Waqf Amendment Bill: Can NDA Get It Passed In Rajya Sabha? Check Number Maths-OxBig News Network

The Rajya Sabha has taken up discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill which has already been passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The Rajya Sabha will take up the voting tonight with both – the ruling camp and the opposition camp – striving to get the numbers in their favours. In the Lok Sabha, 288 members supported the Bill while 232 opposed the bill. The majority mark in the 543-member house is 273. 

How Numbers Stack Up In Rajya Sabha?

In the Rajya Sabha, which currently has 236 members, the NDA holds 117 seats, falling just two short of the 119 needed for a majority. However, with the support of two nominated members and six independents, the ruling alliance’s strength increases to 125, surpassing the majority threshold.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, the largest party in the NDA, contributes 98 MPs to the alliance’s total in the Upper House. Other NDA-affiliated parties represented include the Janata Dal (United) with four seats, the Nationalist Congress Party with three, the Telugu Desam Party with two, and ten other parties with one member each.

In contrast, the opposition INDIA bloc has a total of 88 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. This includes 27 from the Congress, 13 from the Trinamool Congress, 10 each from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Aam Aadmi Party, five from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, four each from the Samajwadi Party and the CPI-M, three from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, along with representatives from other parties.

Additionally, 23 MPs belong to parties that are not aligned with either the NDA or the INDIA bloc. The BJD has not issued a whip to its MPs in the Rajya Sabha and thus, cross voting is possible in favour of the bill.