Lok Sabha – Elections, Composition, Speaker and Important Amendments

The Indian constitution has two houses – the upper house and the lower house. The Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha are the two houses respectively. The Lok Sabha represents the Indian people as a whole as the first chamber of the parliament.

It is the house of people where they vote and choose their representatives. The origin of the bill takes place in this house and then it goes to the Rajya sabha for approval or recommendation. It is one of the most important and the highest legislative bodies of the constitution. 

The speaker heads the sabha and looks after its day to day functioning. The composition of the sabha is according to the constituencies. There are certain criteria that a person must meet to become a part of the parliament. And then there are a few criteria that can disqualify a candidate too.

The Lok Sabha has seen many amendments since its formation. And the constitution also has many important laws that affect the Lok Sabha. Let us take a look at all these points in detail below. 

Composition of Lok Sabha

• The maximum strength of the Sabha is 552. 
• Out of the total, 530 represents the States of the country.
• A total of 20 seats are for the Union Territories
• The president of the country nominates 2 individuals from the Anglo-Indian Community.
• The current strength of the sabha is 545.
• Out of which, 530 represent States currently. 
• And 13 of the seats represent Union Territories.

Lok Sabha Eligibility criteria

• Must be an Indian Citizen.
• Should be a minimum of 25 years old.
• A voter from any parliamentary constituency.
• Preferably come from a recognized political party.
• Ten proposers for an independent candidate.
• Make a security deposit of ₹25,000.

Lok Sabha Disqualification grounds

• If the individual holds a profit office under the Indian government or any State government without parliament’s declaration. 
• A person with an unsound mind.
• A person who is an undischarged insolvent.
• If any parliament law disqualifies him.
• If he voluntarily takes foreign citizenship. 
• Also If he promotes enmity between different groups.
• He commits the offense of bribery.
• Practices social crimes like sati, jihad, and untouchability.
• A convict of an offense and imprisonment of 2 years or more.
• Involved in corruption or disloyalty to the government. 

Lok Sabha Elections

The Lok Sabha election takes place every five years in the name of general elections in the country. This takes place in all the states and the union territories. The universal adult franchise is the method of electing members for the Lok sabha. 

Representation of States in Lok Sabha

The state representatives in the sabha are elected directly by the citizens of the country. They can vote for the candidate who belongs to their states. The principle of election used is the Universal Adult Franchise.

Any Indian citizen above the age of 18 years can cast a vote in elections. The 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988 changed the voting age from 21 to 18. 

Representation of Union Territories in Lok Sabha

The parliament usually goes for direct election while choosing the representative from the union territories. Union Territories Act, 1965 changed the method of election for Lok sabha to direct election. 

Representation of Nominated Members in Lok Sabha

The President nominates 2 members from Anglo-Indian Community for the sabha. This is only in case the community is not adequately represented. The extension to nominate Anglo-Indians is till 2020 only. This is by the 95th Amendment Act, 2009.

Lok Sabha Speaker

The Lok Sabha Speaker is one of the members of the sabha and chairs the house. The house cannot move ahead with the proceeding without him. The first act of a newly constituted house is to elect a speaker.

He holds the Constitutional Office and follows the guidelines of constitutional provisions and the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. He ranks 6 at Warrant of Precedence in the country. Also He has the power to coordinate the entire assembly.

The salary of the speaker comes from the Consolidated Fund of India. His chairs are in the middle where he commands the proceeding in the house. The deputy speaker functions in his absence. 

Election of the Speaker

• He must be a member of the house with an understanding of the constitution. 
• The candidate with the majority of the vote by the member wins. 
• The member from a ruling party has a higher chance to become a speaker. 
• Usually, a party nominates after consulting with the leaders. 
• Usually, the Prime Minister announces the final result. 
• After becoming a speaker, respect of all sections of the House is expected. 
• Many times a member from an opposition party becomes the speaker. 
• After dissolving the sabha, the speaker attends the first meeting of the new sabha as well. 

Removal of the Speaker

• The speaker has the same term as the Sabha that is 5 years. 
• But a majority resolution can remove the speaker according to the constitution. 
• This is according to Articles 94 and 96 of the Indian Constitution.
• He can also disqualify from being a member of the Sabha according to sections 7 and 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
• He is at a higher post than the Deputy Speaker.

