Lok Sabha: Composition, Powers, Election Process, Vacancy & UPSC Notes

The Lok Sabha is the cornerstone of India's democratic governance. The Lok Sabha, often known as the House of the People or the Popular Chamber, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament.

On the basis of universal adult suffrage, MPs are chosen by direct election to the Lok Sabha. MPs, or members of parliament, are the terms used to describe Lok Sabha members.

These representatives are chosen from different states and union territories. Every five years, elections are held for Lok Sabha seats. After the first General Elections were held from 25 October 1951 to 21 February 1952, the Lok Sabha was legally formed for the first time on 17 April 1952. 

• The Lok Sabha is India’s lower house of parliament, with members chosen by the people directly. The Lok Sabha is chosen directly by India’s inhabitants through adult franchise.
• The Lok Sabha is dissolved every five years, which means that each elected member of the Lok Sabha serves for five years.
• Lok Sabha is the headquarters of the Indian legislature and executive, as well as the main body responsible for making political decisions.
• The Prime Minister and his Cabinet are members of the Lok Sabha.
• The Prime Minister wields real power, as he leads the Council of Ministers, which includes cabinet ministers, ministers of state, and deputy ministers. The council is held accountable by the Lok Sabha.
• The Indian Parliament is bicameral, consisting of two houses: the lower house and the upper house, according to the Indian Constitution.
• The lower house is called the Lok Sabha, and the upper house is known as the Rajya Sabha.
• As the first house of the parliament, the Lok Sabha represents the whole Indian people.
• The composition of Lok Sabha is made up of people’s representatives who are elected directly on the basis of adult suffrage.

Also, check the Types of Majorities In Indian Parliament here.

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What Is The Composition of Lok Sabha In India?

The maximum membership of the House allotted by the Constitution of India is 552. (Initially, in 1950, it was 500.) Currently, the House has 543 seats, which are filled by the election of up to 543 elected members. Between 1952 and 2020, two additional members of the Anglo-Indian community were also nominated by the President of India on the advice of the Government of India, which was abolished in January 2020 by the One Hundred and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution of India. The new parliament has a seating capacity of 888 for Lok Sabha.

• The Constitution allows for a maximum of 552 members in the House.
• The total elective membership is apportioned among the States in such a way that, to the extent practical, the ratio between the number of seats allotted to each State and the population of the State is the same in all States.
• The composition of the Lok Sabha is dealt with under Article 81. According to this article, the maximum number should be as follows:
  • There are a total of 530 state legislators in Lok Sabha.
  • There are no more than 20 Union Territories representatives.
  • Only two members of the Anglo Indian Community may be nominated by the President if the President believes the Anglo Indian Community is underrepresented in parliament.
  • This brings the Lok Sabha’s total strength to 530+20+2=552.

Representation of Anglo-Indian Community in Lok Sabha

• According to Article 331, two seats in the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of Parliament, are reserved for members of the Anglo-Indian minority.
• On the advice of the Indian government, the President of India nominated these two members.
• 104th Constitutional Amendment Act : – The 126th Constitutional Amendment Bill of 2019, when enacted as the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019, abolished the Anglo-Indian reserved seats in the Parliament and State Legislatures of India in January 2020.

Study Important Articles of the Constitution of India here.

What are the Powers of Lok Sabha?

Motions of no confidence against the government can be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha. If passed by a majority vote, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers resign collectively. The Rajya Sabha has no power over such a motion and hence has no real control over the executive. This is because the Constitution of India has only made the Union Council of Ministers responsible for the Lok Sabha, not for the Rajya Sabha.

• Constitutional Powers: It has the authority to change the Constitution. Despite the fact that a special majority in both houses of Parliament is required for this, the Lok Sabha appears to have greater power than the Rajya Sabha.
• Legislative Powers: It contributes to the creation of laws that govern the country. The President’s ordinances must also be approved by the Lok Sabha.
• Executive Powers: Through question hour, Zero hour, short discussion, adjournment motions, and no-confidence motions, it exerts oversight over the executive. The Lok Sabha has the authority to remove the Council of Ministers.
• Financial Powers: No tax can be collected without the authority or approval of the Lok Sabha.
• Judicial Powers: It has the authority to impeach the President if he or she violates the Constitution. It has the authority to recommend the removal of all Supreme Court and High Court judges (including the Chief Justice), as well as other senior government officials.

How Allocation of Lok Sabha Seats to States is done?

• The Lok Sabha seats are distributed to the states in such a way that the ratio between the number of seats and the population of the state is, as much as possible, uniform across the board.
• Furthermore, each State is divided into geographical constituencies in such a way that, to the extent possible, the population of each constituency and the number of seats given to it are the same throughout the State.

What is the Duration of the Lower House of Parliament?

• The Lok Sabha has a fixed term of five years and can be dissolved at any time by the President.
• The original Constitution established a 5-year term for the Lok Sabha. The 42nd Amendment Act of the Constitution increased it to six years, but the 44th Amendment Act reduced it back to five years.
• While a Proclamation of Emergency is in effect, Parliament may extend the 5-year term of the Lok Sabha by law for up to one year at a time.

