RAS question
Rajya Sabha members serve for:
Correct answer: (C) 6 years.
Rajya Sabha members, whether elected or nominated, serve a six-year term, with roughly one-third of the House retiring every second year.
Explanation
Rajya Sabha membership is designed around continuity rather than a single fixed House term. The official Rajya Sabha Secretariat text states that the Rajya Sabha is not subject to dissolution, and that as nearly as possible one-third of its members retire at the end of every second year under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. It then states the core rule tested here: the term of office of a member, whether elected or nominated, is six years. This is why six years is the correct option. The two-year retirement cycle does not make the term two years; it only staggers retirements so that the permanent House is refreshed in parts.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Three years is not the term of a Rajya Sabha member; the official rule gives a six-year term, while one-third retire every second year.
- (B) Four years does not match the Rajya Sabha term stated by the official source, which fixes the term at six years for elected and nominated members.
- (D) Five years is associated with a full Lok Sabha-style electoral cycle, but the Rajya Sabha is not subject to dissolution and its members have a six-year term.
Concept
This tests the Parliament chapter of Indian Polity, especially the special status of the Rajya Sabha as a continuing House. It recurs in RAS because term, dissolution and staggered retirement are standard constitutional distinctions between the two Houses.