Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will support the Delhi Services Bill in the Rajya Sabha, said Spokesperson and MP Sasmit Patra.
The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD has nine MPs in Rajya Sabha, according to the website of the Upper House.
The Delhi Services Bill, formally called the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, seeks to replace an ordinance that the Narendra Modi government promulgated in May. The bill effectively overturns a Supreme Court order in May that gave the elected government of Delhi powers in all spheres except policing, public order, and land.
Patra also said that the BJD will oppose the no-trust motion brought by the Opposition parties, reported PTI.
The BJD's support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajya Sabha is crucial as, unlike Lok Sabha, the BJP does not have clear majority in Rajya Sabha. The Opposition bloc INDIA also does not have a clear majority, which means that both the blocs have to rely on support from non-aligned parties like BJD.
With the nine MPs of BJD, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) tally rises to 109.
As of now, the INDIA has 108 MPs with it. It has 101 MPs of its own and seven MPs of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) are set to vote with it as the party has issued a whip to them in this regard.
In the 245-member house, the majority-mark is 120 as some seats are vacant. If all the seats would have been occupied, the majority-mark would have been 123.
There are still four non-aligned parties, five nominated MPs, and three Independents, whose position will decide whether the bill would sail or sink.
The four unaligned parties are:
YSR Congress Party : 09
Janata Dal-Secular : 01
Bahujan Samaj Party : 01
Telugu Desam Party :01
Together, these four parties have 12 MPs. In all, there are 20 undecided votes (12 MPs from these four parties plus five nominated MPs and three Independents).
The BJP, therefore, needs 11 more votes to see the Delhi Services Bill pass and the INDIA coalition needs 12. The nominated members are almost always favourable to the government in votes and the YSR Congress Party is also expected to support the Modi government.
