Rajya Sabha Elections

Why in News?

Recently, the Election Commission of India issued a notification for elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats, with polling scheduled on 16 March 2026, as the terms of several MPs are expiring in April.

• Parliament of India – Consists of three parts, namely the President, the Council of States and the House of the People.
• Rajya Sabha - It is the upper house which represents the States and Union Territories of the Indian Union.
• Permanent house - It is a continuing chamber and not subject to dissolution.
• Fourth Schedule - It is related to the allocation of seats in the Council of States or Rajya Sabha.
• History of Rajya Sabha – Traced to Montague-Chelmsford Report (1918) and the Council of State created under the Government of India Act, 1919 (1921).
• Constituted on 3 April 1952 with the first sitting on 13 May 1952.
• First Chairman – Dr S. Radhakrishnan.
• Composition – Article 80 deals with the composition of the Rajya Sabha with a maximum strength of 250 members.
• Current strength - 245 members representing States and Union Territories.

• Nominated members - Out of the total, 12 are directly nominated by the President, from the fields of art, literature, sports, science, etc (Article 80(3)).
• UT representation - Out of 8 UTs, Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir have representation in the Rajya Sabha.
• Tenure (Article 83) - Members serve a 6-year term, with one-third of the members retiring every two years to ensure continuity.
• Qualifications – Citizen of India, Minimum age of 30 years, and other qualifications as prescribed by Parliament.

• Elections

• Indirect election - As per Article 80 (4), the members of the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of each State and the respective Union Territories.
• Proportional Representation System - Each MLA’s vote is counted only once (Single Transferable Vote), with members casting their votes in order of preference.
• Preference Voting- MLAs submit a list of candidates based on their preferences. The first preference carries the most weight.
• Quota requirement- A candidate must secure a certain number of votes (the “quota”) to be elected.
• Elimination process- If no candidate reaches the quota, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Their votes are redistributed based on subsequent preferences.
• By-elections - In case of a member’s death, disqualification, or resignation, by-elections are held to fill the vacant seat.

• Powers 

• Equal Powers with Lok Sabha – Equal legislative powers, including Constitution Amendment Bills.
  • No joint sitting for constitutional amendment deadlocks.
• Special Powers (Article 249) – Can authorise Parliament to legislate on State List subjects by a 2/3rd majority resolution (valid for 1 year and extendable).
• Creation of All India Services (Article 312) – Can recommend creation of All India Services common to the Union & States.
• Role in Emergencies – Must approve proclamations under Articles 352, 356, 360.
• If the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Rajya Sabha's approval keeps the proclamation valid.

Reference

IE | Rajya Sabha Elections