Lok Sabha
Coordinates: 28°37′3″N 77°12′30″E / 28.61750°N 77.20833°E
| Lok Sabha (House of the People) लोक सभा |
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|---|---|
| 15th Lok Sabha | |
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| Type | |
| Type | Lower house of the Parliament of India |
| Leadership | |
| Speaker | Meira Kumar, (INC) Since 3 June 2009[1] |
| Deputy Speaker | Kariya Munda, (BJP) Since 8 June 2009[2] |
| Leader of the House | Sushilkumar Shinde, (INC) Since 2 Aug 2012[3] |
| Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha) | Sushma Swaraj, (BJP) Since 21 December 2009[4] |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 545 (543 elected + 2 appointed)[5] |
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| Political groups |
UPA (226) |
| Elections | |
| Voting system | First past the post |
| Last election | April–May, 2009 |
| Motto | |
| धर्मचक्रपरिवर्तनाय॥ – To transform the cycle of dharma. | |
| Meeting place | |
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| Lok Sabha Chambers, Sansad Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi | |
| Website | |
| loksabha.gov.in | |
The Lok Sabha (Hindi: लोक सभा) or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult franchise. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India. The Constitution limits the Lok Sabha to a maximum of 552 members, including no more than 20 members representing people from the Union Territories, and two appointed non-partisan members to represent the Anglo-Indian community (if the President feels that the community is not adequately represented).
Each Lok Sabha is formed for a five-year term, after which it is automatically dissolved, unless extended by a proclamation of emergency. In such cases, the term may be extended by one-year increments. The 15th Lok Sabha was formed in May 2009 and is the latest.
An exercise to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies' boundaries has been carried out by the Delimitation Commission based on the Indian census of 2001. This exercise, which was supposed to be carried out after every census, was suspended in 1976 following a constitutional amendment to avoid adverse effects of the family planning program which was being implemented.[6] Today, the Lok Sabha has its own TV channel, Lok Sabha TV, head-quartered within the premises of Parliament.
Contents |
Election model code of conduct for nomination and scrutiny of candidates [edit]
The Model Code of Conduct set by Election Commission of India gives guidance to political parties and candidates, and sets norms that bind them to respect and observe these guidelines in letter and spirit.[7] The Election Commission of India is also implementing Supreme Court’s order dated 13 March 2003 relating to right to information of electors regarding criminal antecedents, assets and liabilities and educational qualifications of candidates. This makes it mandatory for candidates to disclosure of information about their assets and liabilities together with those of spouse or dependent children, through filing the nomination forms.[8] The Election Commission of India is responsible for publishing this information. Now the elections would be held in 2014[9]
Sessions and working hours [edit]
The first hour every sitting is called the Question Hour, during which questions posed by members may be assigned to specific government ministries, to be answered at a fixed date in the future.
The Lok Sabha shares legislative power with the Rajya Sabha, except in the area of money bills, in which case the Lok Sabha has the ultimate authority. In the case of money bills, it is only sent to the Rajya Sabha for recommendations. If the money bill is not returned within 14 days, it is considered as passed by the Upper House. However, if a bill other than the money bill is passed by the Lok Sabha and is thereafter sent to the Rajya Sabha, the Rajya Sabha may review or discuss or suggest amendments to the bill within the duration of exactly six months after receiving the bill (or a copy of the bill). If it is not returned within the stipulated span of time, it is considered as passed. If conflicting legislation is enacted by the two Houses, a joint sitting is held to resolve the differences. In such a session, the members of the Lok Sabha would generally prevail, since the Lok Sabha includes more than twice as many members as the Rajya Sabha.
Three sessions of Lok Sabha take place in a year:
- Budget session: February to May.
- Monsoon session: July to September.
- Winter session: November to December.
Powers [edit]
Lok Sabha has certain powers that make it more powerful than the Rajya Sabha.
- Motions of no confidence against the government can only be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha. If passed by a majority vote, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers resigns collectively. The Rajya Sabha has no power over such a motion, and hence no real power over the executive. However, the Prime Minister may threaten the dissolution by the Lok Sabha and recommend this to the President, forcing an untimely general election. The President normally accepts this recommendation unless otherwise convinced that the Lok Sabha might recommend a new Prime Minister by a majority vote. Thus, both the executive and the legislature in India have checks and balances over each other.
- Money bills can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha, and upon being passed, are sent to the Rajya Sabha, where it can be deliberated on for up to 14 days. If not rejected by the Rajya Sabha, or 14 days lapse from the introduction of the bill in the Rajya Sabha without any action by the House, or recommendations made by the Rajya Sabha are not accepted by the Lok Sabha, the bill is considered passed. The budget is presented in the Lok Sabha by the Finance Minister in the name of the President of India.
