Lok Sabha

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Lok Sabha

Type Lower House
The Speaker
 Somnath Chatterjee, (CPI M)
since June 4, 2004
Majority Leader Pranab Mukherjee, (INC)
since June 4, 2004
Opposition Leader Lal Krishna Advani, (BJP)
since June 4, 2004
Members 552 (550 elected + 2 appointed)
Political groups Left Front
NDA
UPA
Last elections General Election 2004
Meeting place Sansad Bhavan
Web site loksabha.nic.in

The Lok Sabha (alternatively titled, the House of the People, by the Constitution of India) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. The Lok Sabha also stands for the term of the lower house between consecutive parliamentary general elections in India. There have been 14 Lok Sabha terms elected by the people of India as of 2007. Members of the Lok Sabha are direct representatives of the people of India, having been directly elected by the electorate consisting of all eligible adult citizens of India. Its maximum size as outlined in the Constitution of India is 552 members, made up of up to 530 members representing people from the states of India, up to 20 members representing people from the Union Territories, and two members to represent the Anglo-Indian community if it does not have adequate representation in the house according to the President.

Each Lok Sabha is formed for a five year term, after which it is automatically dissolved, unless extended by a Proclamation of Emergency which may extend the term in one year increments. The 14th Lok Sabha was formed in May 2004 and will be in place till the next General Elections.

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.[1]

Contents

[edit] Qualifications required to become a member

To become a member of the Lok Sabha, a person must be a citizen of India, not less than 25 years of age. The person must be mentally sound and should not be bankrupt. The person should also declare in an affidavit that there are no criminal procedures against him/her. For reserved seats one should be member of scheduled caste or/and tribes. To become a member a person has to win a general election.

[edit] Lok Sabha sessions and Working hours

On normal business days, the Lok Sabha assembles from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and again from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The first hour of 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. 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.

[edit] Powers, including the Special powers of the Lok Sabha

The special powers of the Lok Sabha is the reason why the Lok Sabha is de facto and de jure more powerful than the Rajya Sabha.

  1. A motion of no confidence against the government may be introduced and passed only in the Lok Sabha. If passed by a majority vote, the Prime Minister and his council of Ministers shall collectively resign. The Rajya Sabha has no power over such a motion, and hence no real power over the executive. However, the Prime Minister may threaten (sic) the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and recommend this to the President, forcing another untimely General Election. The President normally accepts this recommendation unless he is otherwise convinced that the Lok Sabha might recommend a new Prime Minister by a majority vote. Thus de facto, both the executive and the legislature in India have checks and balances over each other.
  2. A money bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha. After it is passed by the Lok Sabha, it is sent to the Rajya Sabha, where it can be deliberated upon for a maximum period of 14 days. If 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 shall be considered passed. The budget is presented in the Lok Sabha by the Finance Minister in the name of the President of India
  3. 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 shall be 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 recommendations made by the members of the other house are not accepted by the House which originally tabled the bill, it results in a deadlock. This is resolved by the President by calling a joint session of both Houses which is 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
  4. 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)
  5. 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)
  6. 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)
  7. 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
  8. If the Lok Sabha is dissolved before or after the declaration of a National Emergency, the Rajya Sabha becomes the sole de facto and de jure Parliament. It, of course, cannot be dissolved. This is a limitation on the Lok Sabha.




[edit] Trivia

Babu Jagjeevan Ram is the longest serving cabinet minister of India.

In 1998 BJP led by Atal Behari Vajpayee lost the majority vote to form the government by just one vote.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Election Commission India

[edit] External links