What Parliament is
Parliament is where India's laws are made.
It sits in Part V of the Constitution, Articles 79 to 122, and it has three parts: the President, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
The President is included for a reason. A bill passed by both Houses does not become law until the President signs it. So the President is counted as part of Parliament, even though the President never sits in either House.
The Lok Sabha is the House of the People, directly elected, and it represents the population. The Rajya Sabha is the Council of States, indirectly elected, and it represents the states. One speaks for people, the other for the units of the federation.
The Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha is the lower house, but it is the more powerful of the two — because the government's survival depends on it.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Maximum strength | 550 — 530 from the states, 20 from the union territories |
| Current strength | 543 |
| How members are chosen | Directly elected by the people, by universal adult franchise |
| Minimum age | 25 years |
| Normal term | 5 years |
| Can it be dissolved? | Yes — by the President, on the Prime Minister's advice |
The five-year term can be extended by one year at a time during a National Emergency, and must end within six months of the Emergency being lifted.
The Lok Sabha once ran for six years — from 1971 to 1977, extended twice during the Emergency. It is the only time the term has been stretched.
The 104th Amendment (2019) ended the reservation of two Lok Sabha seats for the Anglo-Indian community. Those nominated seats no longer exist, which is why the maximum is now 550 rather than 552.
The Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha is the upper house, and it never dissolves. It is a permanent body — one-third of its members retire every two years, so it renews itself continuously.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Maximum strength | 250 — 238 elected, 12 nominated by the President |
| Current strength | 245 |
| How members are chosen | Indirectly elected by the elected members of State Legislative Assemblies |
| Method | Proportional representation by single transferable vote |
| Minimum age | 30 years |
| Term | 6 years, with one-third retiring every two years |
| Can it be dissolved? | No — it is a permanent body |
The 12 nominated members are chosen by the President from people with special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art and social service.
Rajya Sabha seats are allotted by population, not equally. Uttar Pradesh has 31 seats; Sikkim has 1. This is unlike the United States Senate, where every state gets exactly two seats regardless of size. India's upper house represents states in proportion to their people.
Why is the Rajya Sabha called a permanent body?
Because it is never dissolved. One-third of its members retire every two years and are replaced, so the House continues without interruption.
How the two Houses differ
| Lok Sabha | Rajya Sabha | |
|---|---|---|
| Represents | The people | The states |
| Election | Direct, by the people | Indirect, by MLAs |
| Strength | 543 (max 550) | 245 (max 250) |
| Minimum age | 25 | 30 |
| Term | 5 years | 6 years, one-third retiring every 2 years |
| Dissolution | Can be dissolved | Never dissolved |
| Presiding officer | Speaker, elected from among members | Chairman — the Vice-President, not a member |
| Money Bills | Can originate here only | Cannot originate; can only suggest changes |
| No-confidence motion | Only here | Cannot be moved |
The Lok Sabha controls money and the government's life. The Rajya Sabha reviews and represents the states. Every difference between the Houses follows from that.
Powers the Rajya Sabha alone has
The Rajya Sabha is the weaker House on money and confidence — but two powers belong to it exclusively, and both concern the states.
| Article | Power |
|---|---|
| Article 249 | Can allow Parliament to legislate on a State List subject in the national interest, by a two-thirds majority, for one year at a time |
| Article 312 | Can allow the creation of a new All-India Service, such as the IAS or IPS, by a two-thirds majority |
Both powers involve the Centre reaching into territory that belongs to the states. The Constitution requires the House that represents the states to approve it. The Lok Sabha, which represents people rather than states, has no say in either.
The four kinds of bill
Not every bill travels the same route. Which type a bill is decides where it can start and who must approve it.
| Type | Where it starts | Rajya Sabha's role |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary Bill | Either House | Full powers — can reject, amend or delay; a joint sitting resolves deadlock |
| Money Bill | Lok Sabha only, on the President's recommendation | Can only suggest changes; must return the bill within 14 days; Lok Sabha may ignore its suggestions entirely |
| Financial Bill | Lok Sabha only for some types | Varies by sub-type; broader than a Money Bill |
| Constitutional Amendment Bill | Either House | Equal powers — must pass both Houses separately by special majority; no joint sitting is possible |
A bill is a Money Bill only if it deals exclusively with taxation, government borrowing, the Consolidated Fund or Contingency Fund, or the audit of government accounts. If it contains anything else, it is not a Money Bill. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha decides whether a bill qualifies, and that decision is final.
