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Consider the following statements regarding Elections to the Rajya Sabha:
  1. It is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.
  2. The voting at such election is done by secret ballot.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
  • a)
    1 only
  • b)
    2 only
  • c)
    Both 1 and 2
  • d)
    Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
Most Upvoted Answer
Consider the following statements regarding Elections to the Rajya Sab...
The correct answer is option 'A' - 1 only.

Explanation:
Elections to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, are conducted differently from elections to the Lok Sabha, the lower house. Let's examine each statement given in the question and determine its correctness:

1. It is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.
This statement is incorrect. The Rajya Sabha elections are not conducted through the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote. In the Rajya Sabha elections, members are elected by the method of "proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote" only in the case of vacancies caused due to retirement, resignation, or death of a sitting member. In these cases, members of the State Legislative Assembly cast their votes to elect new members. However, the majority of Rajya Sabha members are elected by the members of State Legislative Assemblies through an open ballot system. Each state has a fixed number of seats in the Rajya Sabha, and the members are elected by the MLAs of that state.

2. The voting at such election is done by secret ballot.
This statement is correct. In Rajya Sabha elections, the voting is done by secret ballot. This means that the MLAs cast their votes privately without disclosing their choice to anyone. The secrecy of the ballot ensures that the voters can freely express their preference without any fear of repercussions.

In conclusion, only statement 2 is correct while statement 1 is incorrect. Rajya Sabha elections are not held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote. However, the voting in these elections is done by secret ballot.
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Consider the following statements regarding Elections to the Rajya Sab...
The Election Commission of India recently announced the schedule for the election on 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Goa, Gujarat and West Bengal.
About Rajya Sabha:
  • Origin: India follows the British parliamentary system, so the Rajya Sabha, or the Upper House of Parliament, is equivalent to the House of Lords in the United Kingdom.
  • Present strength:  The Rajya Sabha currently has 245 members, including 233 elected members and 12 nominated. As per the constitutional limit, the Upper House strength cannot exceed 250.
  • Membership: While 233 members are elected from states and Union Territories (UTs), President of India nominates the remaining 12 from from the fields of art, literature, science and social services. 
  • Tenure: Every Rajya Sabha MP has a tenure of six years and elections to one-third seats are held every two years.
  • Vacancy: According to Section 154 of the Representation of the People Act 1951, a member chosen to fill a casual vacancy will serve for the remainder of his predecessor's term of office.
  • Chair: The Indian vice-president is chairperson of the Upper House, while it also has a deputy chair.
Election Process to Rajyasabha:
  • While Lok Sabha members are elected directly by the voters, Rajya Sabha members are elected indirectly by the people, that is, by the elected Members of a state's Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
  • How many Rajya Sabha members a state can send depends on its population.
  • MLAs vote in the Rajya Sabha elections in what is called proportional representation with the single transferable vote (STV) systemEach MLA’s vote is counted only once.
  • In this system, MLAs don’t vote for each seat.
  • Instead, the MLAs are given a paper with the names of all candidatesThey have to give their order of preference for each candidate, marking 1,2,3… against their names.
  • The ballot is open but MLAs have to show their ballots to an authorised agent from their party to prevent practices such as cross-voting. A vote cannot be counted if the ballot is not shown to the agent. Independent MLAs cannot show their ballot to anyone.
  • If a qualifying number of voters choose a candidate as their first choice, he or she is elected. 
  • The remaining votes go to the next candidates, but with a lesser value. So, MLAs also vote for candidates from other parties. 
  • The candidate that gets rank 1 from an MLA secures a first preference vote. In order to win, a candidate needs a specific number of such first preference votes. This number depends on the strength of the state Assembly and the number of MPs it sends to Rajya Sabha.
  • To win, a candidate should get a required number of votes which is known as quota or preference vote. The formula is = [Total number of votes/(Number of Rajya Sabha seats + 1)] + 1.
  • However, the formula is changed in case more than one seat needs to be filled. The total number of votes required for a candidate in the case is = [(Number of votes x 100) / (Vacancies + 1)] + 1.
Hence only statement 1 is correct.
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