Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Poll Offers a Glimpse of 2019 Alignments

The election for the post of Rajya Sabha deputy chairman has given an early picture of where parties may stand in the 2019 general election, according to an analysis. It argued that the BJP used the contest to reassure cautious allies and to test how united the opposition really was.

Why the BJP backed a JD(U) nominee

The BJP chose to support Harivansh, the nominee of Nitish Kumar’s JD(U). The analysis said this was meant to soothe smaller partners who have worked under a dominant BJP, and described the move as both necessary and far-sighted, an assurance to present and possible allies.

Although the BJP is the largest party in the Upper House, it lacked the numbers to win alone. Putting up a JD(U) candidate, the piece argued, let non-aligned regional parties back the government side more easily. Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik, who might have hesitated to vote for a BJP MP, had no such difficulty with a JD(U) nominee, and the same applied to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. With the BJD and the TRS on board, the government’s numbers were secure. The AIADMK, the other party that could have upset the result, has rarely opposed the Modi government since Jayalalithaa’s death, the analysis said.

The opposition side

The Shiv Sena, which stayed away from the no-confidence vote against the government, also fell in line this time. The analysis said the opposition plan collapsed once Naveen Patnaik told NCP leaders he had promised support to the JD(U) nominee, which is why Sharad Pawar chose not to field NCP MP Vandana Chavan as a joint candidate.

It noted that the TDP, a party founded on opposition to the Congress, backed a Congress nominee, a rare event, while the AAP refused to support the Congress candidate. Short of numbers, the Congress finally put up a candidate in what the analysis called a token contest.

What happened next

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election the BJP won 303 of the 543 seats and the Congress 52; Narendra Modi began a second term on 30 May 2019.

Originally published on 10 August 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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