NEW DELHI: Election for a new deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha (RS)will be held Thursday. The post of the deputy chairman has been lying vacant since June this year following the retirement of PJ Kurien, who was elected to the Upper House of Parliament on a Congress ticket from Kerala. Here's all you need to know about who have been nominated as candidates, how the numbers will work in or against their favour and what the broader significance of this contest is ahead of the Lok Sabha 2019 general elections:

* The BJP-led NDA's nominee is Harivansh Narayan Singh of the JD(U). He's a Parliamentarian from Bihar and a former journalist. In nominating a JD(U) candidate, the BJP is attempting to reach out to its allies who have been complaining about being left out.

* The Congress has fielded its candidate to force a contest for the constitutional office. MP from Karnataka BK Hariprasad will be the Congress candidate for the post of RS deputy chairman.

* Following the failed no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha last month, the contest for the post of RS deputy chairman is the next big test of opposition unity.

* The BJP would, of course, find it advantageous to have its candidate win because then the chairman (Venkaiah Naidu) and his deputy would both be their choices.

* For the Congress, retaining the post would come as a big boost. In addition, if it gets support from other opposition parties, that would point to a building of opposition unity.

* But how do the numbers stack up? The current strength of the Rajya Sabha is 244, so the support of 123 members would be needed for a win. That is, if it's a full house, which may not be the case since the demise Tuesday night of the DMK supremo M Karunanidhi.

* The lack of majority in the Rajya Sabha has been a big problem for the BJP.The BJP-led NDA has 93 MPs, including those from the Shiv Sena with whom it isn't exactly chummy these days. As well, it's being said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is displeased with the BJP's choice of a JD(U) candidate over its own MP Naresh Gujral. BJP members are said to have reached out to SAD. Not supporting the NDA, it was pointed out, would only compromise the Akalis in a fight with their chief rival, the Congress party.

* The Congress is the largest party in the RS with 50 seats. The opposition, including the Congress, earlier this week claimed it has 114 votes on its side, including two from the YSR Congress. The UPA plus regional parties' tally is 118.

* Meanwhile, there are at least 37 MPs who can technically tilt the balance. They are the AIADMK (13), BJD (9), TRS (6), PDP (2), INLD (1) and independents (6). In this situation, which party abstains and who actively supports which camp will be equally important.

* However, the BJD (with nine seats) on Wednesday threw its weight behind BJP-led NDA in the election for the deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha giving the ruling coalition a clear edge.

* BJP national chief Amit Shah, Sanjay Raut, leader of BJP’s restive ally Shiv Sena, Akali Dal’s S S Dhindsa and JD (U)’s RCP Singh submitted four sets of papers in support of Harivansh.

* Congress MP Hariprasad’s candidature, on the other hand, was backed by BSP’s Satish Mishra, NCP’s Vandana Chavan, Congress’s Anand Sharma, Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav and RJD’s Misa Bharati.

*In what would not be good for the Congress, there is speculation that even Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is not in favour of opposing the JD(U) candidate because it doesn't want to directly confront JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar's party.

* Without the BJD, the NDA's tally is a shade short of that of the UPA plus regional parties' 118. Some sources said the support of the AIADMK's 13 and the TRS's six MPs is all but in the bag for the NDA.

