Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabha

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Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabha are two different legislatures of India. Both are houses but there are many differences between them. In this article, we will highlight the concept of Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabha along with their differences.

What is Rajya Sabha?

Rajya Sabha represents the States in the Union of India. There are a total of 250 members in Rajya Sabha and they are elected by the state legislatures with one-third of their membership retiring every two years. The Rajya Sabha has a maximum term of 6 years.

Rajya Sabha is referred to as the ‘Council of States’. It is also called the upper house or Second chamber because it is placed above the Vidhan Sabhas or State legislative assemblies.

Rajya Sabha is not directly elected by the people but its members are nominated by the state governments. They are indirectly elected by the state legislatures. The Members of Rajya Sabha are referred to as Members of Parliament or MPs.

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Functions of Rajya Sabha

The functions of the Rajya Sabha are:

• To discuss and pass budgets
• Debating bills that require money to be spent from the Consolidated Fund of India
• It can discuss any matter related to the state or central government
• Can create committees for discussing important issues like problems of a state, Centre-State disputes and so on
• Recommend appointment of Governors, Judges 
• Provides special powers to some states like Jammu & Kashmir, North East India etc., for their special issues
• Provide special grants to some states in times of drought or natural disasters like earthquakes 

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What is Vidhan Sabha?

A Vidhan Sabha is a legislative assembly of the state or province of India. It has a maximum term of 5 years and is directly elected by the people. It is also called the lower house or First chamber because it is placed below the Rajya Sabha. The Vidhan Sabha is referred to as the ‘State Legislative Assembly’ [S.L.A].

Functions of Vidhan Sabha

• To discuss and pass budgets
• To debate and pass bills which require money to be spent from the State Consolidated Fund only
• To discuss any matter related to the state subject only
• Can create committees for discussing important issues like problems of a state, Centre-State disputes and so on 
• Provide special powers to some states like Jammu & Kashmir, North East India etc. for their special issues

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Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabha: Difference 

• Rajya Sabha is called the upper house or Second chamber because it is placed above the Vidhan Sabhas or State legislative assemblies
• Rajya Sabha has a maximum term of 6 years
• Rajya Sabha represents the States in the Union of India
• There are a total of 250 members in Rajya Sabha and they are elected by the state legislatures with one-third of their membership retiring every two years
• The Rajya Sabha has a maximum term of 6 years
• The members of Rajya Sabha are referred to as Members of Parliament or MPs
• While the members of Vidhan Sabha are referred to as members of the Legislative assembly or MLAs
• Rajya Sabha is not directly elected by the people but its members are nominated by the state governments
• They are indirectly elected by the state legislatures
• Vidhan Sabha is directly elected by the people
• Vidhan Sabha has a maximum term of 5 years and is directly elected by the people
• Vidhan Sabha is referred to as the lower house or First chamber because it is placed below the Rajya Sabha
• In Future, Rajya sabha will be renamed Lok Sabha and Vidhan sabha will be renamed Rajya sabha
• In every state, they elect their own legislators equivalent to MPs, known as MLAs
• These are usually directly elected from their respective states

Conclusion

Both Vidhan Sabha and Rajya Sabha are different legislatures of India. Both are houses but there are many differences between them. In this article, we will highlight the concept of Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabha along with their differences.