Powers of the Lok Sabha Speaker

• Heads all the lower house meetings.
• Maintains discipline and a code of conduct among the members.
• Can resolve a deadlock but doesn’t cast a vote instantly. He breaks the tie with the last vote.
• Responsible for deciding the agenda of the meeting discussion and decides the order of the meeting as well. 
• Identifies the role of the procedure and punishes an MP in case of unethical behavior. 
• Can also remove a member by disqualifying him. This is possible when a member defies his orders. 
• Has the power to issue orders and warrants in case of violations. 
• Grants permission for parliamentary procedures. 
• Has the power to decide if a bill is a money bill or not in the end. 
• All the motions come only after he speaks except the no-confidence motion. 
• Recognizes the leader of the opposition as well. 
• Monitors the Rules Committee, the Business Advisory Committee, and the General Purposes Committee. He also nominates their chairman. 
• His decision on the provision related to house functioning are final and can not be questioned. 

Speaker’s Administrative Role

• Heads the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
• Has the supreme authority over the Secretariat staff of the House and security arrangements.
• Decides the structure of the parliament and the changes in it. 
• Communicates the final decision of the house outside the parliament. 
• Decides the turn of the house going first in the assembly. 
• Decides the order of the proceedings.

Other Roles and Responsibilities

• Decides the moving of the amendment from motion to the president’s address. 
• Makes the final decision of the amendment in the house.
• Consults the Committee of Privileges for examination, investigation, and report.
• Puts out the question in the house for the discussion.
• Addresses the conclusion of every assembly and also at the term-end. 

Speaker and Inter-Parliamentary Relations

• Acts as the  President of the Indian Parliamentary Group set up in 1949. It is the main branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. 
• Became a part of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
• The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association has served for nine decades now. 
• Delegation at this union is consulted by the Rajya Sabha chairman and often the speaker leads it. 
• Acts as the chairman of the Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies of the country.

Deputy Lok Sabha Speaker

• The Deputy speaker’s election process comes under Article 93 of the Constitution.
• He acts as a symbolic authority more than a real authority. 
• They can remain part of a political party even after becoming a speaker. 
• He acts as the chairman of the sabha in absence of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
• That is the only major responsibility they have. 
• The election for this position also takes place in the first assembly.
• It is a  suggestion to fill this position from the opposition party.
• A majority resolution can remove the deputy speaker.

Lok Sabha Constituencies

There are a total of 543 constituencies in India that the Lok Sabha represents. They all are present in different states and union territories of the country. 

• Ladakh is the largest constituency according to the area. 
• Chandi Chowk is the smallest constituency according to the area. 
• Malkajgiri is the largest constituency elector wise. 
• Lakshadweep is the smallest constituency elector wise. 

Lok Sabha and Indian Constitution Articles

• Article 326 of the Indian constitution states that the Lok Sabha Election should follow the basis of adult suffrage. 
• The Article 83 of the constitution fixes the Lok Sabha tenure for 5 years, unless sooner dissolved. 
• Article 75 of the constitution holds members of the council responsible for Lok Sabha.
• Article 324 of the constitution talks about the power and superintendence of the Lok Sabha elections.

Important Lok Sabha Amendments Acts

Important Facts about Lok Sabha elections 

• The 1st election for the Lok Sabha was in 1952. 
• A total of 489 seats were there out of which Congress won 364. 
• Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister after this election.
• The 2019 Lok Sabha or general elections were the 17th Elections of the country. 
• Elections took place for 552 seats and BJP won 303.
• Only 22 women became part of the Sabha in 1952 and 49 became a part of it in 2014. 
• Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar won the first Lok Sabha Speaker election.
• Sumitra Mahajan was the last woman speaker until 2019.
• Om Birla is the current speaker of the Sabha.
• Till now only one speaker has resigned before term ie Dr. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.
• The country doesn’t have a deputy Lok sabha speaker for 15 months now. 

Conclusion

The Indian constitution is an important polity topic for all sorts of exams and even for general knowledge. This may be competitive exams like UPSC, RRB, SSC, or be it university admission examinations. This is because it is responsible for supporting the federal structure of the country.

The candidates must know the structure of the constitution and parliament well. The Lok Sabha is an essential body of the constitution and is the people’s assembly.

This article looks over key aspects of the sabha with a focus on the election process, rules, speaker, constituencies, amendments, and composition. This will help candidates in prelims, general studies paper II and the Political Science Optional paper.

Reading this article should help aspirants achieve a better score in the exam. Make sure you give it a read for sure.