Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party has emerged as the third largest party in the Rajya Sabha, relegating the CPI(M) to fourth position in yet another bad news for Marxists ahead of the Assembly polls in West Bengal and Kerala.
The strength of CPI(M) has come down from 16 to 15 while that of BSP has risen from 13 to 18 in the 245-member Upper House after the last month's biennial elections to 55 seats.
While the BSP's graph is rising in the Upper House, the Samajwadi Party, its arch rival in Uttar Pradesh, has suffered the sharpest erosion in its strength (five from 11).
Besides the Congress and the BJP, the parties which improved their tallies include DMK (seven from four seats), BJD (six
from four seats) and Telugu Desam Party (four from two seats).
The parties whose strength in Rajya Sabha has come down include Jayalalithaa's AIADMK which has five members now against the earlier seven.
Despite the fact that it won most of the 55 seats in the biennial elections, the UPA still has no majority in the Upper House.
The numbers are more or less the same for the ruling alliance and the Congress tally is now 70 including two nominated members. Its strength would go to 71 with a vacancy from Haryana being filled soon.
The strength of Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party has risen to seven from six while that of Trinamool Congress, another major ally of the UPA, remains at two. The National Conference's tally remains at two.
The BJP's strength has gone up from 47 to 49. The party scored impressive victories in Karnataka and Rajasthan, but lost a seat in Jharkhand.
As regards other NDA allies, there has been no change in the numbers for JD(U), Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akaki Dal which continue to be at seven, four and three respectively.
Experts say that with numbers not much on its side, the ruling alliance may have to sing the mantra of consensus on several key issues and legislations including its pet reforms programmes.
The government is short of majority in the Rajya Sabha since long and more so after the UPA-II came into existence following the Lok Sabha polls last year.
