How Rajya Sabha Election results will have bearing on Lok Sabha Polls

The Rajya Sabha elections have added to BJP's winning streak and left the opposition looking weaker than before.

The Rajya Sabha Elections, which saw largescale cross-voting by MLAs, have given further heft to BJP's winning streak and left the opposition looking more vulnerable than before with just weeks left for the Lok Sabha Elections.

Cross-voting rattles parties

The BJP managed to pull off victories in 10 out of the 15 seats that were up for grabs in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh in the February 27 elections. Of these, the saffron party won two seats due to cross-voting by MLAs in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh respectively. In Karnataka though, the BJP suffered a similar fate after its MLA ST Somashekar voted in favour of the Congress.

Lok Sabha Boost for BJP

Overall, the Rajya Sabha election results proved to be a big win for BJP, which managed to secure two more seats than widely expected. The NDA's strength in Rajya Sabha is now 117, just four short of the majority mark of 121. The impressive results, coming on the back of the assembly election success in the heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, have further cemented BJP's pole position ahead of general election. By catching the opposition parties off guard and exposing their weaknesses, the BJP again proved its ability to pull off victories in every election even when the odds are stacked against it. The momentum is now heavily in BJP's favour as it eyes an ambitious 370+ target in the Lok Sabha polls.

Chinks In Opposition's Armour

The Rajya Sabha results have left the opposition looking more vulnerable than before. The Congress and SP were stung by cross-voting in both Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Despite Congress having a majority with 34 MLAs in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh assembly, the BJP pulled off a victory by exploiting internal rifts and leaving CM Sukhvinder Sukhu on shaky ground. In UP, the most crucial political state, the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP was spurned by 7 of its MLAs who voted in favour of BJP. This will further dent the image of opposition alliance in UP, where the SP and Congress have failed to pose a timely challenge to BJP due to protracted seat-sharing talks.

BJP's Southern Challenge

For BJP though, the only sticking point was its subdued performance in Karnataka. The Congress won three Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka while BJP managed to bag just one. Last year, the Congress had wrested power from BJP in the state. The results show that while BJP continues to rule the roost in the Hindi heartland, it is the southern states where the party is yet to gain significant ground. Moreover, in order to meet its 370+ target, the BJP will have to improve its tally in the South and convert key catchment areas into victories.