Article 79 provides for the Parliament of India.
It consists of:
Thus:
Parliament = President + Rajya Sabha + Lok Sabha
The President is an integral part of Parliament but is not a member of either House.
Article 79 states that there shall be a Parliament for the Union consisting of:
President + Council of States + House of the People
The constitutional names of the two Houses are:
India has a:
Bicameral Legislature
This means Parliament has two Houses:
Upper House / Council of States
Lower House / House of the People
The President forms the third component of Parliament under Article 79.
Article 80 deals with the composition of Rajya Sabha.
The Constitution provides for a maximum strength of:
250 members
This consists of:
The actual strength can be lower than the constitutional maximum.
The President nominates:
12 members
to Rajya Sabha.
These persons should have special knowledge or practical experience in:
Rajya Sabha → 12 Nominated Members
Representatives of States in Rajya Sabha are elected by:
Elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies
The election uses:
Proportional representation
through:
Single Transferable Vote
Rajya Sabha → Indirect Election + PR + STV
Representation of Union Territories in Rajya Sabha is provided according to constitutional and statutory arrangements.
Not all Union Territories have representation in the same manner.
For UPSC, remember:
Rajya Sabha represents States + Union Territories
Article 81 deals with the composition of Lok Sabha.
The House of the People consists of representatives elected directly by:
The people of India
from:
Territorial constituencies
Under the constitutional framework, Lok Sabha can have up to:
550 elected members
consisting of:
The earlier provision for nominated Anglo-Indian members is no longer operative.
The constitutional provision for such nomination ceased to have effect after the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019.
Lok Sabha members are directly elected by the people.
The elections are based on:
Universal Adult Suffrage
This makes Lok Sabha the principal directly representative chamber of Parliament.
Lok Sabha → Direct Election → People
For Lok Sabha elections, the country is divided into:
Territorial constituencies
Each constituency elects a representative.
The normal electoral system used is:
First-Past-the-Post
The candidate receiving the highest number of votes in a constituency is elected.
Seats are allocated to States broadly on the basis of:
Population
subject to constitutional provisions relating to readjustment and delimitation.
The Constitution also contains safeguards intended to prevent frequent changes in representation arising from population changes.
Union Territories are represented in Lok Sabha according to:
Parliamentary law and constitutional provisions
Unlike States, their representation is not based on exactly the same constitutional arrangement.
| Feature | Rajya Sabha | Lok Sabha |
|---|---|---|
| Constitutional name | Council of States | House of the People |
| Position | Upper House | Lower House |
| Maximum constitutional strength | 250 | 550 elected members under current framework |
| Election | Mainly indirect | Direct |
| Represents | States and Union Territories | People |
| Nominated members | 12 | No current nominated category |
| Electoral system | PR through STV for elected State representatives | First-Past-the-Post |
The President is:
Part of Parliament
but:
Not a member of either House
The President performs important parliamentary functions such as:
The bicameral structure serves several purposes.
Lok Sabha represents:
People
Rajya Sabha represents:
States and Union Territories
Rajya Sabha provides an additional chamber for:
Legislative scrutiny
Rajya Sabha provides a forum for:
State interests
Two Houses provide greater opportunity for:
Debate and reconsideration
Rajya Sabha is called the:
Council of States
because it provides representation to the States at the Union level.
However, Indian federalism does not provide equal representation to every State.
Representation is broadly linked to:
Population
Therefore, India's Rajya Sabha differs from the United States Senate, where States have equal representation.
Lok Sabha is called the:
House of the People
because its members are directly elected by citizens.
It has a particularly important role in:
The Constitution provides for periodic:
Readjustment of representation
through delimitation.
Article 82 deals with:
Readjustment after each census
However, constitutional amendments have periodically frozen aspects of the allocation of seats and delimitation.
Therefore, the constitutional position on delimitation must be understood along with relevant amendments.
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| Article 79 | Constitution of Parliament |
| Article 80 | Composition of Rajya Sabha |
| Article 81 | Composition of Lok Sabha |
| Article 82 | Readjustment after each census |
| Article 83 | Duration of Houses |
| Article 84 | Qualifications for membership |
Article 79 → Parliament
Article 80 → Rajya Sabha
Article 81 → Lok Sabha
Rajya Sabha maximum strength → 250
Rajya Sabha nominated members → 12
Rajya Sabha nominated by → President
Rajya Sabha nominated fields → Literature, Science, Art, Social Service
Lok Sabha → Directly elected
Rajya Sabha State representatives → Elected members of State Legislative Assemblies
Rajya Sabha election → Proportional Representation + Single Transferable Vote
"The President is a member of Lok Sabha."
False
The President is part of Parliament but is not a member of either House.
"Rajya Sabha members are directly elected by the people."
False
State representatives are elected by:
Elected members of State Legislative Assemblies
"All Rajya Sabha members are elected."
False
The President nominates:
12 members
"Rajya Sabha represents only States."
False
It represents:
States + Union Territories
"Lok Sabha members are elected through proportional representation."
False
Lok Sabha elections generally use:
First-Past-the-Post
"Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have identical composition."
False
They differ in:
"Rajya Sabha gives equal representation to all States."
False
Representation is broadly based on:
Population
Article 79
↓
Parliament
↓
President + Rajya Sabha + Lok Sabha
Article 80
↓
Rajya Sabha
↓
250 maximum
↓
12 nominated by President
Article 81
↓
Lok Sabha
↓
Directly elected
↓
People
23. Mains Relevance
The composition of Parliament reflects India's attempt to combine:
Popular representation + Federal representation + Legislative deliberation
Lok Sabha provides direct democratic representation, while Rajya Sabha provides representation to States and Union Territories and acts as a revising chamber.
Thus, the composition of Parliament reflects the constitutional balance between:
Democracy + Federalism + Deliberation