The Parliament of India is the legislative body in the federal government of the Republic of India. The Parliament of India, like many legislative bodies, is a bicameral institution, meaning that it is made up of two houses, or Chambers. The upper Chamber of the Indian Parliament is the Council of States, which is called the Rajya Sabha.
The lower Chamber of the Indian Parliament is the House of People, which is also known as the Lok Sabha. Members of the Parliament of India are elected differently depending upon to which Chamber they are being elected. Members who are being elected into the Rajya Sabha are elected via a proportional voting system by the State Legislative Assemblies.
Members who are being elected to the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament are elected via direct election of the people of India. The House of People of the Parliament of India currently holds 545 members, with 530 as representatives of Constituencies in the States, and 15 representing Union Territories.
Members of this lower house of the Indian Parliament hold office for five years before they are elected again via general election. The lower house of the Indian Parliament uses a proportional system, such that every state of India gets a number of representatives appropriate to its population.
The upper house of the Parliament of India holds 250 members, who are set up in terms of six years. The members of the upper house of the Indian Parliament have their terms staggered, so that they do not all leave office at the same time.