In all democratic countries, an assembly of elected representatives exercises supreme political authority on behalf of the people. In India, such a national assembly of elected representatives is called the Parliament. At the state level, this is called the legislature or the legislative assembly.
The Parliament is the final authority for making laws in any country. It can also change existing laws, or abolish existing laws and make new ones in their place. The Parliament exercises control over those who run the government. No decision can be taken without the support of the Parliament. It also controls the money matters. The Parliament is the highest forum of discussion and debate on public issues and national policy in any country. It can seek information about any matter.
The Parliament is divided into two houses known as the House of People (Lok Sabha) and the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).
The House of People (Lok Sabha): It is directly elected by the people and exerises the real executive power on behalf of the people. The maximum strength of the house is 552 of which 530 members are elected from the states and 20 members from the union territories. Two members are nominated by the President of India from the Anglo-Indian Community. The present membership of Lok Sabha is 545.
The Council of States (Rajya Sabha): It is usually elected indirectly and performs some special functions. The most common work for the second House is to look after the interests of various states, regions or federal units. It has not more than 250 members. Twelve of the Rajya Sabha members are nominated by the President from the persons who have earned distinction in the fields of literature, art, science and social services. Rajya Sabha is a permanent body. It is not subject to dissolution but one-third of its members retire every two years. There are at present 245 members in Rajya Sabha, distributed among different states and union territories.