How many members are there in Rajya Sabha?

Q.  Which of the following are true regarding the composition of Rajya Sabha?

1) 238 members represent states and union territories in Rajya Sabha.
2) Representatives of Puducherry in the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of Puducherry legislative assembly.
3) Third Schedule of the Constitution deals with the allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states.
- Published on 02 Mar 17

a. 3
b. 1, 3
c. 1, 2
d. All of the above

ANSWER: 1, 2
 
    Composition of Rajya Sabha -

  • The maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha is fixed at 250.

  • Out of 250, 238 are to be the representatives of the states and union territories (elected indirectly).

  • 12 are nominated by the President.

  • At present, the Rajya Sabha has 245 members.

  • Of these, 229 members represent the states, 4 members represent the union territories and 12 members are nominated by the president.

  • The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states and union territories.

    • Representation of States -

  • The representatives of states in the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of state legislative assemblies.

  • The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

  • The seats are allotted to the states in the Rajya Sabha on the basis of population.

  • Hence, the number of representatives varies from state to state. E.g., Uttar Pradesh has 31 members while Tripura has 1 member only.

  • However, in USA, all states are given equal representation in the Senate irrespective of their population.

  • USA has 50 states and the Senate has 100 members - 2 from each state.

    • Representation of Union Territories -

  • The representatives of each union territory in the Rajya Sabha are indirectly elected by members of an electoral college specially constituted for the purpose.

  • The Electoral College for the National Capital Territory of Delhi consists of the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi, and that for Puducherry consists of the elected members of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly.

  • This election is also held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

  • Out of the seven union territories, only two (Delhi and Puducherry) have representation in Rajya Sabha.

  • The populations of other five union territories are too small to have any representative in the Rajya Sabha.

    • Nominated Members -

  • The president nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha from people who have special knowledge or practical experience in art, literature, science and social service.

  • The rationale behind this principle of nomination is to provide eminent persons a place in the Rajya Sabha without going through the process of election.

  • It should be noted here that the American Senate has no nominated members.

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