Rajya Sabha
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The Rajya Sabha or the Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature, science, and social services. These members are known as nominated members. The remainder of the body is elected by state and territorial legislatures.
Terms of office are for six years, with one third of the members facing re-election every two years.
The Rajya Sabha meets in continuous session and, unlike the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, is not subject to dissolution. The Rajya Sabha shares legislative powers with the Lok Sabha, except in the area of finance, where the Lok Sabha has overriding powers. In the case of conflicting legislation, a joint sitting of the two houses is held.
The Vice-President of India (currently, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat) is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who is elected from amongst its members, takes care of the day-to-day matters of the house in the absence of the Chairman.
The Rajya Sabha held its first sitting on 13 May 1952.
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Proportionment
Members are elected by the Legslative Assembly of Each State. Seats are fixed for each state. The numbers of seats as of 2006 are:
- Andhra Pradesh — 18
- Arunachal Pradesh — 1
- Assam — 7
- Bihar — 22
- Goa — 1
- Gujarat — 11
- Haryana — 5
- Himachal Pradesh — 3
- Jammu & Kashmir — 4
- Karnataka — 12
- Kerala — 9
- Madhya Pradesh — 16
- Maharashtra — 19
- Manipur — 1
- Meghalaya — 1
- Mizoram — 1
- Nagaland — 1
- Orissa — 10
- Punjab — 7
- Rajasthan — 10
- Sikkim — 1
- Tamil Nadu — 18
- Tripura — 1
- Uttar Pradesh — 34
- West Bengal — 16
- Delhi — 3
- Pondicherry — 1
Total: 223
Elections in within the state legislatures are held using single transferable votes with proportional representation.
Important Members of the Rajya Sabha
- Chairman & Vice-President of India: Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
- Deputy Chairman: K. Rahman Khan, Indian National Congress, Karnataka
- Leader of the House: Dr. Manmohan Singh, Indian National Congress, Assam
- Leader of the Opposition: Jaswant Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party, Rajasthan
See also
External links
- Rajya Sabha homepage hosted by the Indian government
- Rajya Sabha FAQ page hosted by the Indian government
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