TheState Legislative Assembly,orVidhana Sabha,[1]is a legislative body in each of the states and certain union territories ofIndia.In22 statesand 3union territories,there is aunicameral legislaturewhich is the sole legislative body. In 6 states, the legislative assembly is thelower houseof theirbicameral legislaturewith theupper housebeing theState Legislative Council.5 union territories are governed directly by theUnion Government of Indiaand have no legislative body.
EachMember of the Legislative Assembly(MLA) is directly elected to serve 5-year terms bysingle-member constituencies.TheConstitution of Indiastates that a State Legislative Assembly must have no less than 60 and no more than 500 members however an exception may be granted via anActofParliamentas is the case in the states ofGoa,Sikkim,Mizoramand the union territory ofPuducherrywhich have fewer than 60 members. A State Legislative Assembly may bedissolvedin astate of emergency,by theGovernoron request of theChief Minister,or if amotion of no confidenceis passed against the ruling majority party or coalition.[2]
Member of Legislative Assembly
editTo become a member of a State Legislative Assembly, they must have their name in the voters' list of the state for which they are contesting an election. They may not be aMember of Parliamentand Member of the State Legislative Council at the same time. They should also state that there is nocriminal proceduresagainst him or her. A State Legislative Assembly holds equal legislative power with theupper houseof the state legislature, the State Legislative Council, except in the area ofdissolutionofstate governmentand passing ofmoney bills,in which case the State Legislative Assembly has the ultimate authority.
Powers of legislative assemblies are given down below:
- Amotion of no confidenceagainst the government in the state can only be introduced in the State Legislative Assembly. If it is passed by a majority vote, then theChief Ministerand her/hisCouncil of Ministersmustcollectivelyresign.
- Amoney billcan only be introduced in State Legislative Assembly. In bicameral jurisdictions, after it is passed in the State Legislative Assembly, it is sent to theState Legislative Council,where it can be kept for a maximum time of 14 days.
- In matters related to ordinary bills, the will of the State Legislative Assembly prevails and there is no provision ofjoint sitting.In such cases, State Legislative Council can delay the legislation by a maximum of 4 months (3 months in the first visit and 1 month in the second visit of the bill).
- Legislative Assembly of the state has the power to create or abolish the State Legislative Council by passing a resolution to that effect by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting.[3]
Current State Legislative Assemblies
editState Legislative Assemblies by ruling parties
editTheBharatiya Janata PartyledNational Democratic Allianceis in power in 20 legislative assemblies; theIndian National Developmental Inclusive Allianceis in power in 9 legislative assemblies; 1 legislative assemblies are ruled by other parties/alliances; and 5 union territories do not have a legislative assembly. The Union territory ofJammu and Kashmirhas not had elections to form a government andPresident's rulehas been imposed there.
Former State Legislative Assemblies
edit| Assembly | Seat | Period active | Abolished by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajmer Legislative Assembly | Ajmer | 1950–1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956. |
| Bombay Legislative Assembly | Bombay | 1950–1960 | Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960. |
| Bhopal Legislative Assembly | Bhopal | 1949–1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956. |
| Coorg Legislative Assembly | Mercara | 1950–1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956. |
| East Punjab Legislative Assembly | Chandigarh | 1947–1966 | Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966. |
| Hyderabad Legislative Assembly | Hyderabad | 1952–1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956. |
| PEPSU Legislative Assembly | Patiala | 1950–1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956. |
| Madhya Bharat Legislative Assembly | Indore Gwalior |
1948–1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956. |
| Madras Legislative Assembly | Madras | 1947–1969 | . |
| Saurashtra Legislative Assembly | Rajkot | 1948–1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956. |
| Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly | Trivandrum | 1949–1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956. |
| Vindhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly | Rewa | 1948–1956 | States Reorganisation Act, 1956. |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Vidhan_Sabha".Collins English Dictionary.HarperCollins Publishers.2014.
- ^"State Legislative Assemblies"(PDF).www.india.gov.in.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 25 April 2018.Retrieved12 December2018.
- ^"Explainer: Why Jagan Reddy wants to abolish the legislative council in Andhra Pradesh".The Week.
- ^"Terms of the Houses".Election Commission of India.Retrieved28 August2022.
- ^"Explained: The 38 parties in the NDA fold".The Indian Express.19 July 2023.Retrieved25 July2023.
- ^Ghosh, Sanchari (19 July 2023)."INDIA from UPA: Opposition's push for a new name explained".mint.Retrieved25 July2023.
External links
edit- Legislative Bodies in Indiawebsite
- Laws of Indiawebsite to download laws made by different states