Parliament & State Assembly Working

1

Structure of Indian Parliament

India has a bicameral Parliament — two houses. Parliament, along with the President of India, forms the Union Legislature under Article 79.

Feature	Lok Sabha (Lower House)	Rajya Sabha (Upper House)
Members	543 elected + 2 nominated (Anglo-Indian — discontinued)	245 (233 elected + 12 nominated by President)
Election	Direct election by voters	Indirect — elected by State Legislative Assemblies
Term	5 years (can be dissolved early)	Permanent house; 1/3 retire every 2 years
Speaker	Om Birla (18th Lok Sabha)	Chairman = VP of India (Jagdeep Dhankhar)

📌 Tamil Nadu in Parliament

Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha seats
Tamil Nadu has 18 Rajya Sabha seats
TVK contested and won no Lok Sabha seats in 2024 (TVK did not contest 2024 Lok Sabha)
DMK alliance dominates TN's Parliamentary representation

2

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (TNLA) is a unicameral legislature with 234 elected members. Tamil Nadu's Council (Upper House) was abolished in 1986. The 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–2031) is currently in session with TVK holding 108 seats.

Feature	Details
Total Seats	234 elected + 1 Anglo-Indian (now abolished) = 234
Term	5 years (2026–2031)
Chief Minister	C. Joseph Vijay (TVK) — 13th CM
Speaker	J.C.D. Prabhakar (TVK, Thousand Lights)
Majority Mark	118 of 234 (228 seats currently filled; 6 vacant pending by-elections)
Opposition Leader	Edappadi K. Palaniswami (AIADMK)

3

How a Law is Made

A Bill must pass through several stages before becoming an Act. Understanding this process is essential for any MLA or politician.

📌 Stages of a Bill

1st Reading — Bill is introduced; title and objectives read out; no debate
2nd Reading — General discussion; clause-by-clause consideration; amendments moved
Committee Stage — Referred to Select Committee or Joint Committee for detailed scrutiny
3rd Reading — Final vote; bill passed or rejected as a whole
Other House — Same process repeated
Presidential/Governor Assent — Bill becomes an Act

4

No-Confidence Motion & Floor Test

A No-Confidence Motion (NCM) can be moved in the Lok Sabha or State Assembly to test whether a government has majority support. Under Article 75(3) (for Centre) and Article 164(2) (for States), the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Legislature.

📌 TVK's Floor Test — May 2026

CM Vijay won the floor test on 13 May 2026
Result: 144 in favour, 22 against, 5 abstentions
Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar presided
Proved majority after opposition demanded the test
Government needed 116 votes — got 144

For a No-Confidence Motion to be admitted, at least 50 MPs (in Lok Sabha) or prescribed minimum MLAs must support it. If the government loses, the PM/CM must resign.

5

Question Hour, Zero Hour & Privileges

Feature	Details
Question Hour	First hour of every sitting; members question ministers; 4 types: Starred, Unstarred, Short Notice, Private Member
Zero Hour	Immediately after Question Hour; members raise urgent matters without prior notice
Privilege Motion	Moved when a member's rights are breached or the House is insulted
Calling Attention Motion	Member calls minister's attention to urgent public matter
Adjournment Motion	To discuss urgent definite matter of public importance

📌 MLA Privileges

Freedom of speech in the Assembly — cannot be sued for what is said in House
Cannot be arrested during session (civil cases only)
Right to vote on all matters before the House
Right to ask questions to ministers