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Rajya Sabha Election 2024: Voting Process, System, and Calculation

PWOnlyIAS February 27, 2024 01:12 11045 0

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Recently, the Election Commission notified “Rajya Sabha Elections 2024” to 56 Rajya Sabha seats that will be held on February 27.

Rajya Sabha Election 2024: Voting Process, System, and Calculation

Context: 

Recently, the Election Commission notified Rajya Sabha Elections to 56 Rajya Sabha seats that will be held on February 27.

Rajya Sabha Election: Voting Process For Rajya Sabha Membership

The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the state legislative assemblies and the union territory legislative councils, and not by the people directly. Rajya Sabha reflects the federal nature of the Indian polity, and safeguards the interests and rights of the states and union territories in the Parliament

  • Rajya Sabha MPs are elected through the proportional representation process with the single transferable vote (STV) system. 
  • The Rajya Sabha has 245 members and the majority mark stands at 123.

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Rajya Sabha Election: Candidate Fielding Requirement

  • A candidate fielded by a political party must be proposed by at least:
    • 10 members of the state assembly, or
    • 10 percent of the party’s strength in the assembly.
  • To win, a candidate must have more votes than a particular number of existing MLAs. 

Voting Process In Rajya Sabha Election

  • Single Transferable Vote (STV): It allows voters to rank candidates based on preference.
  • The voter can put ‘X’ candidate as his number one preference and ‘Y’ as number two, and so on. 
    • In case, ‘X’ candidate is eliminated for having low votes during the counting procedure, then the voter’s vote to ‘X’ can be transferred to ‘Y’ and so on. 
  • The voting is carried out through an open ballot system. 
  • The candidates are elected as a winner based on the preferences of voters, who don’t vote directly for the seats but mark the candidates in order of their preference. 

Rajya Sabha Election

Election Procedure For Rajya Sabha Election

  • Candidates elected based on voter preferences, not direct votes for seats.
  • Quota vote determines minimum required votes for victory, calculated using a formula.
    • The minimum required number of votes for the candidate to win is determined by an elaborate formula, which is known as a quota vote. 
    • The first choice vote of each MLA carries the value of 100 points.

Quota Vote Calculation In Rajya Sabha Election

  • For one seat: [total number of votes / (number of vacant Rajya Sabha seats + 1)] + 1.
  • For multiple seats: [total number of votes x 100 / (total vacant RS seats + 1)] + 1.

Rajya Sabha Election

Rajya Sabha: The Upper House of Indian Parliament

The Rajya Sabha, or the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. It represents the interests of the states and union territories of India, and acts as a check and balance on the power of the Lok Sabha, or the House of the People, which is the lower house of the Parliament. 

About the Rajya Sabha

  • Established: The Rajya Sabha is established by the Constitution of India. 
  • First Sitting: The Rajya Sabha held its first sitting on 13 May 1952. 
  • Members: The Rajya Sabha has a maximum membership of 250, of which 238 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using single transferable votes through open ballots.
    • President can appoint 12 members for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social service. 
    • President can fill up any casual vacancies in the Rajya Sabha, caused by death, resignation, or disqualification of a member, for the remainder of the term of that member.
  • Rajya Sabha Current Strength: 245 (233 elected, 12 appointed), after the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act, 2019, reduced the seats from 250 to 2452. 
  • Nature: Rajya Sabha is a permanent body and is not subject to dissolution. 
    • However, one third of the members retire every second year, and are replaced by newly elected members. 
  • Duration: Each member is elected for a term of six years. 
  • Chairman Of Rajya Sabha: The Vice President of India (currently, Jagdeep Dhankhar) is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who presides over its sessions. 
  • Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha is elected by the members from among themselves. 
    • The current deputy chairman is Harivansh Narayan Singh. 
  • Rajya Sabha Secretary General: Chief executive officer and the administrative head of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. 

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Rajya Sabha Election

Sessions of the Rajya Sabha

  • Summoning: The Rajya Sabha meets in sessions throughout the year, as per the summoning of the president. 
    • President can also prorogue or adjourn the Rajya Sabha, or dissolve the Lok Sabha, which automatically ends the session of both houses. 
  • Session: The Rajya Sabha usually has three sessions in a year: 
    • Budget session (February to May), 
    • Monsoon session (July to September),
    • Winter session (November to December). 
  • The minimum number of days that the Rajya Sabha has to meet in a year is 60, but it usually meets for more than 100 days. 
    • The Rajya Sabha can also meet in special sessions, such as joint sessions with the Lok Sabha, or when a proclamation of emergency is in force.

Features of Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha is a representative of the states and union territories of India, and not of the people directly. The Rajya Sabha is a permanent and continuous house, and not subject to dissolution. The Rajya Sabha does not have a fixed tenure, and can only be prorogued by the president. The Rajya Sabha does not depend on the confidence of the Lok Sabha or the government, and cannot be dissolved by the president on the advice of the prime minister. 

  • This ensures that the Rajya Sabha has stability and continuity, and can function independently of the Lok Sabha and the government.

Eligibility and Disqualification of the Rajya Sabha Members

  • The Rajya Sabha members have to meet certain eligibility criteria to be elected or appointed to the house. Some of these criteria are:
    • The Rajya Sabha member must be a citizen of India.
    • The Rajya Sabha member must be at least 30 years of age.
    • The Rajya Sabha member must be registered as an elector in the state or union territory from which he or she is elected or nominated.
    • The Rajya Sabha member must not hold any office of profit under the union or the state government, except that of a minister or any other office exempted by the Parliament.
  • The Rajya Sabha members can also be disqualified from the house on certain grounds. Some of these grounds are:
    • Rajya Sabha member voluntarily gives up his or her membership of the party to which he or she belongs, or 
    • Votes or abstains from voting contrary to the direction of the party, or 
    • Expelled from the party. This is known as the anti-defection law, which aims to prevent political defections and ensure party discipline.
    • The Rajya Sabha member is convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for two or more years, or is disqualified by a court for corrupt or illegal practices in elections, or is found guilty of contempt of the Supreme Court or a high court.
    • The Rajya Sabha member is absent from the house for 60 consecutive days without the permission of the house.
    • The Rajya Sabha member becomes a subject or a citizen of a foreign state, or acquires any foreign title or honor.

Powers and Functions of the Rajya Sabha

  • Special powers of Rajya Sabha: It can pass a resolution by a two-thirds majority to empower the Parliament to make laws on a subject in the state list, which is normally the domain of the states.
  • The Rajya Sabha can pass a resolution by a two-thirds majority to create one or more all-India services, such as the Indian Administrative Service or the Indian Police Service, which are common to the union and the states. 
  • The Rajya Sabha can also pass a resolution by a simple majority to approve the proclamation of emergency by the president, which affects the fundamental rights and the federal structure of the country.

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Rajya Sabha Election

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Frequently Asked Questions

Elected by state assembly and union territory council members through single transferable vote.

Majority mark stands at 123 out of the total 245 members.

Proposed by either 10 state assembly members or 10% of the party's strength in the assembly.

Single Transferable Vote (STV) system allows voters to rank candidates; voting via open ballot.

Rajya Sabha can pass resolutions on state list subjects, create all-India services, and approve emergencies.

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