Page 33 - Parliament of India

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PARLIAMENT TODAY
THE TWO HOUSES—COMPOSITION, DURATION, FUNCTIONS AND
RELATIVE ROLES
The Constitution provides for a bicameral Parliament, consisting of the
President and two Houses, known, respectively, as the Council of States (Rajya
Sabha) and the House of the People (Lok Sabha).
Composition and Duration : Rajya Sabha consists of not more than 250
members. Of these, 12 are nominated by the President for their special
knowledge or practical experience in such matters as literature, science, art and
social service. The remaining seats are allocated to the various States and Union
Territories, roughly in proportion to their population. The representatives of each
State are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of the State in
accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single
transferable vote. The minimum age for membership of the House is 30 years.
Rajya Sabha was constituted for the first time on April 3, 1952. It is a
permanent body not subject to dissolution, but with one-third of its membership
renewed every second year.
The Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of the people chosen by direct
election on the basis of adult suffrage. The maximum strength of the House
envisaged by the Constitution is now 547—up to 525 members to represent the
States, up to 20 members to represent the Union Territories and not more than
two members of the Anglo-Indian Community to be nominated by the President
if in his opinion that community is not adequately represented in the House. The
total elective membership is distributed among the States in such a way that the
ratio between the number of seats allotted to each State and the population of
the State is, so far as practicable, the same for all States. The qualifying age for
membership of Lok Sabha is 25 years.
Lok Sabha, unless sooner dissolved, continues for five years from the date
appointed for its first meeting and the expiration of the period of five years
operates as dissolution of the House. However, while a Proclamation of Emer­
gency is in operation, this period may be extended by Parliament by law for a
period not exceeding one year at a time and not exceeding a period of six months
after the proclamation has ceased to operate.
Following the first General Elections held in the country in 1952, the first
Lok Sabha met in May 1952. Thereafter four General Elections have been held.
The present House—the Fifth Lok Sabha—was constituted in March 1971. The
strength of the House is 525.

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