As the race for India’s next Vice President heats up, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has received a major boost in Parliament. The party has once again crossed the coveted 100-member mark in the Rajya Sabha, reaching a total of 102 members. This milestone was achieved following the nomination of three new members—Ujjwal Nikam, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and C. Sadanandan Master.

🏛️ Historic Achievement in Rajya Sabha With this, BJP becomes only the second political party in Indian history to have more than 100 members in the Rajya Sabha. The first was the Congress, which achieved this feat between 1988 and 1990. Interestingly, BJP had previously crossed the 100-member threshold in May 2022, when it held 101 seats.

Currently, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) commands a strength of 134 members in the Rajya Sabha, including five nominated MPs. A simple majority in the House requires 123 members. The Rajya Sabha has a total of 245 seats, which can go up to a maximum of 250—238 elected and 12 nominated.

📅 Vice Presidential Election Timeline Announced The Election Commission has officially announced the schedule for the Vice Presidential election. Nominations can be filed until August 21, and voting will take place on September 9. The election was necessitated by the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, leaving the post vacant.

📊 BJP Holds Numerical Advantage In terms of numbers, BJP and its allies hold a significant edge over the opposition. The Vice President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. BJP currently has 240 members in the Lok Sabha and 102 in the Rajya Sabha. With allies included, the ruling coalition commands over 457 members across both Houses.

In contrast, the Congress holds 99 seats in the Lok Sabha and 27 in the Rajya Sabha. The INDIA bloc and its affiliated parties collectively have over 300 members in both Houses. It remains unclear whether the opposition will field a candidate this time, although they actively contested the Vice Presidential elections in 2017 and 2022.

📉 Opposition’s Defeat in 2022 The last Vice Presidential election in 2022 saw a resounding defeat for the opposition. Out of 725 total votes, Jagdeep Dhankhar secured 528 votes, while opposition candidate Margaret Alva received 182 votes. Fifteen votes were declared invalid, resulting in Dhankhar’s victory by a margin of 346 votes.

📉 Setback in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections This development comes as a relief for the BJP, which faced a setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party won 240 seats, a sharp decline from its 302-seat tally in 2019. Despite its ambitious claim of winning 370 seats on its own, BJP fell short of the 272-seat majority mark.

✅ What This Means for the Vice Presidential Race With a strong numerical advantage in Parliament, BJP and its allies are well-positioned to influence the outcome of the Vice Presidential election. However, the final result will depend on strategic decisions, including whether the opposition decides to contest and how alliances shape up in the coming weeks.