Rajya Sabha - Continued (Chairman and Deputy Chairman)

 Rajya Sabha - Continued (Chairman and Deputy Chairman)

> Even though the Vice President is not a member of the house, they preside over the Rajya Sabha.

> When the Chairman is absent from the house, Rajya Sabha members elect a Deputy Chairman to preside.

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> If both the Chairman and Deputy Chairman are absent from the house, the 'Panel of Chairmen' (group of chairpersons) announced by the Chairman will preside.

* If none of the above are present, the person elected by the house at that time will preside.

> The minimum number of members required to conduct Rajya Sabha meetings, known as 'quorum', is 1/10th of the total number of members.

> Article 100 -  Explains about the 'quorum'.

> To be recognized as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, a political party must secure 1/10th of the total members of the house.

> First recognized Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha:

    - Kamalapati Tripathi (1971) - Congress

> First Chairman of Rajya Sabha:

    - Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

> First Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha:

    - V. Krishnamoorthy

> Current Chairman of Rajya Sabha:

    - Hamid Ansari (Jammu & Kashmir)

> Current Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha:

    - Rahman Khan (Karnataka)

> Current Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha:

    - Dr. Manmohan Singh

> Leader of Opposition:

    - Arun Jaitley

> The term of office for the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman is not fixed constitutionally but lasts as long as they continue to be a member of the Rajya Sabha, i.e., until the end of their term (up to 6 years).

> 1) When removing the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Deputy Chairman from their positions, a notice of removal resolution must be given to the presiding officer 14 days in advance.

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