RS battle

The NDA currently has 83 members in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, with the BJP alone having 58 seats (there are seven vacancies in the house).

It is expected to have at least 92 members after the elections to the 59 seats across 17 states on March 23, but it could end up with a few more if its gambit of going for bust works.

Indeed, the BJP is chancing its luck even in Maharashtra where it has no surplus votes.

In the state, where a candidate for the Rajya Sabha needs 42 votes to win, the BJP has 122 members in the house and can ensure the victory of three candidates. It has fielded Vijaya Rahatkar, the chairperson of the State Women Commission as its fourth candidate. “The strategy about the fourth candidate will be revealed at the appropriate time,” BJP state chief Raosaheb Danve said. The BJP has an uneasy relationship with its long-term ally the Shiv Sena, which has 63 members in the house, leaving it with a surplus of 21 after having one of its candidates elected. A Shiv Sena member said the BJP can’t take its support for granted.