💥Why “value of vote” of MLA is used in Presidential election but NOT in Rajya Sabha elections ?

1. Nature of the post

☑️President of India

Represents the entire nation

Must balance:
People (population)
States (federal units)

👉 So, votes are weighted:

Bigger states → higher MLA vote value
Smaller states → lower value

Ensures federal balance + democratic fairness

☑️Rajya Sabha

Represents states in Parliament

Members are already:
👉Allocated based on population of states
👉Elected by MLAs (state representatives)

👉 So, representation is already adjusted

No need to weight each MLA’s vote again

2. Electoral logic (core difference)

☑️Presidential Election

Electoral College = MLAs + MPs
Problem:
👉 States have unequal populations
Solution:
👉 Vote value system

Prevents:

👉Big states dominating completely
👉Small states becoming irrelevant

☑️Rajya Sabha Election

Only MLAs vote

Seats per state already reflect population

Within a state:
👉 All MLAs are equal representatives

So:
1 MLA = 1 vote is enough

💥Simply put (very useful)

👉 President election = “Balance India as a whole”
👉 Rajya Sabha election = “Reflect each state’s internal politics”

#UPSC #IndianPolity

💥Why does Lok Sabha need delimitation but Rajya Sabha doesn’t? 👇

Lok Sabha = House of the People
Rajya Sabha = House of the States

☑️Lok Sabha MPs are directly elected by people from constituencies.

But population changes over time:
• Some cities grow rapidly
• Migration happens
• Population becomes uneven

So constituency boundaries must be redrawn so that:
📚one MP represents roughly equal population.

This process is called DELIMITATION.

Example:
If one MP represents 30 lakh people while another represents 10 lakh, voting power becomes unequal.

Hence Lok Sabha needs delimitation.

☑️Rajya Sabha works differently.

👉Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by MLAs, not directly by people.

👉Entire state acts as ONE electoral unit.

Example:
Tamil Nadu MLAs together elect Rajya Sabha MPs.

There are no separate Rajya Sabha constituencies like:
Chennai RS constituency
Madurai RS constituency

So there is nothing to redraw.

Hence Rajya Sabha does NOT need delimitation.

Note : The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution contains the allocation of Rajya Sabha seats to States and Union Territories.

So whenever a new state is created or reorganised,this schedule is amended.

#UPSC #IndianPolity #UpscPrelims2026

☑️How exactly are Rajya Sabha seats decided?

Many aspirants think there is a fixed formula like:

Population ÷ X = Seats

But the Constitution DOES NOT provide any such formula.

Instead, seat allocation is based on:

✅ Population of states
✅ Federal balance
✅ Representation for smaller states

That’s why:

Uttar Pradesh - 31 seats
Tamil Nadu - 18 seats
Goa - 1 seat

If strict maths were used, some small states may get 0 seats.

So India follows:
👉 “rough proportional representation”

Meaning:
Big states get more seats, but small states are also protected.

These seat numbers are written in:
📖 Fourth Schedule of the Constitution

And Parliament can change them whenever:
• new states are created
• reorganisation happens

Simple understanding:

Lok Sabha :- more mathematical/population based
Rajya Sabha :- population + federal balance

#UPSC #IndianPolity #UpscPrelims2026

1. In a hung Assembly, the Gov can ask parties to show support letters or alliances - but the actual majority test happens only on the floor of the House under Article 164.

2. SC judgments like S.R. Bommai case, recent Maharashtra political crisis case 2022 established that a government’s majority must be tested through a floor test , not through subjective satisfaction of the Governor.

3. Raj Bhavan is NOT the place where majority is finally decided. The Legislative Assembly is.

4. However, governors do have discretionary powers when no party gets a clear majority - especially in deciding whom to invite first to form government.

5. The controversy here is about the deadline. Critics argue that asking a party to “prove majority tonight” bypasses normal constitutional convention.

6. Constitutional convention usually works like this:
Claim > Invitation to form govt > Swearing-in > Floor Test within few days.

7. This episode again raises the larger federalism debate:

Should Governors have such wide discretionary powers in government formation ??

#TVKVijay‌ #IndianPolity #UPSC #tamilnadulegislativeassemblyelection2026

💥A powerful essay by one of my students under our “Mains & Essay Initiative” on the topic :-

“What is religion to one may be superstition to another.”

👉Essay writing is not about vocabulary. It is about perspective, balance, depth, and intellectual maturity.

Sharing this outstanding effort. 👇👇👇

#UPSC