Rajya Sabha Nomination: Recently, they announced Sudha Murthy’s appointment as a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Background

Sudha Murthy, who is married to the co-founder of Infosys, N. R. Narayana Murty, has made significant contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy, and education. Last year, she was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in recognition of her outstanding social work.

About Raja Sabha

The Rajya Sabha, commonly referred to as the Upper House of Parliament, draws inspiration from the structure of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords.

Composition of the Rajya Sabha

• It consists of a total of 245 members, including 233 elected members and 12 nominated members.
• The constitutional limit for the Upper House’s strength is 250 members.
• The number of elected seats varies based on states population, which can change due to mergers, bifurcations, or the creation of new states.
• The nominated members are chosen by the President of India and come from fields such as art, literature, science, and social service.

Tenure and Permanent House

• The Rajya Sabha is a permanent body and cannot be dissolved, unlike the Lok Sabha.
• However, similar to the Lok Sabha, the President has the authority to prorogue the Rajya Sabha.
• Every Rajya Sabha MP has a tenure of six years, and elections to one-third seats are held every two years.
• The Vice-President is the ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.
• The Deputy Chairman, who is elected from amongst the house’s members, takes care of the day-to-day matters of the house in the absence of the Chairman.

Election Process:

• Rajya Sabha members are elected indirectly by the people through the Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
• Members of a state’s Legislative Assembly vote in the Rajya Sabha elections in proportional representation with the single transferable vote (STV) system.
• Each MLA’s vote is counted only once.
• To win a Rajya Sabha seat, a candidate should get a required number of votes.
• That number is found out using the formula: Required vote = Total number of votes / (Number of Rajya Sabha seats + 1 ) + 1.

Nominated Members:

• The President of India nominates these 12 members from individuals who have special knowledge or practical experience in art, literature, science, and social service.
• This principle of nomination is adopted to provide distinguished persons a place in the Rajya Sabha without going through the process of election.

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