Difference Between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

Social Studies always provides us with a broader aspect that helps to understand Indian Polity also. Indian Politics revolves around the Parliament of India which is situated in the capital of the country. Indian Parliament has three vital parts namely President, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha. Lok Sabha is the lower house of the Parliament while Rajya Sabha is the upper house of the Parliament. Both these houses make the functioning of the Parliament of India smoother. In this article, we explain complete details of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their functions, and the comparisons between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. 

Difference Between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

India follows a bicameral legislature in the form of Parliament. The nomenclature of the ‘Lok Sabha’ &’ ‘Rajya Sabha’ was adopted in Indian Polity in 1954. The provisions of the Indian Parliament deal with Article 79 to Article 122 of the Indian Constitution. Both parliamentary houses are different from each other in many aspects as follows. 

Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha is considered the House of People in the study of Indian Polity. It plays an important role in legislating the laws in India by passing the bills here. In 2019, the seventeenth Lok Sabha general election was conducted in India. The general election of the Lok Sabha is held every five years. Its main function is to ensure that the government performs its functions transparently. It is noted here that Lok Sabha has a greater role in deciding financial matters.

Functions of Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha has several functions to perform like legislating the laws, discussing topics of national interest, passing money bills for financial governance, and selecting its own speaker to conduct the business of the house.

1. Legislature 

Lok Sabha has the right to legislate new laws of the land by passing bills through the house. The legislation includes amendments and repeal of existing laws also. In case of emergencies like extraordinary situations, if a bill is passed with a 2/3rd majority of the members of the parliamentary house, then that bill becomes law and valid for one year at a time. In case, when there is no consensus arising on the most important issue in the parliamentary houses then the joint sitting is called by the President of India under Article 108 of the Indian Constitution. In the joint sitting of Parliament, the speaker of Lok Sabha presides over the parliament and Lok Sabha acts stronger than Rajya Sabha in terms of legislating the laws.

2. Financial Matters 

Money Bills are always initiated by the members of Lok Sabha. Almost all bills can be passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with equal footing but only in the case of the Money bill, Lok Sabha prevails over Rajya Sabha. If a bill is made and passed by Lok Sabha, then it is delivered to the Rajya Sabha for its consent and recommendations. The minimum time interval in which the suggestions have to be sent from Rajya Sabha to Lok Sabha is 14 days. There is no compulsion for Lok Sabha to agree with the given suggestions of Rajya Sabha. 

3. Elections and Composition 

Article 81 of the Indian Constitution states that the Lok Sabha shall comprise not more than 530 members from the territorial constituencies of the States of India and not more than twenty members from territorial constituencies of Union territories. The House of People also selects its speaker who conducts the business in the house.

4. Public Powers 

The members of the Lok Sabha are generally elected members who have the power of debating and discussing different topics related to the public interest. The Parliamentary House’s discussions can be based on subjects like financial matters, public expenditure, etc. The parliamentary discussions and debates act as checks and balances in Indian Polity. 

Rajya Sabha 

The Rajya Sabha is considered the Council of States in the study of Indian Polity. It plays an important role in establishing a bicameral legislature in India. It protects the rights of the Indian states in response to the Central Legislature. The council of states is the permanent house of the parliament and it is not subjected to be dissolved in any case. Unlike the general election of Lok Sabha, the tenure period of Rajya Sabha members is six years. Every second year, 1/3rd of the Rajya Sabha members are retired from the house.

Functions of Rajya Sabha

1. Rajya Sabha serves as the house of parliament that acts as the representative of different states and the union territories of India.
2. A bill needs to be passed from both houses of parliament Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to make it a law.
3. Rajya Sabha has the authority to maintain checks and balance the powers of Lok Sabha by reviewing and giving suggestions to the bills passed by the Lok Sabha.
4. The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by representatives or elected members of the legislative assembly/ Vidhan Sabha of several states.
5. Rajya Sabha has exclusive power to empower the parliament to make laws on the items related to the state list under Article 249 of the Indian Constitution. For this, the resolution has to be adopted by the 2/3rd majority.
6. Rajya Sabha has exclusive power to create new All India Services under Article 312 of the Indian Constitution. For this, the resolution has to be supported by the 2/3rd majority.

Miscellaneous Functions of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

1. The amendment of the Indian Constitution is done by both houses of parliament namely Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
2. The High Court and Supreme Court Judges can be removed by both houses of parliament namely Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
3. In the case of the Rajya Sabha action, the Lok Sabha has to give consent for everything like the removal of the vice-president of India.

In this way, it can be concluded that Lok Sabha has the decisive power to pass bills on many subjects as compared to Rajya Sabha. Rajya Sabha maintains the bicameral setup of the Indian Parliament while Lok Sabha helps to run governance smoother by the elected representatives.