Rajya Sabha
Composition and Election Process
The Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of India's bicameral Parliament. Unlike the Lok Sabha (directly elected), Rajya Sabha members are indirectly elected by the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies. This makes it a forum for states' voices in the national legislature.
- Article 80 of the Constitution: Rajya Sabha has a maximum strength of 250 — 238 elected representatives of states/UTs + 12 nominated by the President
- Members are elected by a system of proportional representation (PR) by means of the Single Transferable Vote (STV) by elected MLAs
- Rajya Sabha is a permanent body — never dissolved; one-third of members retire every two years (biennial elections)
- Each member serves a six-year term
- Quota formula: Total valid votes ÷ (Seats to be filled + 1) + 1 = number of votes needed per seat
- Open ballot system introduced in 2003 (amendment to Representation of the People Act, 1951) — elected MLAs must show their ballot to their authorised party agent
● Tracked since March 03, 2026 · last seen June 30, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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