Under the Constitution, the Rajya Sabha has been vested with two special powers.

1. Under article 249, the Rajya Sabha may declare the resolution, passed by two-third majority of its members present and voting, that is necessary or expedient in the national interest that Parliament should make laws with respect to any matter enumerated in the State List.

2. (i) Rajya-Sabha is competent to create one or more All India Services if it passes a resolution by two-third majority.

(ii) Rajya-Sabha alone can initiate the proposal for removing the Vice-President.

Election of the Speaker: The Lok Sabha has a Speaker who presides over the sessions and conducts its proceedings. He is one of the members of the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha elects him in its first sitting. The man who gets the majority is elected as the Speaker of Lok Sabha. He has to conduct the business of the House impartially.

Powers of the Speaker —

1. To preside over the meeting of the Lok Sabha.

2. To grant permission for the introduction of the bills in the House.

3. To appoint the chair-person and other members of the select committees.

4. To protect the privileges of the members of the Lok Sabha.

5. To maintain discipline in the House.

6. To determine whether a bill is a money bill or not.

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Tenures of the Lok Sabha —

Lok Sabha                           Tenures

First Lok Sabha — 13th May 1952 to April 4,1957

Second Lok Sabha — 10th May 1957 to March 31, 1962

Third Lok Sabha — 16th April 1962 to March 3, 1967

Fourth Lok Sabha — 16th March 1967 to Dec. 27, 1970

Fifth Lok Sabha — 19th March 1971 to January 18, 1977

Sixth Lok Sabha — 25th March 1977 to Aug. 22, 1979

Seventh Lok Sabha — Jan. 21, 1980 to Dec. 31, 1984

Eighth Lok Sabha — Jan. 15, 1985 to Nov. 13,1991

Ninth Lok Sabha — Dec. 18, 1989 to March, 1991

Tenth Lok Sabha — July 9, 1991 to May 15, 1996

Eleventh Lok Sabha — May 22, 1996 to Dec. 1997

Twelfth Lok Sabha — March 23, 1998 to April 26, 1999.

Thirteenth Lok Sabha — Oct. 20, 1999 to Feb. 6, 2004.

Fourteenth Lok Sabha — May 2004 to May 2009

Fifteenth Lok Sabha — May 2009 to May 2014.

Sixteen Lok Sabha — May 2014 to Continue

The Parliament controls the executive in the following ways:

(i) The Prime Minister and the other ministers are taken from the Parliament and after becoming ministers, they remain the members of the Parliament. They participate in the meetings of the Parliament.

(ii) The ministers are responsible to the Parliament for their actions and policies.

(iii) The members of the Parliament can ask the ministers questions regarding the functioning of the administration. The ministers are to give a satisfactory reply to all these questions.

(iv) The members of the Parliament by introducing ‘Adjournment Motion’ can invite the attention of the Government to a serious problem or event.

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