The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has edged closer to the two-thirds majority mark in the Rajya Sabha after a surprise win in Jharkhand.
Parimal Nathwani, an independent candidate backed by the NDA, won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, defeating Congress pick Pranav Jha.
Nathwani secured 28 first-preference votes, while Jha managed only 26, with at least four legislators from the ruling JMM-Congress coalition cross-voting in favour of Nathwani.
The NDA now has 152 seats in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, with the help of BJD and YSRCP, who have 5 and 7 seats respectively. With 19 out of 27 seats won in the recent elections, the NDA is just 12 seats away from the two-thirds majority mark of 164.
