India
Council of States
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Data on women
Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.
Current representation
Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber
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Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
240
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Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
View field in the data dictionary -
39
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Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
16.3%
Speaker
No information available
Secretary general
No information available
Chairs of specialized bodies
| Specialized body | Theme | Name | Sex | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empowerment of Women Committee | Gender equality | Dr. Heena Vijaykumar Gavit | Female | 36 |
Data on age at the start of the legislature
Number of members, by age (2024-06)
| 18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 66 | 68 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 205 |
| Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 |
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 25 | 74 | 77 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 239 |
| Total <= 45: 18 | Total >= 46: 221 | ||||||||||
| Age at the last election or renewal | Overall | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| 1.3% | 1% | 0.0% | |
| 7.5% | 5% | 2.1% |
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38(2024-06)
Reserved seats and quotas
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There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
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No
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Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament
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No
Sources: Article 80 of the Constitution of India, which deals with the composition of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), provides for the nomination of 12 members by the President.
First woman in parliament
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Year of first woman in parliament
Year in which the first woman entered parliament
View field in the data dictionary -
1952
Notes: 1952 elections had one combined response
First woman speaker
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Year of first woman speaker
Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
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2009
Women’s suffrage
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Date of independence
For countries that become independent after 1940.
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1947
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1937
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
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Restricted
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Detail of restrictions
Suffrage: Restrictions detail
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literacy, income and tax payer
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1950
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Universal
Notes: Prior to independence, under British administration, the Government of India Act (adopted in 1935, entered into force in 1937) accorded women with the right to vote. These rights were maintained after 1947 when India became an "Independent Dominion".
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Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1950
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Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
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Universal
Notes: Prior to independence in 1947, under British administration, the Government of India Act (adopted in 1935, entered into force in 1937) accorded women with the right to vote. These rights were maintained after 1947 when India became an "Independent Dominion".
Women's caucus
Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.
There is currently no women's caucus in this chamber.