Keep the standards of conduct: Venkaiah Naidu tells MPs

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu requested the Upper House's members to set high standards of conduct inside the House, living up to the expectations of the founding fathers, IANS reported.

The Vice-President of India said, "This day in the year 1952, the Rajya Sabha (RS) held its first session. Ever since, it has been playing a monumental role in strengthening parliamentary democracy."

Addressing the day commemorating the RS's first session, he greeted the valued members as well as staff of the RS's Secretariat. The RS, constitutionally the Council of States, is the Upper House of the bicameral Parliament of India.

The maximum membership of the House is 245 as of 2021. Out of that, 233 are elected by legislatures of the states and Union Territories, which is done using single transferrable votes through open ballots. The rest 12 will be appointed by the President for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social services.

Elected members will have a term of six years, and a third of 233 members will be replaced every two years. The House meets in continuous sessions and is not subjected to dissolution, which can happen in Lok Sabha (LS), the Lower House of the Parliament. But, like the LS, RS can also be prorogued by the President.