The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. As of 2023, it has a maximum membership of 250, of which 238 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using single transferable votes through open ballots, while the president can appoint 12 members for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social service. The total allowed capacity is 250 according to article 80 of the Indian Constitution. The current potential seating capacity of the Rajya Sabha is 245, after the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act, 2019, the seats came down to 245. The maximum seats of 250 members can be filled up at the discretion and requirements of the house of Rajya Sabha.
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The President of India, in their role as head of the legislature, has full powers to summon and prorogue either house of Parliament or to dissolve the Lok Sabha, but they can exercise these powers only upon the advice of the Prime Minister and their Union Council of Ministers.
The vice president of India is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the order of precedence and first in the line of succession to the presidency. The vice president is also the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The Leaders of the Opposition of India are the politicians who lead the official opposition in either House of the Parliament of India. The Leader of the Opposition is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in their respective legislative chamber that is not in government.
Official Opposition designates the political party which has secured the second largest number of seats in either upper or lower houses. To get formal recognition in either upper or lower houses, the concerned party must have at least 10% of the total strength of the house. A single party has to meet the 10% seat criterion, not an alliance. Many of the Indian state legislatures also follow this 10% rule while the rest of them prefer single largest opposition party according to the rules of their respective houses.
The speaker of the Lok Sabha is the presiding officer and the highest authority of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. The speaker is elected generally in the first meeting of the Lok Sabha following general elections. Serving for a term of five years, the speaker is chosen from sitting members of the Lok Sabha.
The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the second-highest ranking authority of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament of India. They act as the presiding authority in the event of leave or absence caused by the death or illness of the speaker of the Lok Sabha.As per Article 93 of the Constitution, it says that the House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker so often as the offices become vacant. However, it does not provide a specific time frame. It is parliamentary convention to elect a deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha from a party other than the ruling party to run an accountable democratic parliament.
Shyam Nandan Mishra was an Indian independence activist and politician from Bihar. He was Member of Parliament for many years in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Initially a member of the Indian National Congress, he was later Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha as a Congress (O) leader, and then a Janata Party MP and Minister for External Affairs in Charan Singh's government. He was imprisoned both during the Quit India Movement and the Emergency.
The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs is an Indian government ministry. It is headed by the Union Cabinet Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
The Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha presides over the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha in the absence of the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. The deputy chairperson is elected internally by the Rajya Sabha.
The Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha is the leader and parliamentary chairperson of the majority party in the Rajya Sabha and is normally either a cabinet minister or another nominated minister. The Leader of the House is responsible for organising government meetings and business in the House. This office is not enshrined in the constitution and provided under the Rules of Rajya Sabha.
The Leader of the House in Lok Sabha is the parliamentary chairperson of the party that holds a majority in the Lok Sabha and is responsible for government business in the house. The office holder is usually the prime minister if they are a member of the house. If the prime minister is not a member of the Lok Sabha, usually the senior-most minister in the union cabinet serves as the leader of the house.
The Aadhaar Act, 2016 is a money bill of the Parliament of India. It aims to provide legal backing to the Aadhaar unique identification number project. It was passed on 11 March 2016 by the Lok Sabha. Certain provisions of the Act came into force from 12 July 2016 and 12 September 2016.
The Leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Parliament is the parliamentary chairperson and representative of the National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata in the Parliament of India.
The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha is an elected Member of Lok Sabha who leads the official opposition in the Lower House of the Parliament of India. The Leader of the Opposition is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in the Lok Sabha that is not in government. The post is vacant since 26 May 2014, as no opposition party has 10% Seats. Also, leader of opposition is not a constitutional post and officially recognised in “The salary and allowance of Leader of opposition act,1977”.
The Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha is the administrative head of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The secretary general is appointed by the Chairman of Rajya Sabha. In Indian order of precedence, the post of secretary general is of the rank of Cabinet Secretary, who is the senior most bureaucrat in the Government of India.
