🏛️ State Legislature — Vidhan Sabha & Parishad

Bicameral Legislature of UP

Uttar Pradesh has a bicameral legislature — meaning it has two houses. UP is one of only 6 states in India with a bicameral system. The other five are Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

The two houses of the UP Legislature are:

1. Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) — the lower and more powerful house.
2. Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) — the upper house.

The legislature functions under the provisions of Articles 168-212 of the Indian Constitution.

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Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly)

The UP Vidhan Sabha is the largest state legislative assembly in India by number of seats.

Feature	Detail
Total seats	403 elected members
Election method	Direct election by adult franchise from single-member constituencies
Term	5 years (unless dissolved earlier)
Minimum age	25 years
Presiding officer	Speaker (Adhyaksha)

Reserved Seats

Reserved-seat counts can change with delimitation or readjustment orders, so students should remember the pattern more firmly than one frozen number:

Category	Seats
Scheduled Castes (SC)	A substantial block of Assembly seats is reserved for SC constituencies
Scheduled Tribes (ST)	ST reservation in UP Assembly representation has historically been very limited
General / Unreserved	Remaining seats

Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha

The Speaker is elected by the MLAs from among themselves. Key powers include:

• Presiding over sessions and maintaining order.
• Deciding on anti-defection matters (Tenth Schedule).
• Casting a deciding vote in case of a tie.
• Certifying a Bill as a Money Bill.

Exam Tip: The Speaker does not vote in the first instance — only when there is a tie. This is called the Speaker's casting vote.

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Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council)

The UP Vidhan Parishad is one of the oldest legislative councils in India and its roots go back to the colonial period. For exam purposes, the safest memory point is that UP has had a council tradition for a very long time and retained it after independence.

Feature	Detail
Total members	100 MLCs
Term	6 years (1/3 retire every 2 years)
Minimum age	30 years
Presiding officer	Chairman (Sabhadhipati)

Composition of the Vidhan Parishad

The 100 members are elected/nominated from five categories:

Category	Number	Elected By
MLAs	1/3 (≈34)	Members of Vidhan Sabha
Local Bodies	1/3 (≈34)	Municipal corporations, district boards, etc.
Teachers	1/12 (≈8)	Teachers of secondary schools and above
Graduates	1/12 (≈8)	Graduates of 3+ years standing
Governor's nominees	1/6 (≈16)	Nominated by Governor — persons with expertise in literature, science, art, cooperative movement, social service

Exam Tip: The Vidhan Parishad is a permanent house — it is never dissolved. Only 1/3 of its members retire every 2 years.

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Legislative Process

Ordinary Bill

1. A Bill can be introduced in either house.
2. It passes through three readings: Introduction, Committee/Discussion, and Voting.
3. After passing one house, it goes to the other house.
4. If the Vidhan Parishad rejects or delays an Ordinary Bill, the Vidhan Sabha can pass it again. In effect, the Parishad can delay such a Bill for a maximum of about 4 months in total, but it cannot permanently block it.

Money Bill

• Can be introduced only in the Vidhan Sabha.
• The Parishad can delay it for a maximum of 14 days.
• The Speaker certifies whether a Bill is a Money Bill — this decision is final.

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Key Sessions

Session	Typical Period	Purpose
Budget Session	February-March	Presentation and passing of state budget
Monsoon Session	July-August	Legislative business
Winter Session	November-December	Legislative business

• The Question Hour is the first hour of each sitting day when MLAs pose questions to ministers — a critical accountability mechanism.
• Zero Hour begins immediately after Question Hour and allows raising urgent matters without prior notice.

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Comparison: Vidhan Sabha vs Vidhan Parishad

Parameter	Vidhan Sabha	Vidhan Parishad
Members	403	100
Election	Direct	Indirect/Nominated
Term	5 years (dissolvable)	6 years (permanent)
Presiding Officer	Speaker	Chairman
Money Bill power	Full	Can delay 14 days only
Ordinary Bill	Final authority	Can delay 4 months
Min. age	25	30

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Comparison with Parliament

Feature	Lok Sabha (Centre)	Vidhan Sabha (UP)
Total seats	543	403
Term	5 years	5 years
Upper House	Rajya Sabha (250)	Vidhan Parishad (100)
Upper House creation	Constitutional	Article 169 — can be created or abolished by Parliament

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Historical Note

The United Provinces Legislative Council existed during British rule. After independence, UP retained the bicameral system. Several states have attempted to create or abolish their Legislative Councils over the years, but UP has continued with its Parishad structure.

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Summary Cheat Sheet

Exam Fact	Answer
UP Legislature type	Bicameral
Vidhan Sabha seats	403
Vidhan Parishad members	100
Vidhan Sabha status	Largest state assembly in India by seats
Parishad delay for Money Bill	14 days
Parishad delay for Ordinary Bill	4 months
Parishad member term	6 years
Sabha minimum age	25 years
Parishad minimum age	30 years
States with bicameral legislature	6 (UP, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, AP, Telangana)