted by him on X.

Regular sittings of the Rajya Sabha will start from Friday after President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint session of the members of both houses of the Parliament on Thursday.

The sittings will start with members speaking on the motion to thank the President for her address. Zero Hour, that comes up during pre-lunch hours, is the occasion when the Opposition and the treasury benches often clash. Opposition members also frequently get into arguments with the Chairman, a position now occupied by Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Ten sitting members of the Rajya Sabha have got elected to the Lok Sabha and vacated their seats in the Upper House as a result. The Election Commission is expected to soon declare the dates for the Rajya Sabha polls for these 10 seats, of which seven were held by the BJP, two Congress and one by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Congress member Deepender Singh Hooda, having won from the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat, has vacated his Rajya Sabha sea from Haryana while K C Venugopal, having won from Alappuzha in Kerala, has vacated his Rajya Sabha seat from Rajasthan.

The Congress is unlikely to win either of these two seats in the bypoll that will be held now to fill up the two vacancies. The BJD will add up to the number of Opposition in the House nevertheless. The party has, however, made it clear that it will not become part of the INDIA bloc.

10 upper house seats vacant

• Ten sitting members of the Rajya Sabha have got elected to the Lok Sabha and vacated their seats in the Upper House as a result
• The Election Commission is expected to soon declare the dates for the Rajya Sabha polls for these 10 seats, of which seven were held by the BJP, two Congress and one by the RJD