• Rajya Sabha elections is to be held throughout 2022, to elect the retiring members of the Rajya Sabha, the Indian Parliament’s upper house.
• The Upper House of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha or Council of States was constituted on 3^rd April 1952 and the first session was held on 13^th May 1952.
• Since then, it has contributed to the welfare and progress of the country in many ways.
• Rajya Sabha has its own distinctive features and reflects the federal character of the constitution and protects the rights of States.
• It is the Upper House (Second Chamber or House of Elders) and it represents the states and union territories of the Indian Union.
• The origin of the Rajya Sabha or the Second Chamber can be traced to the Montague-Chelmsford Report of 1918.
• This report introduced a bicameral legislature, the Lower House or Central Legislative Assembly and the Upper House or Council of State.
• The Rajya Sabha is called the permanent House of the Parliament as it is never fully dissolved.
• The IV Schedule of the Indian Constitution deals with the allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states and UTs.
• The maximum strength of Rajya Sabha is 250 ( out of which 238 members are representatives of the states & UTs (elected indirectly) and 12 are nominated by the President).
• The current strength of the house is 245, 229 members represent the states, 4 members represent the UTs, and 12 are nominated by the president.
• The representatives of states are elected by the members of state legislative assemblies.
• The representatives of each UT in the Rajya Sabha are indirectly elected by members of an electoral college specially constituted for the purpose.
• Only three UTs (Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir) have representation in Rajya Sabha (others don’t have enough population).
• The members nominated by the President are those who have special knowledge or practical experience in art, literature, science, and social service.

Special Powers of Rajya Sabha

• Power to transfer a subject from the State List to Union List for a specified period (Article 249).
• To create additional All-India Services (Article 312).
• To endorse Emergency under Article 352 for a limited period when the Lok Sabha remains dissolved.

Model Question

Q. With reference to the Indian Parliament, consider the following statements :

1. The Rajya Sabha is called the permanent House of the Parliament as it is never fully dissolved.
2. The fourth Schedule of the Indian Constitution deals with the allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha.
3. The Rajya Sabha reflects the federal character of the Indian constitution.

Which of the statements given above is /are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer : D

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