The numbers, however, don't seem to favor the Opposition.
The election for the post of deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha has heated up particularly against the backdrop of the forthcoming Bihar Assembly polls, with partners of the ruling alliance and the Opposition in the state looking to clinch the post before the state elections.
With this in mind, Janata Dal (United) -- which leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar -- Member of Parliament (MP) Harivansh filed his nomination on September 9 as NDA's candidate.
Harivansh filed his nomination in the presence of Leader of Rajya Sabha Thawarchand Gehlot and BJP ally SAD leader Naresh Gujral. BJP president J P Nadda and LJP's Ram Vilas Paswan are among his proposers.
Meanwhile, according to reports, the joint Opposition candidate could be first-time MP Manoj Jha of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). While there was speculation that Tiruchi Siva was also being considered, Jha was propped up considering that the contest for the Deputy Chairman's post could also be a mini-battle of sorts before the big Bihar elections, the schedule for which is yet to be announced.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the other reason why Jha could be fielded is because some regional parties in Bihar, unwilling to support Congress, might just end up supporting the Opposition's candidate if he or she is from RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's party.
Jha, however, said that the contest should not be seen as an "RJD vs JDU" fight.
"It should not be seen as RJD vs JD-U as there are larger issues at stake relating to the health and wellbeing of the parliamentary democracy. It is not between two individuals. It is for a larger cause and it should be seen in that context," Jha said, according to the HT report.
His name, however, was proposed by Congress because it wanted to chart a larger Opposition unity for the election.
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"This is a good sign that the Congress is thinking of opposition cohesion going beyond its own party with a long-term goal. It will send a positive message to the opposition parties that Congress is ready to walk the extra mile," a senior Congress leader told the newspaper.
The numbers, however, don't seem to favor the Opposition.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's tally stands at 116 in the 245-member House, which has an effective strength of 244, and its senior leaders have expressed confidence that non-NDA parties like Biju Janta Dal, YSR Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which has nine, six and seven members respectively, will back Harivansh.
BJP's floor managers believe that he will get the support of around 140 MPs in case of a contest.
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On its part, the Opposition, too, is trying to sway the "fence-sitters" in the Upper House.
"The BJD is a party that we will try and reach out to. They have nine members. If they vote for the Opposition candidate, it can be a good fight. Otherwise, the government, despite our efforts, will succeed in ensuring another term for the JD(U) member," an Opposition leader told The Indian Express.
Harivansh had comfortably defeated BK Hariprasad of the Congress in the 2018 election to the post, bagging 125 votes to his rival's 105.
The NDA has since then further strengthened its presence in Rajya Sabha, with a disjointed opposition weakened further by its dwindling numbers unable to put up any strong obstacle in the government's legislative agenda in the House.