SSC
The composition of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) is specified in:
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Answer: Option B — Article 80
Detailed Solution
Article 80 lays down the composition of the Council of States, or Rajya Sabha.
Main provisions of Article 80:
- The Rajya Sabha consists of 12 members nominated by the President and not more than 238 representatives of the states and the Union territories.
- So the maximum strength is 250.
- The 12 nominated members are persons with special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art and social service.
- Seats for each state are allotted as given in the Fourth Schedule.
- Members from each state are elected by the elected members of its Legislative Assembly through the single transferable vote.
- Members from the Union territories are chosen in the manner prescribed by Parliament.
Present strength:
The Rajya Sabha now has 245 members: 233 representing the states and Union territories, and 12 nominated.
Allocation of seats:
Seats are allotted to states mainly on the basis of population, so larger states get more seats.
Union territories with Rajya Sabha seats:
Only the Union territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir have representatives in the Rajya Sabha.
Nature of the Rajya Sabha:
- It is a permanent House and cannot be dissolved.
- One-third of its members retire every two years, and each member is elected for six years.
- Its presiding officer is the Vice-President, who is its ex officio Chairman.
Open ballot:
Since 2003, elections to the Rajya Sabha are held by open ballot, which means party MLAs must show their ballot to the party's authorised agent.
Nominated members:
Nominated members can vote in the election of the Vice-President but not in the election of the President.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Article 79 deals with the constitution of Parliament.
- ✗Article 81 deals with the composition of the Lok Sabha.
- ✗Article 89 deals with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Quick tip
Remember: Article 80 = Rajya Sabha composition (max 250 = 238 elected + 12 nominated).
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Parliament — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Parliament, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Parliament of India: the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their composition, powers and officers, sessions, the law-making process, money bills, joint sittings, parliamentary committees, and devices such as question hour, zero hour and the various motions. Typical questions ask about the maximum strength of each house, the minimum age for members, who certifies a money bill (the Speaker), who presides over a joint sitting, and which committee is chaired by a member of the opposition (the Public Accounts Committee, by convention). Note the special powers of the Rajya Sabha under Articles 249 and 312. Practise the Parliament questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.