Check the Other Notes of Polity for Competitive Exams here.

How Lok Sabha Members are Elected?

Members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people of India, based on universal suffrage. Elections are by the people directly to the Lok Sabha, and each state is divided into territorial constituencies under two provisions of the Constitution:

• The Constitution stipulates that members of the Union territories shall be elected in the manner determined by Parliament by law, and the parliament used this power by enacting legislation mandating that members of the Union Territories be elected by direct election.
• The members of the Constituencies are elected directly by the electorate of the constituencies based on Adult Suffrage as defined by Article 326 of the Indian Constitution.
• Prior to the 61st Amendment Act, voters had to be 21 years old to vote. The Constitution’s 61st Amendment Act of 1988 lowered the voting age to 18 years.

Qualification for Lok Sabha Members

Each state is allotted several seats in the Lok Sabha in such a manner that the ratio between that number and its population is as close to uniform as possible. This provision does not apply to states having a population of less than 6 million. The number of seats per state has been frozen under the constitutional amendment of 1976.

• The qualifications for membership in Parliament are outlined in Article 84 of the Constitution.
• A person must be qualified to be an MP if he or she:
  • You must be an Indian citizen.
  • In the case of Lok Sabha, you must be at least 25 years old.
  • He must take and sign an oath or affirmation in front of a person authorised by the election commission to do so.
  • He swears in his oath or affirmation to bear true faith and allegiance to the Indian Constitution and to protect India’s sovereignty and integrity.
• Other qualifications may be prescribed in this regard by or under any law made by Parliament.

What Qualifications are specified under the Representation of People Act (1951)?

In the Representation of People Act, Parliament established the following additional qualifications (1951): –

• He needs to be a registered voter in a parliamentary constituency. Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha operate in this manner.
• If somebody wants to run for a seat designated for them, he must be a member of a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe in any state or union territory.
• A member of a scheduled caste or tribe, on the other hand, can contest a seat that is not designated for them.
• The condition that a candidate contesting a Rajya Sabha election from a given state be a registered voter in that state was abolished in 2003.
• The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of this change in 2006.

Attempt the Multiple Choice Questions on Indian Polity here!

How many Lok Sabha seats in India?

As per the Constitution of India, the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, has a maximum membership of 552 seats, though it currently functions with 543 elected members. Historically, between 1952 and 2020, two additional members from the Anglo-Indian community were nominated. However, this provision was abolished by the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act in January 2020. The Lok Sabha also reserves 131 seats (24.03%) for representatives of Scheduled Castes (84) and Scheduled Tribes (47). The quorum for the house is 10% of the total membership.

What is the qualification of Lok Sabha members?

Lok Sabha candidates must meet the following qualifications:

• The candidate must be an Indian citizen.
• A candidate must be at least 25 years old.
• He/she should not have been sentenced to imprisonment.
  There should be no declaration of insolvency by banks or courts of the country.

Vacancy of Seats in Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, has a maximum strength of 552 members, with 543 seats filled by elected representatives. The President of India nominates the remaining seats. Vacancies in the Lok Sabha occur when an elected member's seat becomes empty due to death, resignation, or other reasons, and these vacancies are usually filled through by-elections. 

• Article 101 specifies the circumstances under which a member of parliament must quit his or her seat. The following are the requirements:
  • If a person gets elected to both houses of parliament, he or she must relinquish his or her seat in one of the two legislatures.
  • If a person is elected as both MLA and MP, he or she must leave the MLA position; otherwise, the MP seat would become empty.
• Disqualification: If a person is disqualified under article 102 or the Tenth Schedule, he or she must vacate his or her seat.
• Resignation: In the case of the Lok Sabha resignation is given to the Speaker, and in the case of the Rajya Sabha it is given to the Chairman.
• Absence without authorization: A seat can be declared vacant if a member fails to attend all house meetings for a period of 60 days.
• Other examples:
  • If a member’s election is declared void by a court, he must vacate his seat in Parliament.
  • if he is expelled by the House; if he is elected to the office of President or Vice-President he must vacate his seat in Parliament.
  • Besides, if he is appointed to the office of governor of a state he needs to vacate his seat in Parliament.

• If an individual is elected as disqualified to parliament, no procedure for declaring the election is established in the Constitution.
• This issue is covered by the Law on the Representation of the People (1951), which enables the High Court, when a disqualified candidate is elected, to declare an election void.

Disqualification of Members in Lok Sabha

The Constitution specifies circumstances in which MPs may be disqualified. Article 102 of the Constitution states that a person is ineligible to be elected to and serve in either House of Parliament if they –

• If, other than an office declared by Parliament by law to be exempt from disqualification, he holds any profits under the Government of India and the Government of any State;
• If the competent court declares him to be unhealthy in mind,
• If he is an unsatisfied insolvent,
• If he is not an Indian citizen, or if he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign,
• State, or if he is under any acknowledgment of allegiance or adherence to a foreign State,
• If he is disqualified by or under any law enacted by Parliament.