- In matters pertaining to non-financial (ordinary) bills, after the bill has been passed by the House where it was originally tabled (Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha), it is sent to the other house, where it may be kept for a maximum period of 6 months. If the other House rejects the bill or a period of 6 months elapses without any action by that House, or the House that originally tabled the bill does not accept the recommendations made by the members of the other house, it results in a deadlock. This is resolved by a joint session of both Houses, presided over by the speaker of the Lok Sabha and decided by a simple majority. The will of the Lok Sabha normally prevails in these matters, as its strength is more than double that of the Rajya Sabha.
- Equal Powers with the Rajya Sabha in initiating and passing any Bill for Constitutional Amendment (by a majority of the total membership of the House and at least two-thirds majority of the members present and voting).
- Equal Powers with the Rajya Sabha in initiating and passing a motion for the impeachment of the President (by two-thirds of the membership of the House).
- Equal Powers with the Rajya Sabha in initiating and passing a motion for the impeachment of the judges of the Supreme Court and the state High Courts (by a majority of the membership of the House and at least two-thirds majority of the members present and voting).
- Equal Powers with the Rajya Sabha in initiating and passing a resolution declaring war or national emergency (by two-thirds majority) or constitutional emergency (by simple majority) in a state.
- If the Lok Sabha is dissolved before or after the declaration of a National Emergency, the Rajya Sabha becomes the sole Parliament. It cannot be dissolved. This is a limitation on the Lok Sabha. But there is a possibility that president can exceed the term to not more than 1 year under the proclamation of emergency and the same would be lowered down to six month if the said proclamation ceases to operate.
Rights of nominated members [edit]
Nominated members have almost all the same rights as elected members, including the right to join political parties and to participate in parliamentary debates. They have the right to cast their vote on all motions, including confidence votes and money bills. The only exception is that nominated members are not allowed to vote in presidential elections.
Composition by states and territories [edit]
| Subdivision | Type | No. of constituencies[10] |
|---|---|---|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Union Territory | 1 |
| Andhra Pradesh | State | 42 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | State | 2 |
| Assam | State | 14 |
| Bihar | State | 40 |
| Chandigarh | Union Territory | 1 |
| Chhattisgarh | State | 11 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Union Territory | 1 |
| Daman and Diu | Union Territory | 1 |
| Delhi | State | 7 |
| Goa | State | 2 |
| Gujarat | State | 26 |
| Haryana | State | 10 |
| Himachal Pradesh | State | 4 |
| Jammu and Kashmir | State | 6 |
| Jharkhand | State | 14 |
| Karnataka | State | 28 |
| Kerala | State | 20 |
| Lakshadweep | Union Territory | 1 |
| Madhya Pradesh | State | 29 |
| Maharashtra | State | 48 |
| Manipur | State | 2 |
| Meghalaya | State | 2 |
| Mizoram | State | 1 |
| Nagaland | State | 1 |
| Odisha | State | 21 |
| Puducherry | Union Territory | 1 |
| Punjab | State | 13 |
| Rajasthan | State | 25 |
| Sikkim | State | 1 |
| Tamil Nadu | State | 39 |
| Tripura | State | 2 |
| Uttarakhand | State | 5 |
| Uttar Pradesh | State | 80 |
| West Bengal | State | 42 |
Lok Sabha and general election [edit]
Lok Sabha is constituted after the general election as follows:
Number of members by party in Lok Sabha [edit]
- Total Members (Excluding H. S.) – 542
- Nominated Member – 2
- Vacant – 4
Present members of Lok Sabha by political party and alliance up to 14 February 2013:[11][12][13][14]
See also [edit]
- Rajya Sabha
- Lawmaking procedure in India
- Politics of India
- List of Indian constituencies
- Indian general elections 1951–1971
- Indian general elections 1977–1999
- Indian general elections 2004
- Indian general elections 2009
- List of members of the 15th Lok Sabha of India
- List of members of the 15th Lok Sabha (by state)
- PRS Legislative Research
References [edit]
- ^ "Bioprofile of Meira Kumar". Fifteenth Lok Sabha Member's Bioprofile. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "Bioprofile of Kariya Munda". Fifteenth Lok Sabha Member's Bioprofile. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "Bioprofile of Pranab Mukherjee". Fifteenth Lok Sabha Member's Bioprofile. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "Bioprofile of Sushma Swaraj". Fifteenth Lok Sabha Member's Bioprofile. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ "Lok Sabha". parliamentofindia.nic.in. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ Election Commission India
- ^ [1] MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE GUIDANCE OF POLITICAL PARTIES AND CANDIDATES
- ^ MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE GUIDANCE OF POLITICAL PARTIES AND CANDIDATES
- ^ [2], State wise affidavits filed in 2009 by candidates.
- ^ "Lok Sabha Introduction". National Informatics Centre, Government of India. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/Members/partywiselist.aspx
- ^ http://eciresults.nic.in/FrmPartyWiseTrendsAndResults.aspx
- ^ http://ibnlive.in.com/politics/loksabhafinal/plist.php
- ^ BP Reporter. "More Congress, less UPA". Business Standard. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lok Sabha |
- All Lok Sabha Members – Current and Previous
- Description of Lok Sabha on website of Parliament of India
- Lok Sabha website
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