“Delhi Services Bill: BJP’s Rajya Sabha Equation Shifts with BJD and YSRCP’s Support”

Delhi Service Bill : The BJP won’t have any trouble gaining control of Delhi, though, according to the “Delhi Services Bill. The Services Bill has been approved by the Lok Sabha; now, let’s see how the BJP and the opposition fare in the Rajya Sabha.

Following the formation of the YSRCP government, a significant development unfolded as the BJD emerged as the second non-BJP and unallied party to lend its support to the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. This bill is aimed at revoking an existing ordinance governing services within the National Capital Region, making it a central point of focus for cooperation among parliamentary opposition parties.

On Tuesday, the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha, granting the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi the ultimate authority in matters related to the transfer and posting of employees in the Delhi government.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in May, which gave the Delhi government control over administrative services, is now nullified by this bill.

Given that the BJP has 305 MPs, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won’t have any trouble passing the Delhi Services Bill in the Lok Sabha, but let’s see how the saffron party’s numbers compare to those of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

What is the present membership in Rajya Sabha?

The full membership of the Rajya Sabha or the Upper House is 240, however, there are currently seven vacancies and the Rajya Sabha has 238 members. If all the 238 members are present on the day the bill is passed, the number of half the membership will be 120.

How precise are the NDA’s statistics when the BJD and YSRCP are on board?

In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP does not command a clear majority. The Rajya Sabha website lists 92 members of the BJP. However, there are 100 members in total of the NDA. Furthermore, of the 120, half are still too short for the ladder.

Here, the assistance of the YSRCP, led by the BJD and Jagan Mohan Reddy, will be very significant. There are nine members in the Upper House total from the BJD and nine from the YSRCP.

With this, 118 MPs will be in favor of the bill overall. Additionally, according to the BJP, it is confident in its ability to secure the backing of 5 nominated members and 1 independent member.

On the other hand, the opposition ‘Bharat’ alliance, which consists of 26 parties, has a total of 101 MPs. About 18 of these 26 parties have representatives in the Upper House as well.

In addition, the BRS party of K. Chandrasekhar Rao, which has seven Rajya Sabha members, has vowed to vote against the bill. In addition, a number of independent MPs, including Kapil Sibal, are anticipated to vote against the legislation.

Even still, the opposition coalition will have 109 MPs, far short of the required number for majorities. This indicates that enacting the Services Bill in the Upper House will not likely present the BJP with any significant obstacles.