RAJYASABHA ELECTIONS

RAJYASABHA ELECTIONS

Subject: Polity

Context: The Election Commission (EC) on Monday declared that polls to the three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala falling vacant later this month will be held on April 30.

Concept:

Representation of States in Rajya Sabha:

• Members are elected by the elected members of state legislative assemblies
• Election Principle used – Proportional Representation by means of Single Transferable Vote
• The population of the state is a factor that decides the representation of states in Rajya Sabha

Representation of Union Territories in Rajya Sabha:

• Members of Rajya Sabha belonging to Union Territories are indirectly elected by members of an electoral college, that is constituted for this purpose
• Election Principle used – Proportional Representation by means of Single Transferable Vote
• Out of 8 union territories, Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir have representation in Rajya Sabha.

Representation of Nominated Members in Rajya Sabha:

• 12 people are nominated by the President in Rajya Sabha for their contribution and expertise in the fields of:

Art

Literature

Science

Social Service

Two changes were made to Rajya Sabha election in 2003:

• To be elected as a Rajya Sabha member from a particular state, the requirement to be an elector from that state was removed.
• System of the open ballot was introduced in place of secret ballot system.