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.
Purno Agitok Sangma was an Indian politician who has served as the 4th Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990 and the 11th Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998. He also served as a member of the Lok Sabha from Tura from 2014 to 2016,1991 to 2008 and from 1977 to 1989 and the minister of 21st Information and Broadcasting in the Rao ministry from 1995 to 1996,founder of NPP and Co- founder of NCP. He was the candidate for the 2012 Indian presidential election,supported by BJP and AIADMK,however he lost to Congress politician Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan,India's second highest civilian award,posthumously in 2017 in the field of Public Affairs and was the first recipient of Padma Vibhushan from Meghalaya.
Shankarrao Bhavrao Chavan was an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of Maharashtra twice from 1975 until 1977 and from 13 March 1986 until 26 June 1988. He was the finance minister of India from 1988 to 1989 in Rajiv Gandhi ministry. He also served as the home minister of India twice,from 31 December 1984 to 12 March 1986 in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet,and from 21 June 1991 to 16 May 1996 in the P. V. Narasimha Rao cabinet.
The Government of India,also known as the Central Government,is the national authority of the Republic of India,a federal democracy located in South Asia,consisting of 28 union states and eight union territories.
Sushilkumar Sambhaji Shinde is an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra. He was the Minister of Home Affairs,Minister of Power in the Manmohan Singh government,and the Leader of the House in Lok Sabha until 26 May 2014. He previously served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 18 January 2003 to 4 November 2004.
Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna is an Indian politician who served as Minister of External Affairs of India from 2009 to October 2012. He was the 10th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and the 19th Governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to 2008. SM Krishna had served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Vidhan Sabha from December 1989 to January 1993. He was also a member of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha at various times from 1971 to 2014. In 2023,Krishna was awarded the Padma Vibhushan,the second highest civilian award of India.
Although India is a parliamentary democracy,the country's politics has become dynastic or with high level of nepotism,possibly due to the absence of party organizations,independent civil-society associations which mobilize support for a party,or centralized financing of elections. The dynastic phenomenon is present at the national,state,regional,and district level. The Nehru–Gandhi family has produced three Indian prime ministers,and family members have largely led the Congress party since 1978. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also has several dynastic leaders. In addition to the major national parties,other national and regional parties such as Shiromani Akali Dal,Shiv Sena,Samajwadi Party,Rashtriya Janata Dal,Janata Dal Secular,Jharkhand Mukti Morcha,Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,Kerala Congress,Jammu &Kashmir National Conference,Indian Union Muslim League,AIMIM,and the Nationalist Congress Party are all dominated by families,mostly those of the party founders.
Ram Niwas Mirdha was an Indian politician from Rajasthan. He served as member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 1953 to 1967 and as speaker of the assembly from 1957 to 1967. Mirdha was a cabinet minister of the Government of India for several departments during the 1970s and 1980s and became of member of the Lok Sabha for Barmer,Rajasthan,from 1991 to 1996. He was a member of the executive board of UNESCO from 1993 to 1997. He served as chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi until his death from multiple organ failure. He also served as Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha from 1977 to 1980.
Sushma Swaraj was an Indian lawyer and politician,who served as the Minister of External Affairs of India in the first Narendra Modi government from 2014 to 2019. She was the second person to complete a 5-year term as the Minister of External Affairs,after Jawaharlal Nehru. A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),Swaraj was the second woman to hold the office of Minister of External Affairs,after Indira Gandhi. She was elected seven times as a Member of Parliament and three times as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. At the age of 25 in 1977,she became the youngest cabinet minister of the Indian state of Haryana. She also served as 5th Chief Minister of Delhi for a short duration in 1998 and became the first female Chief Minister of Delhi.
Brajesh Pathak is an Indian politician and a member of the 18th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh. Presently,he is serving as the 7th Deputy Chief Minister and Cabinet Minister of Medical Education,Medical and Health and Family Welfare in the Government of Uttar Pradesh under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Nand Kumar Sai is an Indian politician. He is former member of the Indian National Congress and also Bharatiya Janata Party. He was elected to the Lok Sabha,1989–1991 and 1996–1998,from Raigarh when it was in Madhya Pradesh. In 2004 he was elected a member of the 14th Lok Sabha representing Surguja constituency of Chhattisgarh. He was elected a Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh in 2009 and 2010. He remained an MP until 2016.
Sarbananda Sonowal is an Indian politician of Bharatiya Janata Party from Assam who is serving as the current Cabinet Minister of Ports,Shipping and Waterways and Cabinet Minister of AYUSH,Government of India and the member of the Rajya Sabha representing Assam since 2021 and also a member of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs since 2021. He is the 14th Chief Minister of Assam from 2016 to 2021 and the former of Assam Legislative Assembly from Majuli from 2016 until he resigned in 2021 and from Moran constituency from 2001 to 2004. Sonowal earlier served as the Assam state unit President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2012 to 2014 and again from 2015 to 2016. He has also served as the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs,Government of India,from 2014 to 2016 and the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Skill Development from 2014 to 2014 and the member of the Lok Sabha from Lakhimpur from 2014 to 2016 and from Dibrugarh from 2004 to 2009. He was also the member of the Asom Gana Parishad from 2001 to 2011.
Anand Sharma is an Indian politician and former Union Cabinet Minister in charge of Commerce and Industry and Textiles in the Government of India. Since June 2014,Sharma was the Deputy Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha,the upper house of the Indian Parliament till 2022.
Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia is an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),and a senior Member of Parliament in his 32nd year as a Parliamentarian.
Ajit Kumar Panja was a Union minister of state in the Government of India. He was a member of Indian National Congress party but left it to join Trinamool Congress. He was born in Calcutta,and studied law at the Scottish Church College,Calcutta and at the Lincoln's Inn. His Native village was a small village in Burdwan district,named Majigram. A lawyer by profession,he authored many books. He was also a stage actor who enacted the role of Ramakrishna Paramahansa in Kolkata.
Kalpnath Rai was an Indian politician. He served as a member of the Rajya Sabha between 1974–80,1980–86,and 1986–92,as well as being elected on four occasions to the Lok Sabha from the Ghosi constituency in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He was a minister in various national Congress (I) governments.
M.P. Abdussamad Samadani is an Indian politician,orator,writer and scholar. He knows Malayalam,English,Urdu,Hindi,Arabic,Persian and Sanskrit languages. Samadani was awarded Doctor of Philosophy degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi.
Virendra Verma was an Indian politician,born in Shamli,Uttar Pradesh. He served as the Governor of Punjab and the Administrator of Chandigarh (1990) as well as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh (1990–1993).
Satya Prakash Malviya was an Indian politician. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1984 and 1990 from Uttar Pradesh. He served as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Petroleum and Chemicals in Chandra Shekhar cabinet from 1990 to 1991.
Vinay Dinu Tendulkar is an Indian politician who served as the Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha from Goa from 2017 to 2023. He is a senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party and has been the President of Bharatiya Janata Party,Goa from 2012 to 2020,for two consecutive terms.