The Speaker's certificate on a Money Bill cannot be questioned in either House. This makes the Speaker's ruling one of the most consequential single decisions in Indian legislative procedure.
Can the Rajya Sabha reject a Money Bill?
No. It can only suggest amendments and must return the bill within fourteen days. The Lok Sabha is free to accept or reject those suggestions, and if the Rajya Sabha does nothing, the bill is deemed passed.
How a bill becomes law
An ordinary bill passes through the same sequence in each House.
- First Reading — the bill is introduced and its title read; no debate takes place
- Second Reading — the main stage. General discussion, then clause-by-clause examination, often after a committee has studied it
- Third Reading — a final vote on the bill as a whole; only acceptance or rejection, no further amendment
- The other House — the bill goes through the same three stages there
- Presidential assent — once both Houses agree, the bill goes to the President, and on assent becomes an Act
If the two Houses cannot agree on an ordinary bill, the President may summon a joint sitting under Article 108, presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Because the Lok Sabha is more than twice the size of the Rajya Sabha, the lower house effectively decides. A joint sitting cannot be called for a Money Bill or a Constitutional Amendment Bill.
A joint sitting has been used only three times — for the Dowry Prohibition Bill in 1961, the Banking Service Commission Repeal Bill in 1978, and the Prevention of Terrorism Bill in 2002.
The Speaker and the Chairman
Each House has a presiding officer, and they are chosen very differently.
| Speaker of the Lok Sabha | Chairman of the Rajya Sabha | |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds it | Elected by Lok Sabha members from among themselves | The Vice-President, ex-officio — not a member of the House |
| Removal | By a resolution of the Lok Sabha passed by effective majority, after 14 days' notice | Only by removing the Vice-President from office |
| Casting vote | Yes, in case of a tie | Yes, in case of a tie |
| Money Bill certificate | Only the Speaker decides | No role |
| Presides over joint sittings | Yes | No |
The Speaker's powers go well beyond running the House. The Speaker decides whether a bill is a Money Bill, rules on points of order, decides questions of disqualification under the anti-defection law, and presides over joint sittings of both Houses.
The Speaker continues in office even after the Lok Sabha is dissolved, until immediately before the first sitting of the new House. The office is never vacant.
Sessions of Parliament
Parliament does not sit continuously. It meets in sessions, and the Constitution sets only one hard rule.
Article 85 requires that no more than six months pass between the last sitting of one session and the first sitting of the next. This is why Parliament must meet at least twice a year — though in practice it meets three times.
| Session | When | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Budget Session | February to May | The longest, and the most important — the Union Budget is presented |
| Monsoon Session | July to September | |
| Winter Session | November to December | The shortest |
- Summoning — calling the House to meet
- Adjournment — suspending a sitting for a short period
- Adjournment sine die — ending a sitting with no date fixed
- Prorogation — ending a session entirely
- Dissolution — ending the life of the Lok Sabha
- Adjournment and prorogation do not end pending bills
- Dissolution causes bills pending in the Lok Sabha to lapse
- A bill pending in the Rajya Sabha and not yet passed by the Lok Sabha does not lapse
- A bill already passed by both Houses does not lapse
- Quorum is one-tenth of the total membership of the House
Important articles
The articles that carry Parliament and its procedure.
| Article | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Article 79 | Constitution of Parliament — President, Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha |
| Article 80 | Composition of the Rajya Sabha — 250 maximum, 12 nominated |
| Article 81 | Composition of the Lok Sabha — 550 maximum |
| Article 83 | Duration of the Houses — Rajya Sabha permanent, Lok Sabha five years |
| Article 84 | Qualifications for membership of Parliament |
| Article 85 | Sessions, prorogation and dissolution — the six-month rule |
| Article 93 | Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha |
| Article 94 | Vacation and resignation of the Speaker's office |
| Article 100 | Voting in the Houses and quorum — one-tenth of total membership |
| Article 105 | Powers and privileges of members of Parliament |
| Article 108 | Joint sitting of both Houses |
| Article 110 | Definition of a Money Bill |
| Article 111 | Assent to Bills by the President |
| Article 112 | Annual Financial Statement — the Union Budget |
| Article 123 | Ordinance-making power of the President |
| Article 249 | Rajya Sabha may empower Parliament to legislate on a State List subject |
| Article 312 | Rajya Sabha may allow creation of a new All-India Service |
The first sitting of the Lok Sabha was held on 13 May 1952. G.V. Mavalankar was its first Speaker, and is called the father of the Lok Sabha.
