A Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha (
abbreviated: MP) is the representative of a legislative constituency in the
Lok Sabha; the lower house of the
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...
. Members of parliament of Lok Sabha are chosen by direct
elections on the basis of the
adult 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 and
states and up to 20 members to represent the
union territories (both chosen by
direct elections). Between 1952 and January 25, 2020, two seats were reserved for members of the
Anglo-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 the
Prime Minister of India.
History
The first instance of member of parliament equivalent in India dates back to 9 December 1946, the day
Constituent Assembly of India was formed with the purpose of drafting a
constitution for India. As opposed to be elected on the basis of
adult suffrage, the Constituent Assembly of India consisted of indirectly elected representatives and were not categorised between
Rajya Sabha and
Lok Sabha.
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
s and
Sikhs were given special representation as
minorities. The Constituent Assembly of India took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days to draft the constitution for
independent India and was dissolved in 1949.
On 26 January 1950, the
Indian constitution came into force and the
first general elections (under the new constitution) were held in 1951–1952.
The
1st Lok Sabha was constituted on 17 April 1952 and had 489
constituencies, thereby first set of elected members of parliament of
Lok Sabha in India.
Eligibility criteria
A person must satisfy all following conditions to be qualified to become a member of parliament of the Lok Sabha;
* Must be a citizen of India.
* Must not be less than 25 years of age.
* Must be a sound person
* Must not be proclaimed criminal.
* Must be a voter for any
constituency in India.
* Candidate of a recognised
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
needs one proposer from their constituency for their nomination.
* Must not be in debt and should have the ability to meet his financial commitments.
* Must not hold any office of profit under the government.
* Candidates are required to make a security deposit of .
Disqualification grounds
A person would be ineligible for being a Member of the Lok Sabha if the person;
* Holds any office of profit under the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
(other than an office permitted by Parliament of India by law).
* Is of unsound mind.
* Is an
insolvent.
* Has ceased to be a
citizen of India.
* Is so disqualified by any law made by the Indian parliament.
* Is so disqualified on the ground of
defection.
* Has been
convicted, among other things, for promoting enmity between different groups.
* Has been convicted for offence of
bribery
Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or Offer and acceptance, acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official ...
.
* Has been punished for preaching and practising social crimes such as
untouchability,
dowry, or
sati.
* Has been convicted for an offence and sentenced to imprisonment of more than two years.
* Has been dismissed for corruption or for disloyalty to the state (in case of a government servant).
Term
The term of a member of parliament of Lok Sabha is five years from the date appointment for its first meeting. During a
state of emergency, the term however can be extended by the
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...
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.
Responsibilities of members of parliament
Broad responsibilities of the members of parliament of Lok Sabha are;
*
Legislative responsibility: To pass
Laws of India in the Lok Sabha.
*
Oversight responsibility: To ensure that the executive (i.e. government) performs its duties satisfactorily.
*Representative responsibility: To represent the views and aspirations of the people of their constituency in the Parliament of India (Lok Sabha).
*
Power of the purse responsibility: To approve and oversee the revenues and expenditures proposed by the government.
* The
Union Council of Ministers, who are also members of parliament have an additional responsibility of the executive as compared to those who are not in the Council of Ministers.
Salary, allowances and entitlements
India paid to its 543 Lok Sabha members in salaries and expenses over 2015, or just over per month per member of parliament in including pensions to dependents of ex MPs . 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 the
Constitution 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 by
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
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 the
Rajya Sabha). The committee is constituted from time to time after consultation with the Government of India.
Strength

Article 81 of the
Constitution 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 the
States 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.
Out of the maximum permitted strength,
*Not more than 530 members to be chosen by direct
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
from territorial constituencies in the Indian
states.
*Not more than 20 members to represent the
union territories, chosen in such manner as
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...
may by law provide.
*Total permitted maximum strength of 550 members.
Members of the Lok Sabha
Members of the lower house of the Indian Parliament (
Lok Sabha) were elected in the
Indian general election, 2024 held in April–June 2024. The total strength of the
18th Lok Sabha is 544, against the then-approved strength of 552.
Number of constituencies: 1951–2024
The following is a list of the number of constituencies in the Lok Sabha in each election year, beginning in 1951. The numbers do not include two seats from the
Anglo-Indian community, to which individuals were nominated by the President of India.
Anglo-Indian reservation
In January 2020, the Anglo-Indian reserved seats in the Parliament and
State Legislatures of India was discontinued by the 126th Constitutional Amendment Bill of 2019, when enacted as
104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019.
As a result, the maximum permitted strength of the Lok Sabha was reduced from 552 to 550.
See also
*
List of members of the 18th Lok Sabha
*
Constitution of India
*
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...
References
{{Parliament of India
Lok Sabha