Disqualifications under the People’s Representation Act (1951) : –

• He must not have been convicted of certain election offences or corrupt election practices.
• He must not have been convicted of any crime that resulted in a sentence of two or more years in prison. However, detention under a preventive detention law does not disqualify a person.
• He must not have failed to submit an account of his election expenses in a timely manner.
• He must not be involved in any government contracts, works, or services.
• He cannot be a director or managing agent or hold a profit-making office in a company in which the government shares at least 25%.
• For corruption or disloyalty to the State, he must not be rejected from the government service.
• He should not be convicted of fostering hostilities between various groups or of a bribery offence.
• The President’s decision is final when it comes to whether a Member is subject to any of the above disqualifications. But the opinion of the election commission should be obtained and act accordingly.

Disqualification on Ground of Defection

• A person is also prohibited from being a member of Parliament if he is disqualified on the basis of defection under the provisions of the Tenth Schedule.
• Defection law disqualifies a member:
  • if he voluntarily withdraws from the political party on whose ticket he was elected to the House;
  • if he votes or abstains from voting in the House against the wishes of his political party;
  • If any independently elected member joins a political party, or if any nominated member joins a political party after the six-month period has expired.
• The Chairman and Speaker for Lok Sabha shall decide the issue of disqualification under the 10th Schedule.
• In 1992, the Supreme Court decided that the decision of the President is subject to judicial review in this respect.

Presiding Officials of the Lok Sabha

Presiding Officers of Parliament play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth functioning of legislative bodies in parliamentary systems around the world. By upholding the integrity and dignity of parliamentary debates and procedures, presiding officers serve as guardians of democratic governance. This article aims to study in detail the Presiding Officers of Parliament, their roles & responsibilities, and their significance.

Lok Sabha Speaker

• The person who chairs the meetings of the Lok Sabha is called the Speaker.
• Following the formation of the new Lok Sabha, members of the House elect him or her.
• Even after the Lok Sabha is dissolved, he or she retains the position of Speaker until the next House elects a new Speaker in his or her stead.
• The speaker serves for the same 5-year term as the Sabha.
• In the absence of the Speaker, the proceedings are presided over by a Deputy Speaker, who is likewise elected by the House.

• Both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker can be removed from office by a Lok Sabha resolution passed by a majority of the House’s members.
• He holds the Constitutional Office and adheres to the provisions of the Constitution as well as the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
• He is ranked sixth in the country in terms of Warrant of Precedence. He also has the ability to coordinate the entire assembly.
• The speaker’s salary is paid by the Consolidated Fund of India.

Powers of Lok Sabha Speaker

Below are some of the speaker’s powers and functions:

• The President’s basic function is to chair the House and to conduct the meetings in an orderly way. Without his/her permission, no member can speak in the House.
• You can ask a member to complete his or her speech and he or she can order the speech not to be recorded if the member doesn’t follow.
• With the permission of the Speaker, all Bills, reports, motions and resolutions are submitted.
• The motion is put to the vote by him/her. He/she does not vote, but he/she can use his/her casting vote if there is a tie, that is, equal numbers of votes on both sides.
• In all parliamentary concerns, his/her decisions are definitive. He or she also decides on members’ points of order, and her verdict is definitive.
• He or she is the keeper of the members’ rights and privileges.
• In the event of defection, he/she disqualifies a member from his/her membership.
• He or she also receives member resignations and determines whether or not the resignation is legitimate.
• When the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha convene together, the Speaker presides over the meeting. This emphasises the Lok Sabha’s superiority over the Rajya Sabha.

Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker

• Article 93 of the Constitution governs the election of the Deputy Speaker.
• He is more of a symbolic authority than a real authority.
• Even after becoming a speaker, they can remain a member of a political party.
• In the absence of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, he serves as chairman of the sabha.

Distribution of Lok Sabha seats in the Indian states

The distribution of Lok Sabha seats among Indian states is primarily based on population, with the ratio of seats to population being as equal as possible across all states. The total number of Lok Sabha seats is 543, with the majority (530) representing states and the remaining 13 representing union territories. 

States	Constituencies
1. Uttar Pradesh	80
2. Maharashtra	48
3. West Bengal	42
4. Bihar	39
5. Tamil Nadu	38
6. Madhya Pradesh	29
7. Karnataka	28
8. Gujarat	26
9. Rajasthan	25
10. Andhra Pradesh	24
11. Odisha	21
12. Kerala	20
13. Telangana	17
14. Assam	14
15. Jharkhand	14
16. Punjab	13
17. Chhattisgarh	11
18. Haryana	10
19. Uttarakhand	5
20. Himachal Pradesh	4
21. Arunachal Pradesh	2
22. Goa	2
23. Manipur	2
24. Meghalaya	2
25. Tripura	2
26. Mizoram	1
27. Nagaland	1
28. Sikkim	1
29. Jammu and Kashmir	6
Union Territories	Constituencies
1 . Delhi	7
2 . Andaman and Nicobar Islands	1
3. Chandigarh	1
4. Dadra and Nagar Haveli	1
5. Daman and Diu	1
6. Lakshadweep	1
7. Puducherry	1

List of Lok Sabha Speakers

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