Haryana's State Legislature & Parliamentary Representation | HPSC Preparation: All subjects - HPSC (Haryana) PDF Download

Legislature

Haryana features a unicameral legislature called the Legislative Assembly, which comprises a single house.

Legislative Assembly of Haryana

• Exclusive powers of state legislatures are detailed in the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• Haryana's Legislative Assembly has a term of five years (as per Article 172) unless dissolved earlier by the Governor upon the Chief Minister's request.
• Qualifications for Assembly members: They must be Indian citizens, over 25 years old (Article 173), and not declared insane or insolvent by any court.
• Members' election: They're chosen through Universal Adult Franchise via direct voting; the minimum voting age is 18.
• Speaker's role and functions include managing Assembly proceedings, potentially casting a deciding vote, and determining if a bill is a money bill.
• Speaker's absence in certain cases: If there's a proposal to remove the Speaker from office, they don't preside over that house.
• Attendance requirement: For a Legislative Assembly meeting, at least 1/10th of the members must be present.
• History of seat allocation in Haryana: The number of seats in the Assembly increased from 54 in 1966 to 90 in 1977, with 17 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes.
• Seat reservation specifics: Seventeen seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes, with specific constituencies designated for this purpose.
• Quorum checking by the Speaker: They ensure the necessary attendance to hold state assembly sessions.
• Noteworthy Speakers in Haryana include Shanno Devi, the first woman Speaker in both Haryana and India, and Rao Virendra Singh, the first male Speaker in Haryana.
• Speaker with multiple terms: Harmahendra Singh Chadda served three terms as Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha.
• District-wise seat distribution: Panchkula has the fewest seats (2), while Hisar has the most (7) in the Legislative Assembly.
• Largest and smallest constituencies: Loharu is the largest, and Balramgarh is the smallest in terms of area.
• Unreserved seats in certain districts: Mahendragarh, Panchkula, Nuh, and Faridabad have no reserved seats.
• Significant female representatives: Chandrawati was the first female member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly and later became the first woman Governor of Puducherry. Prasanni Devi was elected six times as a Legislative Assembly member.
• Unique district situations: Kurukshetra lacks a constituency, and Jhajjar, among district headquarters, has a reserved constituency.

Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretariat

• The impressive Haryana Secretariat, located in Chandigarh, stands as a remarkable structure. Designed by the renowned French architect Le Corbusier, it boasts a ceremonial gate gifted to India by the French Government. 
• Prior to Haryana's establishment, the section of the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat utilized by the Punjab Legislative Council is now utilized by the Haryana Legislative Assembly.

Various Legislative Assemblies of Haryana

• Introduction to Haryana Legislative Assemblies:
  • The inaugural Legislative Assembly in Haryana was established in 1966, and since then, fourteen assemblies have been formed.
• First State Assembly (1-11-1966 to 28-02-1967):
  • The assembly convened its first session on December 6, 1966.
  • This assembly, with 54 members, was the smallest in the state.
  • Bhagwat Dayal Sharma served as the Chief Minister, and Shanno Devi was the Speaker.
• Second State Assembly (17-03-1967 to 21-11-1967):
  • The assembly had 81 members.
  • Inaugurated on March 17, 1967, it was the first Non-Congress Legislative Assembly.
  • President's Rule was imposed for the first time in the state on November 2, 1967.
• Third State Assembly (15-07-1968 to 21-01-1972):
  • Comprising 81 members, the assembly began its proceedings on July 15, 1968.
  • Chaudhary Bansi Lal was the Chief Minister, and Ran Singh served as the Speaker.
  • Haryana conducted its first census during this assembly, and all villages were electrified on November 29, 1970.
• Fourth State Assembly (3-04-1972 to 30-04-1977):
  • Inaugurated on April 3, 1972, this assembly witnessed two Chief Ministers and two Speakers.
  • It had the longest tenure and experienced President's Rule for the second time on April 30, 1977.
• Fifth State Assembly (04-07-1977 to 19-04-1982):
  • With 90 members, this assembly convened on July 4, 1977.
  • Chaudhary Bhajanlal and Chaudhary Bansi Lal were Chief Ministers, while Ran Singh and Col Ram Singh served as Speakers.
  • Sushma Swaraj became the youngest Cabinet Minister (25 years) during this assembly.
• Sixth State Assembly (24-06-1982 to 23-06-1987):
  • Commencing on June 24, 1982, this assembly had two Chief Ministers, Chaudhary Bhajanlal and Chaudhary Bansi Lal, with Sardar Tara Singh as the Speaker.
• Seventh State Assembly (09-07-1987 to 06-04-1991):
  • The assembly's first session occurred on July 9, 1987, with Harmohendra Singh Chaddha as the Speaker.
  • Four Chief Ministers served during this assembly, including Chaudhary Devi Lal, Om Prakash Chautala (3 times), Banarasi Das Gupta, and Hukum Singh.
• Eighth State Assembly (09-07-1991 to 10-05-1996):
  • Convened on July 9, 1991, with Chaudhary Bhajanlal as the Chief Minister and Ishwar Singh as the Speaker.
  • Panipat was organized on January 1, 1992, during this assembly.
• Ninth State Assembly (22-05-1996 to 14-12-1999):
  • The assembly's first sitting was on May 22, 1996, with Chaudhary Bansi Lal as the Chief Minister and Chatar Singh Chauhan as the Speaker.
  • Alcohol was banned from July 1, 1996, to April 1, 1998, during this assembly.
• Tenth State Assembly (09-03-2000 to 08-03-2005):
  • The Chief Minister of this assembly was Om Prakash Chautala, and Satbir Singh was the Speaker.
  • It began its proceedings on March 9, 2000.
• Eleventh State Assembly (21-03-2005 to 21-08-2009):
  • Bhupinder Singh Hooda served as Chief Minister, and Harmohender Singh Chaddha and Dr. Raghuvir Kadiyan were Speakers during this assembly.
• Twelfth State Assembly (28-10-2009 to 20-10-2014):
  • Commencing on October 28, 2009, with Bhupinder Singh Hooda as Chief Minister, this assembly had Harmohender Singh Chaddha and Kuldeep Sharma as Speakers.
• Thirteenth State Assembly (20-10-2014 to 21-10-2019):
  • Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Speaker Kanwar Pal Gurjar led this assembly.
  • It saw the highest number of elected women MLAs (13).
• Fourteenth State Assembly (04-11-2019 to Present):
  • Gyan Chand Gupta serves as the Speaker, and Ranbir Singh Gangwa is the Deputy Speaker.
  • Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala lead the current assembly.

