The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday overtook Congress to become the largest political party in the Rajya Sabha, where it now has 58 members against 57 of the main opposition party.
BJP MP Sampatiya Uikey, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha following a bypoll in Madhya Pradesh took oath on Thursday. His election was necessitated by the death of union minster Anil Madhav Dave.
This is the first time that the BJP has become the number one formation in the Rajya Sabha after the Narendra Modi government came to power in May 2014.
The BJP-led NDA, however, is still short of a decisive majority in the house but the joining of the Janata Dal (United), or JDU, to the ruling block has further boosted its numbers.