Zero Hour is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution or the rules — it is an Indian innovation, the period immediately after Question Hour when members raise matters without notice.
The Deputy Speaker is by convention offered to the opposition, and does not report to the Speaker — he reports directly to the House. When presiding, he has the same powers as the Speaker.
Which House has more members, and why does that matter at a joint sitting?
The Lok Sabha, with 543 members against the Rajya Sabha's 245. Because a joint sitting votes as one body, the larger House effectively decides the outcome.
Everything on one look
The composition of both Houses, the bill types, and the procedural rules that get asked.
- Parliament is covered by Articles 79 to 122
- Lok Sabha — 543 members, maximum 550
- Rajya Sabha — 245 members, maximum 250
- The President nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha
- Minimum age — 25 for the Lok Sabha, 30 for the Rajya Sabha
- The Rajya Sabha must return a Money Bill within 14 days
- Quorum is one-tenth of the total membership
- No more than 6 months may pass between sessions
- Parliament has three parts — President, Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha
- The Rajya Sabha is never dissolved
- Money Bills can start only in the Lok Sabha
- The Speaker decides what is a Money Bill, and the decision is final
- A joint sitting cannot be called for a Money Bill or an Amendment Bill
- A joint sitting has been held only three times
- Article 249 and Article 312 are exclusive Rajya Sabha powers
- The President is part of Parliament, along with both Houses
- The Rajya Sabha is never dissolved — one-third retires every two years
- Rajya Sabha seats are allotted by population, not equally as in the US Senate
- Money Bills can originate only in the Lok Sabha, and only on the President's recommendation
- The Rajya Sabha cannot reject a Money Bill — it has 14 days to suggest changes
- No joint sitting is possible for a Money Bill or a Constitutional Amendment Bill
- Article 249 and Article 312 powers belong to the Rajya Sabha alone
- The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is not a member of that House
- A bill pending in the Rajya Sabha does not lapse when the Lok Sabha is dissolved
- The 104th Amendment (2019) ended Anglo-Indian nominated seats in the Lok Sabha
- Articles 79 to 122 of the Constitution deal with Parliament
- Parliament consists of three parts — the President, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha
- The Lok Sabha has 543 members, with a constitutional maximum of 550
- The Rajya Sabha has 245 members, with a constitutional maximum of 250
- The President nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha for expertise in literature, science, art and social service
- The minimum age is 25 years for the Lok Sabha and 30 years for the Rajya Sabha
- The Rajya Sabha is a permanent body and is never dissolved
- One-third of Rajya Sabha members retire every two years
- Rajya Sabha seats are allotted to states by population, unlike the equal representation in the US Senate
- Money Bills can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha, on the President's recommendation
- Article 110 defines a Money Bill, and the Speaker's decision on what qualifies is final
- The Rajya Sabha must return a Money Bill within 14 days and can only suggest changes
- Article 108 provides for a joint sitting when the two Houses disagree on an ordinary bill
- A joint sitting is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha
- No joint sitting can be held for a Money Bill or a Constitutional Amendment Bill
- A joint sitting has been convened only three times in Indian history
- Article 249 lets the Rajya Sabha empower Parliament to legislate on a State List subject
- Article 312 lets the Rajya Sabha approve the creation of a new All-India Service
- Article 85 requires that no more than six months pass between two sessions
- Quorum for either House is one-tenth of its total membership
- The Speaker is elected by Lok Sabha members, while the Vice-President is Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
- Only the Lok Sabha can pass a no-confidence motion against the government
- The first sitting of the Lok Sabha was held on 13 May 1952
- G.V. Mavalankar was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha, called the father of the Lok Sabha
- Zero Hour is an Indian innovation and finds no mention in the Constitution or the rules
- The Deputy Speaker reports to the House, not to the Speaker
- Question Hour is the first hour of a sitting, when ministers answer members' questions
- A no-confidence motion can be moved only in the Lok Sabha, and needs 50 members to support its introduction