NEW DELHI, April 27 -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP party strengthened its position in parliament's upper ‌house after seven opposition lawmakers joined it, ​a parliamentary list showed on Monday, a shift that could ease the government's passage of legislation.

All seven defectors ‌are from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by one of Modi's ​most high-profile critics, Arvind Kejriwal. The party governs the northern state of Punjab and previously ran the national capital territory of Delhi.

The defections leave the AAP ​with just three seats in the Rajya Sabha house, while Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party now has 113 members, 10 short of a simple majority in the 245-member chamber. Modi's broader Nati...