Rajya Sabha – Members, Seats & Election Process

Members of the Rajya Sabha who are selected to represent the states and union territories in the legislature are chosen through the Rajya Sabha Election procedure. These individuals are chosen to be Rajya Sabha representatives. The elected members of that state’s Legislative Assembly and the members of that Union Territory’s electoral college will depend on the circumstances. Using a proportional representation system that grants each voter one voice, each cast their vote for the representatives of their respective states and union territories.

Rajya Sabha Members

The Rajya Sabha is an indefinite body that cannot be dissolved. Every two years, one-third of the members retire and are replaced by freshly elected individuals. Every member is chosen to serve a six-year term. The Rajya Sabha’s ex-officio chairman is India’s vice president. A Deputy Chairman is also chosen by the House from among its members. Also, the Rajya Sabha has a group of “Vice Chairmen”. The Prime Minister appoints the seniormost minister, a Rajya Sabha member, to be the Leader of the House.

Article 80 of the Constitution states that the Rajya Sabha can only have up to 250 members at a time. The purpose of imposing this limit was to keep the chamber from growing too big. Of these 250 members, 12 are chosen by the President, while the remaining 238 act as delegates for the states and the two territories that comprise the Union. There are 250 participants in all for this body. Regardless of this, there are currently 245 members of the Rajya Sabha. 233 of them were selected to represent their respective states and union territories, including Delhi and Puducherry, among other locations, in the Rajya Sabha.

The remaining 12 Rajya Sabha members are to be chosen by the Indian President. The President may nominate members who possess particular knowledge or practical experience in a variety of fields, including science, literature, the arts, and community service. This covers, but is not restricted to, the domains of science, literature, and community service.

Voting for Rajya Sabha Members

The Rajya Sabha Election process selects the Rajya Sabha members who will sit in the legislature on behalf of the states and union territories. These people have been selected to serve as Rajya Sabha representatives. Depending on the situation, the state’s elected Legislative Assembly members and Union Territory’s electoral college members will be chosen. Voters use a proportional representation method, which gives each voter one voice, to select the representatives of their respective states and union territories. This vote will select the appropriate state and union territory representatives. This guarantees equal representation for all members of the Union in its governing bodies, including the states and the two territories. There are three types of representation in the Rajya Sabha.

Representatives of the States in the Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha is composed of the following members who currently represent their respective states in the legislature:

1. The Rajya Sabha seats are allocated by those who have held leadership positions in these legislatures in the past.
2. The voting method known as proportional representation is implemented through the use of a technique called the Single Transferable Vote.
3. One of the considerations is the proportion of MPs (members of parliament) to the population in each state as represented in the Rajya Sabha.

Representatives of the Union Territories in the Rajya Sabha

In the Rajya Sabha, the following members presently represent their respective Union Territories:

1. By organizing elections in which the general population avoids participating. The Union Territories shall be represented in the Rajya Sabha by elected representatives. The Electoral College was established in order to fulfill this specific role, and it has stayed in place ever since.
2. During elections, the proportional representation voting method is implemented through the Single Transferable Vote procedure.

Representation of the Nominated Members of the Rajya Sabha

The President of the Rajya Sabha has nominated 12 individuals for their knowledge and contribution in the following fields:

1. Art
2. Literature
3. Science
4. Social Services

The Rajya Sabha Election Process

Indirect elections are used to choose the Rajya Sabha’s representatives from the States and Union Territories.  According to the system of proportional representation using the single transferable vote, the elected members of each State’s Legislative Assembly and each Union Territory’s Electoral College, respectively, choose the representatives for each of the two states and the two Union territories.

An Example of Rajya Sabha Election Procedure

According to Schedule 4 of the constitution, each state’s allotted number of Rajya Sabha seats is determined. Every two years, elections are held for a third of these seats. Consider a state where elections are being held for three Rajya Sabha seats. Let the legislative assembly consist of just two parties. There are 40 seats in party B and 100 seats in party A. For the three Rajya Sabha seats, each party may field three candidates.

It takes a certain number of votes for a candidate to win a Rajya Sabha seat. The formula below is used to find that number or the quotient.

Total votes cast divided by (number of Rajya Sabha seats + 1) + 1 equals the quotient.

To win in the above scenario, a candidate needs (140/4)+1, or 36 votes.

Rajya Sabha Seats

The Constitution’s Fourth Schedule lays out how the States and Union Territories would be assigned seats in the Rajya Sabha.  Each State’s population is taken into account while allocating seats.  Since 1952, the number of elected members in the Rajya Sabha that have been assigned to States and Union Territories as a result of state reorganizations and the creation of new states has fluctuated.

List of Rajya Sabha Seats State Wise

State	No. of Seats
Andhra Pradesh	18
Arunachal Pradesh	1
Assam	7
Bihar	16
Chattisgarh	5
Goa	1
Gujarat	11
Haryana	5
Himachal Pradesh	3
Jammu & Kashmir	4
Jharkhand	6
Karnataka	12
Kerala	9
Madhya Pradesh	11
Maharashtra	19
Manipur	1
Meghalaya	1
Mizoram	1
Nagaland	1
NCT Delhi	3
Nominated	12
Odisha	10
Pondicherry	1
Punjab	7
Rajasthan	10
Sikkim	1
Tamil Nadu	18
Tripura	1
Uttar Pradesh	31
Uttarakhand	3
West Bengal	16

Conclusion – Rajya Sabha

According to the Constitution, the Rajya Sabha will have 250 members in total, with no more than 238 representatives from the States and Union Territories and 12 nominees chosen by the President from among individuals with particular expertise or experience in the fields of literature, science, art, and social service. Twelve additional members will be nominated by the President from among individuals with particular expertise or practical experience in areas like social services. They will be drawn from a group of people with specialized knowledge or practical experience in fields like the humanities. Besides this, the administration would also grant the Rajya Sabha the authority to suggest amendments to the Constitution.

FAQs on Rajya Sabha

1. What is the Number of Elected Members in Rajya Sabha?

There shall be no more than 250 members in the Rajya Sabha, including 12 members proposed by the President and 238 members representing the States and Union Territories.

2. How the Rajya Sabha Members are Elected?

The president proposes twelve candidates for membership. On January 26, 1950, the Fourth Schedule to the Indian Constitution was adopted, designating 216 members of the Rajya Sabha: 12 would be president-nominated, while the rest 204 would be elected to represent the states.

3. Who Nominates the 12 Members of Rajya Sabha?

The President of India nominates twelve people to the Rajya Sabha for six-year terms in recognition of their contributions to social services, literature, the arts, and science.

4. What is Article 80?

According to Article 80 of the Constitution, the Rajya Sabha can have a maximum of 250 members, of which 12 are President-nominated and 238 are representatives of the States and the three Union Territories.

5. Who Nominates 12 members of Rajya Sabha and two Anglo Indians of Lok Sabha?

Currently, the Rajya Sabha is sanctioned to have 245 members, with the President designating 12 of these members. There are now 545 members of the Lok Sabha, and two of them are nominees from the Anglo-Indian Community chosen by the Indian President.