Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha should not be confused with Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha.
Post: | Member of Parliament |
Flag: | Flag of India.svg |
Flagsize: | 150px |
Flagcaption: | Flag of India |
Insignia: | Emblem of India.svg |
Insigniasize: | 50px |
Insigniacaption: | Emblem of India |
Incumbent: | April 2023 |
Type: | Upper house of the Parliament of India |
Status: | Active |
Department: | Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs |
Style: |
|
Member Of: | Rajya Sabha |
Reports To: | Vice President of India |
Residence: | Rajya Sabha chamber, Sansad Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi, India – 110001 |
Seat: | Parliament of India |
Termlength: | 6 years; renewable |
Constituting Instrument: | Fourth schedule to the Constitution of India |
Abbreviation: | MP |
Deputy: | Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha |
Salary: | (incl. allowances) per month[1] |
A Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (abbreviated: MP) is the representative of the Indian states to one of the two houses of the Parliament of India (Rajya Sabha). Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by the electoral college of the elected members of the State Assembly with a system of proportional representation by a single transferable vote. The Parliament of India is bicameral with two houses; Rajya Sabha (Upper house i.e. Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (Lower house i.e. House of the People). Compared to the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha has fewer members and its members have more restricted power.[2] Unlike the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha is a permanent body and cannot be dissolved at any time. However every second year, one third of the members are retired and the vacancies are filled by fresh elections and Presidential nomination at the beginning of every third year.[3]
Broad responsibilities of the members of parliament of Rajya Sabha are:
Members of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha enjoy special powers and responsibilities with regard to:
Unlike Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha can not be dissolved and is a permanent body, therefore members usually get chances to serve their full tenure unless they resign or vacate the seat due to death. One third of its members retire every two years. So each member has a term of six years[4]
A person must satisfy all following conditions to be qualified to become a member of parliament of the Rajya Sabha:
A person would be ineligible for being a Member of the Rajya Sabha if the person:
Membership in the Rajya Sabha is limited to 250 members, and up to 238 members are elected by the members of all the Vidhan Sabhas (individual state legislatures) and up to 12 are nominated by the President for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social services. The strength can be lower than 250: the current one is at 245. (See next section on members.)
See main article: article and List of current members of the Rajya Sabha.