I have always been confused about the types of elections in India — even though one of my parents is a political science lecturer.
Lok Sabha Elections
The lower house of India’s Parliament — the direct voice of the people.
- 545 seats — 543 elected + 2 appointed by the President
- Each state has a fixed number of seats proportional to its population
- People across India directly vote for their representative in each constituency
- Any party winning 50% or more of the 543 seats gets to elect the Prime Minister
- Happens every 5 years
Rajya Sabha Elections
The upper house — the indirect chamber.
- 250 seats — 238 elected + 12 appointed by the President
- Each state has a fixed number of seats
- People don’t vote directly — seats are filled indirectly by MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly)
- Each member serves a 6-year term
- Elections for 1/3 of the seats happen every 2 years, so the chamber is never fully replaced at once
Vidhan Sabha Elections (State Assembly Elections)
The state-level equivalent of the Lok Sabha.
- Each state has a fixed number of seats
- Elections happen independently per state — so different states vote at different times
- People directly vote for candidates who become MLAs for that state
- Any party winning more than 50% of seats gets to select the Chief Minister
- If no party wins a majority, parties are asked to form a coalition government — preference given to the party with the largest vote share