A Short Note on Seats

We know that seats are required in the legislative assembly to form a government of any political party. The parties contest the general elections conducted after every five years, and the public votes choose the winner. Union territories are an exception to the above rule, and all the states follow this rule. The Central Government directly administers this rule.

What is a legislative assembly? 

The legislative assembly or Vidhan Sabha is India’s lower house of a state legislature. Citizens of a district directly elect the members of the legislative assembly. For any government to stay in power, most of the available seats are required in the legislative assembly.  

Someone who has secured a seat in the legislative assemblies by public voting is a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). All the 29 States in India with a state government have a legislative assembly. The maximum number of members allowed to be housed in a legislative assembly is 500, while the minimum number of members to form a legislative assembly of any state is 60. 

Any legislative assembly member has a term of five years. Once they have completed their tenure, they’ll have to participate in the legislative assembly elections and secure a seat for themselves to serve for another five years. 

What are the functions of a legislative assembly of state? 

The main functions of the legislative assembly include amendments and making of laws as per the situation and the votes. The assembly is also responsible for the proposal of budgets every year, and they can also seek the necessary information from the state government on various aspects. These aspects include education, healthcare and finance. They can also ask for information about the upcoming government programs, schemes and ventures for the citizens. 

The state legislative assembly is also responsible for adequately monitoring trade, imports and exports and other economic development of their state. 

Kerala Legislative Assembly Seats

The Kerala legislative assembly has 140 seats all over the state, distributed among the different districts. It is necessary not to forget that seats are required in the legislative assembly to gain the power to form the government by any political party. 

The political party currently in power in Kerala and has formed its government for the next five years until 2026 is the left democratic front ( LDF). It is one of the oldest political parties, which ruled Kerala first in the late 1970s. The party secured 99 seats out of 140 in the 2021 elections by the public voting across the state and formed its government.

The Kerala legislative assembly seats for the ruling party, i.e. the left democratic front, have been in the majority for the last two terms, from 2016 to 2020 and again in 2021. The opposition parties in the legislative assembly of Kerala are those political parties that couldn’t form their government by securing seats in the majority due to fewer votes. The opposition parties are often a coalition of two or more political parties against the ruling party of the state government. 

The parties that constitute opposition in the legislative assembly of Kerala are the Indian National Congress, the Communist Party and the communist party of India (Marxist). In the 2021 Legislative Assembly elections results, M.P. Rajesh was appointed as the assembly speaker on the 25th of May 2021. 

Pinarayi Vijayan has been the assembly leader since the 20th of May 2021 and is also the current chief minister of Kerala. When we discuss the political opposition parties, their leader is V.D. Satheesan of the Indian National Congress.

In the History of Kerala politics and the legislative assembly, the maharaja of Travancore ruled Kerala first and laid the foundation, which is now serving the purpose for decades. 

Female Representation Issue 

Apart from Kerala legislative assembly seats distribution, there is one more issue that persists after all these years. This issue is of female representation in the political arena. No more than 6% of females have managed to mark their political representation. 

And the interesting part about the data is that females in Kerala account for more than 50% of representation in the local government organisations across the state in various districts. However, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to the presentation at higher levels of governmental institutions. 

Conclusion 

The Kerala legislative assembly traces its way back in history when the maharaja of Travancore ruled Kerala first in 1888. The political aspects of Kerala, important figures of the ruling government, the distribution of the majority of the seats, and the legislative assembly’s functioning are important pieces of information worth remembering. 

Apart from strengthening your general knowledge, they also prove to be helpful for preparation for various government examinations. Political affairs are an interesting topic that increases knowledge on the various matters of national significance.