Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha is the Upper House in the bicameral Parliament of India. It is also known as the Council of States.

The Rajya Sabha was first constituted on April 3, 1952. Its first session was held on May 13, 1952. It is a permanent body, and is never dissolved. One-third of its members retired every two years.

Presently, the Rajya Sabha has 245 members, out of whom 233 are representing various states and the Union Territories, and 12 are nominated by the President of India.

Andhra Pradesh sends 18, Arunachal Pradesh one, Assam 7, Bihar 16, Chhattisgarh 5, Goa one, Gujarat 11, Haryana 5, Himachal Pradesh 3, Jammu and Kashmir 4, Jharkhand 6, Karnataka 12, Kerala 9, Madhya Pradesh 11, Maharashtra 19, Manipur one, Meghalaya one, Mizoram one, Nagaland one, Odisha 10, Punjab 7, Rajasthan 10, Sikkim one, Tamil Nadu 18, Tripura one, Uttarakhand 3, Uttar Pradesh 31, West Bengal 16, Delhi 3, and Puducherry 1 members in the Rajya Sabha.

The Vice President of India presides the Upper House.