Government News

Rajya Sabha Polls Today: How Are Upper House Members Elected? Process Explained

By - 27 Feb 2024 09:32 PM

The stage is set for crucial Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday in which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to further increase its strength in the Upper House of Parliament.Out of 56 seats for which the Election Commission announced the poll schedule last month, as many as 41 including former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP chief J P Nadda and new party entrant Ashok Chavan and Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan were elected unopposed while the polling on remaining 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 4 in Karnataka and 1 in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka will take place on February 27.

The official notification for these elections was issued on February 8, and the deadline for filing nominations was closed on February 15. The term of office for 50 Rajya Sabha MPs representing 13 states is slated to conclude on April 2, while the remaining six members from two states will complete their tenure on April 3.

Among 56 seats, Uttar Pradesh has 10, Bihar and Maharashtra have six each, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal have five each, Gujarat and Karnataka have four each, and Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Rajasthan have three each. Additionally, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand each have one seat.

The Rajya Sabha, also known as the Upper House of Parliament, takes inspiration from the United Kingdom’s House of Lords. Presently, it comprises 245 members, with 233 chosen through elections and 12 nominated.

According to constitutional provisions, the Upper House’s membership is capped at 250. Out of the 233 elected members, representation is drawn from states and Union Territories (UTs), while the President of India appoints the remaining 12 individuals, who must demonstrate expertise in the realms of art, literature, science, and social services.