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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Sep 17, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents
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Lok Sabha, the lower chamber of India’s bicameral parliament. Under the Indian constitution, its members are directly elected for a term of five years by territorial constituencies in the states and union territories of India. The Lok Sabha can have as many as 550 elected members, or representatives, who are elected directly by the people through universal adult suffrage. Of these 550 members, 530 represent the various Indian states, and 20 represent the union territories (UTs). In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections the Election Commission of India (ECI) is conducting elections for 543 seats.
The president of India, who is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of all elected members of parliament and of the state legislatures, is more a constitutional sovereign than a chief executive. The real power resides in the prime minister, who heads the Council of Ministers—ministers who are members of the cabinet and other ministers of state and deputy ministers. The council is responsible to the Lok Sabha. The upper chamber of parliament is the Rajya Sabha (“Council of States”).
