BJP could get closer to majority mark in Rajya Sabha in 2020 if it tides over Karnataka crisis

Bengaluru, July 21: The BJP finds itself within touching distance of installing government in Karnataka. If things go as per plan, then the BJP could well hope to get a majority in the Rajya Sabha by next year.

If the trust vote goes as per schedule and the rebel MLAs are not disqualified, then the BJP could reach the majority mark in the Rajya Sabha. For this the BJP would need to win the by-elections, which would have been facilitated by the resignation of the 15 rebel MLAs.

In the month of June 2020, the terms of Congress Rajya Sabha members, B K Hariprasad and Rajeev Gowda come to an end. The terms of Prabhakar Kore and D Kupendra Reddy of the BJP to come to an end.

For this the BJP would have to form the government, win the by-polls and also maintain the magic figure in the 224 member house in Karnataka. In the current scenario, the ruling dispensation can win three of the Rajya Sabha seats, while the opposition can bag only one.

Recently, Rajya Sabha MPs C M Ramesh, Y S Chowdary, G M Rao and T G Venkatesh of the TDP joined the BJP. Ram Kumar Kashyap of the INLD and Neeraj Shekhar from the Samajwadi Party too have joined the BJP. The party is also pinning its hopes on two more SP MPs who are likely to join the BJP.

The BJP's current strength in the 245 member Rajya Sabha is 115. The party is just 8 short of the majority mark. With the recent developments and if the BJP manages to set up a government in Karnataka and also win the by-polls it would get closer to the majority mark in the Rajya Sabha by 2020.