New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) received a political boost in the Rajya Sabha after seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs shifted allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led bloc, but the ruling alliance remains short of a two-thirds majority needed to pass key constitutional amendments in the Upper House.

Following the switch, the NDA’s support in the Rajya Sabha has risen to 145 members in the 244-member House. However, the two-thirds majority threshold now stands at 163, leaving the alliance 18 members short of the mark required for constitutional changes.

The BJP itself continues to operate below a simple majority in the Upper House, with 106 MPs at present. Even after the proposed merger of the AAP Parliamentary Party is approved by Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan, the BJP is expected to increase its tally to 113 MPs.

Sources indicated that the ruling party is also likely to receive support from seven nominated members and two independent MPs, potentially taking its effective backing to around 122 members, exactly the half-way mark.

The political realignment comes at a crucial time, as the NDA looks to strengthen its position for passing constitution amendment bills. A recent setback came when the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, aimed at implementing 33 per cent women’s reservation in legislatures from 2029 and increasing Lok Sabha seats to 816, was defeated in the Lok Sabha on April 17. It marked the first constitutional amendment defeat for the government in the current tenure.

In the Lok Sabha, the NDA enjoys a simple majority but is still short of the two-thirds mark, which requires 363 votes for constitutional amendments. The alliance’s inability to secure this threshold continues to pose challenges for its legislative agenda.

Earlier in the day, AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that more than two-thirds of the party’s Rajya Sabha MPs had formally merged with the BJP. He added that seven MPs had signed the merger document, which was submitted to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, and that he, along with two other MPs, personally handed over the papers.

With PTI inputs