india

Updated: Aug 03, 2019 02:48 IST

Days after Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Shekhar quit the Samajwadi Party (SP), it lost another member in the Upper House when Surendra Singh Nagar submitted his resignation to RS Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Friday. House officials have confirmed that Nagar’s resignation has been accepted.

The resignation has reduced the strength of Samajwadi Party in the House to 11.

And, with another Opposition MP leaving, the effective strength of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has gone marginally up in the Upper House, where it is still in the numerical minority.

Earlier, four MPs of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had joined the BJP. Their entry and victories in the biennial elections have increased the BJP’s tally to 78, while the Congress stands at 47.

Opposition camp fears that some more MPs—especially those from the regional parties—may switch over to the BJP. During the passage of three key bills in less than a week, the SP appeared to be a divided house.

In the RTI amendments, Triple Talaq bill and the UAPA bill, not more than five MPs of the 11-member-strong SP could be seen participating during the vote. Some Opposition leaders claimed that the SP was under pressure and, while some MPs such as Ramgopal Yadav or Jaya Bachchan are firmly with the Opposition, some others looks vulnerable.