Parliament LIVE: Elections to 13 Rajya Sabha seats today, House to bid farewell to 72 retiring members

The elections to 13 Rajya Sabha seats across six states will be held tomorrow. These seats include the maximum five in Punjab followed by three in Kerala, two in Assam and one each in Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Tripura. The voting and counting of votes will be taken up today itself. With the BJP dominating the recently concluded Assembly polls in five states, it eyes victory in at least five seats. The saffron party currently has a strength of 97 in the 245-member Rajya Sabha. 

The Congress, on the other hand, is set to come precariously close to losing its status of Leader of Opposition by July this year, when another round of biennial elections for the Upper House will be held. By today, the Congress is already set to lose three three seats — two from Assam and one from Himachal. The retirees include the party’s deputy leader in the House, Anand Sharma, who was elected from Himachal Pradesh.