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Question 4 of 7 · Parliament
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Who is the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha?

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Answer: Option A — The Vice-President of India

Detailed Solution

Under Article 64 of the Constitution, the Vice-President is the ex officio Chairman of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and shall not hold any other office of profit. Article 89 also provides that the Vice-President shall be the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and that the Rajya Sabha shall choose one of its members as Deputy Chairman.

The Vice-President is not a member of the Rajya Sabha. As Chairman, he or she presides over its sittings, maintains order, decides points of order and interprets the rules. The Chairman cannot vote in the first instance but has a casting vote in case of a tie.

The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting of all members of both Houses of Parliament, both elected and nominated members (unlike the President's election, in which state legislators also vote and nominated members do not). The election is held by the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, and the voting is by secret ballot. The Vice-President holds office for five years. The minimum age is 35 years, and the candidate must be qualified for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha.

When the Vice-President acts as President, during a vacancy in the office of President, he or she does not perform the duties of Chairman of the Rajya Sabha; the Deputy Chairman does so.

The Vice-President can be removed by a resolution of the Rajya Sabha passed by an effective majority (a majority of its then members) and agreed to by the Lok Sabha by a simple majority; at least 14 days' notice is required (Article 67).

Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the first Vice-President of India (1952-62). In July 2025, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned, citing health reasons, and C.P. Radhakrishnan was elected the 15th Vice-President in September 2025.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides over the Lok Sabha and joint sittings.
  • ✗The Prime Minister is the leader of the Lok Sabha (or of the House he belongs to).
  • ✗Good to know
  • ✗The President is a part of Parliament but does not preside over either House.

Quick tip

Remember: Vice-President = ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Articles 64 and 89), elected by both Houses (including nominated members); first VP = S. Radhakrishnan; 15th VP = C.P. Radhakrishnan (2025).

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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.

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