| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
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 Logo of The Lok Sabha | |
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| Parliament of India | |
| Style |
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| Type | Member of Parliament |
| Status | Active |
| Abbreviation | MP |
| Member of | Lok Sabha |
| Reports to | Speaker of the Lok Sabha |
| Seat | Parliament of India |
| Appointer | Elect by Citizens of respective Constituencies in India |
| Term length | 5 years; renewable |
| Constituting instrument | Article 81 ofConstitution of India |
| Precursor | Constituent Assembly of India |
| Formation | 26 January 1950 (75 years ago) (1950-01-26) |
| First holder | 1st Lok Sabha |
| Salary | ₹124,000 (US$1,500) (incl. allowances) per month[1] |
| Website | sansad |
AMember of Parliament in the Lok Sabha (abbreviated:MP) is the representative of a legislative constituency in theLok Sabha; the lower house of theParliament of India. Members of parliament of Lok Sabha are chosen by directelections on the basis of theadult suffrage. The maximum permitted strength of members of parliament in the Lok Sabha is 550. This includes the maximum 530 members to represent the constituencies andstates and up to 20 members to represent theunion territories (both chosen bydirect elections). Between 1952 and January 25, 2020, two seats were reserved for members of theAnglo-Indian community. The current elected strength of the Lok Sabha is 543. The party—or coalition of parties—having a majority in the Lok Sabha chooses thePrime Minister of India.[2][3][4]
All Members of Lok Sabha rank 21st in theOrder of Precedence of India.[5]
The first instance of member of parliament equivalent in India dates back to 9 December 1946, the dayConstituent Assembly of India was formed with the purpose of drafting aconstitution for India. As opposed to be elected on the basis ofadult suffrage, the Constituent Assembly of India consisted of indirectly elected representatives and were not categorised betweenRajya Sabha andLok Sabha.Muslims andSikhs were given special representation asminorities. The Constituent Assembly of India took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days to draft the constitution forindependent India and was dissolved in 1949.[6]
On 26 January 1950, theIndian constitution came into force and thefirst general elections (under the new constitution) were held in 1951–1952.[7] The1st Lok Sabha was constituted on 17 April 1952 and had 489constituencies, thereby first set of elected members of parliament ofLok Sabha in India.[8][9]
A person must satisfy all following conditions to be qualified to become a member of parliament of the Lok Sabha;
A person would be ineligible for being a Member of the Lok Sabha if the person;
The term of a member of parliament of Lok Sabha is five years from the date appointment for its first meeting. During astate of emergency, the term however can be extended by theParliament of India by law for a period not exceeding one year at a time. After the state of emergency ends, the extension cannot exceed beyond a period of six months.[12]
Broad responsibilities of the members of parliament of Lok Sabha are;
India paid₹176crore (equivalent to₹266 crore or US$31 million in 2023) to its 543 Lok Sabha members in salaries and expenses over 2015, or just over₹2.7lakh (equivalent to₹4.1 lakh or US$4,800 in 2023) per month per member of parliament in including pensions to dependents of ex MPs .[13] The Salary, allowances and pension of Member of the Lok Sabha is governed by the Members of Parliament Act, 1954. The act is in pursuance to the constitutional provisions where article 106 of theConstitution of India provides that the members of either House of Parliament shall be entitled to receive such salaries and allowances as may from time to time be determined byParliament by law.
The rules governing salaries, allowances and facilities such as medical, housing, telephone facilities, daily allowance etc... is looked after by a joint committee of both the houses (Lok Sabha and theRajya Sabha). The committee is constituted from time to time after consultation with the Government of India.[1]
Article 81 of theConstitution of India 1949 has specified maximum strength of members of parliament in the Lok Sabha to be 552. The number of members of parliament is distributed among theStates in such a way that the ratio between the number of seats allotted to each State and the population of the State is, so far as practicable, the same for all States.[14] Out of the maximum permitted strength,
"Strength of Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha as defined in Article 81 of the Constitution of India",
- (1) Subject to the provisions of article 331, the House of the People shall consist of
- (a) not more than 530 (five hundred and thirty members) chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the States, and
- (b) not more than 20 (twenty members) to represent the Union territories, chosen in such manner as Parliament may by law provide.
- (2) For the purposes of sub-clause (a) of clause (1),
- (a) there shall be allotted to each State a number of seats in the House of the People in such manner that the ratio between that number and the population of the State is, so far as practicable, the same for all States; and
- (b) each State shall be divided into territorial constituencies in such manner that the ratio between the population of each constituency and the number of seats allotted to it is, so far as practicable, the same throughout the State:
- (Provided that the provisions of sub-clause (a) of this clause shall not be applicable for the purpose of allotment of seats in the House of the People to any State so long as the population of that State does not exceed six millions.)
- (3) In this article, the expression "population" means the population as ascertained at the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published:
- (Provided that the reference in this clause to the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published shall, until the relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2016 have been published).
- (i) for the purposes of sub-clause (a) of clause (2) and the proviso to that clause, as a reference to the 1971 census; and
- (ii) for the purposes of sub-clause (b) of clause (2) as a reference to the 2001 census.
— Ministry of Law and Justice,Constitution of India (Part V—The Union.—Article 81.)[15]
Members of the lower house of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) were elected in theIndian general election, 2024 held in April–June 2024. The total strength of the18th Lok Sabha is 544, against the then-approved strength of 552.[16]
The following is a list of the number of constituencies in the Lok Sabha in each election year, beginning in 1951. The numbersdo not include two seats from theAnglo-Indian community, to which individuals were nominated by the President of India.
| # | Lok Sabha | Date | Constituencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1st Lok Sabha | Apr 1951 | 489 |
| 2 | 2nd Lok Sabha | Apr 1957 | 494 |
| 3 | 3rd Lok Sabha | Apr 1962 | 494 |
| 4 | 4th Lok Sabha | Mar 1967 | 520 |
| 5 | 5th Lok Sabha | Mar 1971 | 518 |
| 6 | 6th Lok Sabha | Mar 1977 | 542 |
| 7 | 7th Lok Sabha | Jan 1980 | 542 |
| 8 | 8th Lok Sabha | Dec 1984 | 541 |
| 9 | 9th Lok Sabha | Dec 1989 | 529 |
| 10 | 10th Lok Sabha | Jun 1991 | 534 |
| 11 | 11th Lok Sabha | May 1996 | 543 |
| 12 | 12th Lok Sabha | Mar 1998 | 543 |
| 13 | 13th Lok Sabha | Oct 1999 | 543 |
| 14 | 14th Lok Sabha | May 2004 | 543 |
| 15 | 15th Lok Sabha | May 2009 | 543 |
| 16 | 16th Lok Sabha | May 2014 | 543 |
| 17 | 17th Lok Sabha | May 2019 | 543 |
| 18 | 18th Lok Sabha | June 2024 | 543 |
In January 2020, the Anglo-Indian reserved seats in the Parliament andState Legislatures of India was discontinued by the 126th Constitutional Amendment Bill of 2019, when enacted as104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019.[17][18] As a result, the maximum permitted strength of the Lok Sabha was reduced from 552 to 550.
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