Rajya Sabha elections 2022
Recently elections have been organized in many states for the election of Rajya Sabha (RS) members.
Rajya Sabha is a permanent house. It cannot be broken.
The maximum number of members in the Rajya Sabha has been fixed at 250 (245 at present). Of these, 238 (currently 233) are representatives of states and union territories (indirectly elected). The remaining 12 members are nominated by the President.
The term of a member of Rajya Sabha is 6 years.
Rajya Sabha Elections:
- One-third of its members retire after every second year. Its purpose is to ensure the continuity of the House.
- The representatives of the states in the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the state legislatures (under Article 80).
- The seats are allotted to the states on the basis of their population.
- Elections take place through the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
- Single transferable vote means that voters can vote for any number of candidates in the order of their choice. A candidate needs a set number of first preference votes to win.
- There is a system of open ballot paper in the Rajya Sabha elections. However, this is a limited form of openness.
- To check cross voting, every legislator of a political party shows his marked ballot papers to the authorized agent of his party before putting it in the ballot box.
- Showing a marked ballot paper to anyone other than the authorized agent of his party renders the vote invalid.
- “None of the above” (NOTA) option is not applicable in Rajya Sabha elections.
- If a member of a political party does not vote for the representative of his own party, he is not disqualified under the anti-defection law.
Other facts about Rajya Sabha
- The 12 nominated members under Article 80(3) should have special knowledge or practical experience in matters of literature, science, art, etc.
- The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the States and Union Territories on the basis of their population.
Source – The Hindu
