The provision for the election of members of the Rajya Sabha indirectly, by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies, was adopted from the constitution of:

The provision for the indirect election of the members of the Rajya Sabha, by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies, is generally said to have been adopted from the Constitution of South Africa.

The South African model:

• Under the Union of South Africa Act (1909), the members of the Senate (the upper house) were partly elected by the provincial legislatures.
• This gave the provinces a voice in the national Parliament.

Election of the Rajya Sabha members:

• The representatives of each state in the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of that state.
• The election is held by the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
• The representatives of the Union Territories are elected by the members of an electoral college constituted for the purpose.
• The seats are allotted to the states on the basis of their population, so the number of seats varies from state to state.
• Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of seats (31).

Composition of the Rajya Sabha:

The maximum strength is 250, of whom 238 are representatives of the States and Union Territories, and 12 are nominated by the President.

Term:

• The Rajya Sabha is a permanent House and is not subject to dissolution.
• One-third of its members retire every second year.
• A member is elected for a term of six years.

Comparison with the USA:

• In the USA, each state, big or small, sends two members to the Senate, who are directly elected by the people; so the states have equal representation.
• In India, the states do not have equal representation in the Rajya Sabha.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The USA, Britain and Canada were not the source of this provision.