resignation or removal or otherwise of President). While so acting, he ceases to perform the
      function of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
      Council of Ministers
            There is a Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister, to aid and advise the
      President in exercise of his functions. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President who also
      appoints other ministers on the advice of Prime Minister. The Council is collectively responsible
      to the Lok Sabha. It is the duty of the Prime Minister to communicate to the President all
      decisions of Council of Ministers relating to administration of affairs of the Union and proposals
      for legislation and information relating to them.
            The Council of Ministers comprises ministers who are members of Cabinet, Ministers of
      State (independent charge), Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers.
      Legislature
            Legislature of the Union which is called Parliament, consists of the President and two
      Houses, known as Council of States (Rajya Sabha), and House of the People (Lok Sabha). Each
      House has to meet within six months of its previous sitting. A joint sitting of two Houses can be
      held in certain cases.
      Rajya Sabha
            The Constitution provides that the Rajya Sabha shall consist of 12 members to be nominated
      by the President from amongst persons having special knowledge or practical experience in
      respect of such matters as literature, science, art and social service; and not more than 238
      representatives of the states and of the union territories. Details of Rajya Sabha members given
      in Appendices.
            Elections to the Rajya Sabha are indirect; members representing states are elected by the
      elected members of Legislative Assemblies of the states in accordance with the system of
      proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, and those representing
      union territories are chosen in such a manner as Parliament may by law prescribe. The Rajya
      Sabha is not subject to dissolution; one-third of its members retire every second year.
      Relevant Website: www.rajyasabha.in
      Lok Sabha
            The Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of people chosen by direct election on the
      basis of adult suffrage. The maximum strength of the House envisaged by the Constitution is
      now 552 (530 members to represent the states, 20 members to represent the union territories and
      not more than two members of the Anglo-Indian community to be nominated by the President, if,
      in his opinion, that community is not adequately represented in the House). The total elective
      membership of the Lok Sabha is distributed among the states in such a way that the ratio
      between the number of seats allotted to each state and the population of the state is, as far as
      practicable, the same for all states. The Lok Sabha at present consists of 543 members. Of these,
      530 members are directly elected from the states and 13 from union territories. Following the
      84th amendment to the Constitution in 2001, the total number of existing seats as allocated to
      various states in the Lok Sabha on the basis of the 1971 census shall remain unaltered till the first