Rajya Sabha — Council of States
The upper house of Parliament is a permanent body that is never dissolved. Its 245 members include 233 elected by state and UT legislators and 12 nominated by the President for distinction in literature, science, art and social service.
Seats Allotted to Each State / UT
Fourth Schedule of the Constitution — allocated broadly by population.
Rajya Sabha Seats on the Map
Presiding Officer
The Vice President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha — currently C. P. Radhakrishnan (since September 2025). A Deputy Chairman is elected from among the members.
How Members Are Elected
Elected members of each State Legislative Assembly (MLAs) vote by the single transferable vote system of proportional representation (Article 80(4)). Voting is by open ballot — party MLAs must show their ballot to the party's authorised agent.
Quota to win = [ (valid votes × 100) ÷ (seats + 1) ] + 1.
Eligibility
Indian citizen, at least 30 years old, and an elector in any parliamentary constituency in India (the domicile requirement was removed in 2003). Ministers who are not MPs often enter Parliament through the Rajya Sabha.
Special Powers
- Article 249: allows Parliament to legislate on a State List subject (2/3 vote).
- Article 312: can create new All-India Services.
- Can approve emergency proclamations when the Lok Sabha is dissolved.
- Can only delay Money Bills by 14 days.
Full Allocation Table
| State / UT | Rajya Sabha | Lok Sabha | Assembly (electors for RS) | Approx. votes needed per seat* |
|---|
*Illustrative: MLAs needed to win one seat when a third of seats (rounded) fall vacant in one biennial cycle — floor(MLAs ÷ (seats + 1)) + 1. Actual numbers depend on how many seats are filled in a given round.