List of Speakers

• Shanno Devi (6th December,1966 - 17th March, 1967): Shanno Devi served as the Speaker from December 6, 1966, to March 17, 1967.
• Rao Birendra Singh (shortest term) (17th March, 1967 - 23rd March, 1967): Rao Birendra Singh held the position briefly from March 17 to March 23, 1967.
• Shri Chandra (30th March, 1967 - 19th July, 1967): Shri Chandra assumed the role from March 30 to July 19, 1967.
• Manphool Singh (20th July, 1967 - 21st November, 1967): Manphool Singh served as the Speaker from July 20 to November 21, 1967.
• Ran Singh (15th July, 1968 - 3rd April, 1972): Ran Singh held the position from July 15, 1968, to April 3, 1972.
• Banarsi Das Gupta (3rd April, 1972 - 15th November, 1973): Banarsi Das Gupta assumed office from April 3, 1972, to November 15, 1973.
• Swaroop Singh (16th November, 1973 - 4th July, 1977): Swaroop Singh served as the Speaker from November 16, 1973, to July 4, 1977.
• Ran Singh (04th July, 1977 - 8th May, 1978): Ran Singh returned to the role from July 4, 1977, to May 8, 1978.
• Karnal Ram Singh (15th May, 1978 - 24th June, 1982): Karnal Ram Singh took over as Speaker from May 15, 1978, to June 24, 1982.
• Sardar Tara Singh (longest term) (24th June, 1982 - 9th July, 1987): Sardar Tara Singh held the position for the longest term, from June 24, 1982, to July 9, 1987.
• Harmohender Singh Chaddha (09th July, 1987 - 9th July, 1991): Harmohender Singh Chaddha served as Speaker from July 9, 1987, to July 9, 1991.
• Ishwar Singh (09th July, 1991 - 22nd May, 1996): Ishwar Singh assumed the role from July 9, 1991, to May 22, 1996.
• Chhatar Singh Chauhan (22nd May, 1996 - 27th July, 1999): Chhatar Singh Chauhan served as Speaker from May 22, 1996, to July 27, 1999.
• Ashok Kumar Arora (28th July, 1999 - 1st March, 2000): Ashok Kumar Arora held the position from July 28, 1999, to March 1, 2000.
• Satbeer Singh Kadian (9th March, 2000 - 21st March, 2005): Satbeer Singh Kadian served as Speaker from March 9, 2000, to March 21, 2005.
• Harmohender Singh Chaddha (21st March, 2005 - 12th January, 2006): Harmohender Singh Chaddha returned to the position from March 21, 2005, to January 12, 2006.
• Dr. Raghubir Singh Kadyaan (13th January, 2006 - 27th October, 2009): Dr. Raghubir Singh Kadyaan served as Speaker from January 13, 2006, to October 27, 2009.
• Harmohender Singh Chaddha (28th October, 2009 - 28th January, 2011): Harmohender Singh Chaddha returned to the role from October 28, 2009, to January 28, 2011.
• Kuldeep Sharma (04th March, 2011 - 2nd November, 2014): Kuldeep Sharma took over as Speaker from March 4, 2011, to November 2, 2014.
• Kanwar Pal Gurjjar (3rd November, 2014 - 2nd November, 2019): Kanwar Pal Gurjjar served as Speaker from November 3, 2014, to November 2, 2019.
• Gyan Chand Gupta (04th November, 2019 - Incumbent): Gyan Chand Gupta has been the incumbent Speaker since November 4, 2019.

Representation of Haryana in Parliament

• Representation in Parliament: Haryana holds 5 seats in the Rajya Sabha and 10 seats in the Lok Sabha.
• Constituency Sizes: Bhiwani-Mahendragarh stands as the largest constituency in terms of area, while Faridabad holds the distinction of being the most populous Lok Sabha constituency.
• Reserved Seats: As per the 1971 Delimitation Commission report, the Lok Sabha constituencies of Sirsa and Ambala are designated as reserved seats for Scheduled Castes.