Election of Rajya Sabha members

Why in News?

Upcoming elections in 10 Indian states will see state legislative assemblies electing 37 representatives to the Rajya Sabha.

• Constitutional Provisions
  • Article 80 -Rajya Sabha Members - Rajya Sabha has up to 250 members
    • Elected – 238 members.
    • Nominated – 12, for their special knowledge of literature, science, art or social service.
  • 4^th Schedule- Details the allocation of seats to each State and Union Territory based on their population.
• Electoral College - Rajya Sabha members are elected by state Assembly members.

Lok Sabha members are directly elected by citizens aged 18 and above.

• Rajya Sabha MPs representing Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir are elected by members of an electoral college comprising the MLAs of these Union territories.
• The Union territories of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, and Ladakh do not have representation in Rajya Sabha.
• Voting System - It follows the Proportional Representation system by means of a Single Transferable Vote (STV).

A form of proportional representation where voters rank candidates (1, 2, 3, etc.). A candidate needs a specific quota of votes to win.

• Eligibility - The minimum age to be a Rajya Sabha MP is 30.
• Term - The term of a Rajya Sabha member is 6 years, and 1/3 of the members retire every two years.
• This ensures continuity, as Rajya Sabha is a permanent body that is never dissolved, unlike the Lok Sabha.
• Voting process - This depends on the strength of the Assembly of the state concerned. States with high populations have more seats and states with smaller populations have fewer seats.
• A formula is used to calculate the quota required for a candidate to win.
  • Formula - Total number of MLAs in a state / (Vacant Rajya Sabha seats + 1) + 1
• The total number of MLAs voting in a state is divided by the number of seats going for elections plus 1. Then, 1 is added to the resulting number to calculate the quota.
• Open Ballot - Unlike the secret ballot used in General Elections, Rajya Sabha elections use an Open Ballot system.
• MLAs must show their marked ballot papers to their party’s authorized agent before casting them to prevent cross-voting.

Reference

The Indian Express | How votes for Rajya Sabha elections are calculated?