Parliament of India

Parliament of India, the supreme legislature of India. The Parliament consists of the president of India and two houses—an upper house called the Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, and a lower house called the Lok Sabha, or House of the People—making it bicameral in nature. The prime minister of India and council of ministers are drawn from the members of Parliament. The houses of Parliament are elected bodies, and seats in both are allocated by state or union territory on the basis of population. As of 2025 the Lok Sabha has 543 seats and the Rajya Sabha has 245. India’s capital city of New Delhi is its seat of national government, and the Parliament meets in a building known as Sansad Bhavan, or Parliament House.

Background

The framework of India’s parliamentary system is outlined in the Constitution of India, which was drafted after India achieved independence from British rule in August 1947. Article 79 of the Constitution states:

There shall be a Parliament for the Union which shall consist of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as the Council of States and the House of the People.

The Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950, and the day is celebrated annually in India as Republic Day. The first general elections were held in 1951–52, and the first Parliament met in April 1952.

The basic function of Parliament is to enact laws after introducing and debating on legislative proposals known as bills. To become a law, a bill has to be approved by both chambers of Parliament—although the Rajya Sabha cannot reject a money bill—after which it is sent to the president for assent. A bill can be introduced either by a minister (in which case it is called a government bill) or a member who is not a minister (in which case it is called a private member’s bill). Each bill is subject to three readings in each chamber before it is approved.

If either house fails to approve a bill, the president of India, at the prime minister’s recommendation, can summon a joint sitting of both houses. If a bill is passed by both houses or in a joint sitting, it is sent to the president for approval. The president may approve it, withhold assent, or return it for reconsideration.

President of India

The rashtrapati, or president, is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is indirectly elected every five years by an electoral college comprising the elected members of both houses of Parliament as well as the elected representatives of all legislative assemblies of the states of India and the union territories of Delhi and Puducherry. The legislative powers of the president include the following:

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• Summoning and suspending sessions of Parliament
• Addressing Parliament during the first session after a Lok Sabha election
• Calling for a confidence vote in the Lok Sabha and dissolving it if the prime minister is unable to prove a majority
• Being informed about all affairs of Parliament
• Summoning joint sessions of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in case of legislative deadlocks
• Appointing the speaker and deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha as well as the chair and deputy chair of the Rajya Sabha
• Nominating 12 members to the Rajya Sabha
• Vetoing or returning bills passed by both houses of Parliament
• Issuing ordinances—orders that carry the same power as acts of Parliament, can be promulgated only when Parliament is not in session, and become laws if passed by both houses when they reconvene

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, is the upper chamber of the Parliament and represents the rights of the Indian states and union territories. The vice president of India serves as the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha. It may have a maximum of 250 members, most of whom are elected to six-year terms by the legislative assemblies of the states and the union territories; 12 eminent citizens are appointed to the Rajya Sabha by the president of India on the basis of their contribution to literature, art, science, and social service. The allocation of seats to each state and union territory is determined on the basis of population, with each state or territory receiving a minimum of one seat. The terms of one-third of the house’s membership expire every two years. The majority parties in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha are not necessarily the same.

The powers of the Rajya Sabha are similar to those of the Lok Sabha. Most bills can be introduced in either house. To become law, they must be approved by both houses and receive the assent of the president of India. The Rajya Sabha, however, cannot introduce, reject, or amend revenue bills, which are the sole prerogative of the Lok Sabha, nor can it issue a vote of confidence in the government, which is also the responsibility of the lower house. In cases of legislative deadlock, the Lok Sabha generally prevails because of its superiority of numbers.

The Rajya Sabha nevertheless retains some exclusive powers, most notably the power to authorize Parliament (by a two-thirds majority) to legislate on matters in the domain of state legislatures. Unlike the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha is not subject to dissolution and is a permanent body.

Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha, or House of the People, is the lower chamber of the Parliament, and its members are directly elected by citizens of India age 18 and above. It is headed by a speaker, who is elected by the house from among its members. The Constitution originally provided for a maximum of 500 members, but that number evolved to 550 (530 for the Indian states and 20 for the union territories) over time because of territorial reorganizations, the creation of new states (such as Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh), and population shifts. The number of seats in the Lok Sabha is expected to increase significantly in the general election of 2029.

Each Lok Sabha is elected for a term of five years. The party or coalition that wins the highest number of seats forms the government, which is headed by the prime minister (who can serve in either chamber but is commonly a member of the Lok Sabha). The Lok Sabha can be dissolved before the end of its five-year term for reasons of political instability, as when Parliament carries a no-confidence motion against the government or a governing coalition splits.

The Lok Sabha has certain powers that are denied to the Rajya Sabha, such as the right to introduce motions of no confidence to challenge the government’s majority. If such a motion is passed, the prime minister and council of ministers must resign. Money bills (on taxation or public expenditure) can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha; they need not be passed by the Rajya Sabha, which can make recommendations that the Lok Sabha is not obligated to accept. The Lok Sabha’s superiority in numbers also gives it an advantage over the Rajya Sabha in the event of a joint parliamentary session to resolve a deadlock on a bill. Deadlocks can arise if one house rejects a bill placed on the agenda by the other house or if the houses pass conflicting bills.