UPPCS Pre Revision #2 : UP Legislature | Oracle IAS

UPPSC consistently asks factual, numerical, and historical questions regarding the strength, composition, constitutional machinery, presiding officers, and committees of the UP State Legislature.

This document covers all constitutional provisions, historical milestones, memory tricks, and high-yield facts to help you score full marks in UP-specific polity questions.

UP Legislature at a Glance

Feature / Institution	Key Facts & Historical Details
System	Bicameral Legislature (Articles 168–212)
Lower House	Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha)
Upper House	Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad)
Assembly Strength	403 directly elected seats
Council Strength	100 seats
Assembly Term	5 years (unless dissolved earlier)
Council Term	Permanent House (1/3rd members retire every 2 years; 6-year individual term)
First Assembly Meeting	29 July 1937
First Council Meeting	8 January 1887 (Thornhill Memorial Hall, Allahabad)
First Assembly Speaker after independence	Purushottam Das Tandon
First Post-Independence Council Chairman	Chandra Bhal
Current Assembly Speaker	Satish Mahana (18th Assembly)
Current Council Chairman	Kunwar Manvendra Singh

1. Why Does Uttar Pradesh Have a Bicameral Legislature?

Under Article 168 of the Constitution of India, states can have either a unicameral or bicameral legislature. Uttar Pradesh is one of the few states in India with a bicameral legislature, comprising:

Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha): The directly elected, popular Lower House.
Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad): The indirectly elected, permanent Upper House.

Constitutional provisions regarding the organization, composition, duration, officers, and procedures of state legislatures are detailed under Articles 168 to 212 in Part VI of the Constitution.

2. Historical Evolution of the UP Legislature

Understanding the pre-independence milestones is essential for UP-specific history and polity questions:

1887 (8 January): The first meeting of the Legislative Council of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh took place at Thornhill Memorial Hall, Allahabad. It initially consisted of just 9 members with a 2-year term.
1919 (Government of India Act): Elections were introduced for the Legislative Council.
1935 (Government of India Act): Created a bicameral legislature for the United Provinces (UP).
1937 (29 July): The Legislative Assembly met for the first time, marking the official start of UP’s modern bicameral legislature.

3. UP Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha)

Key Historical & Presiding Officer Facts

First Speaker: Purushottam Das Tandon (assumed office in 1937).
First Deputy Speaker: Abdul Hakim.
Longest Continuous Tenure as Speaker: Purushottam Das Tandon.
Speakers Elected for Three Terms:
- Atmaram Govind Kher (1952–57, 1957–62, 1969–74)
- Keshari Nath Tripathi (1991–93, 1997–2002, 2002–04)
Current Speaker: Satish Mahana (Elected on 29 March 2022 for the 18th Assembly).

UPPCS Prelims Trap:
Longest continuous tenure: Purushottam Das Tandon
Served three separate terms: Atmaram Govind Kher and Keshari Nath Tripathi

Assembly Pro-tem Speakers (Recent Trend)

The Pro-tem Speaker is appointed by the Governor to administer oaths to newly elected MLAs and conduct the Speaker’s election.

Assembly Election	Pro-tem Speaker
2007 (15th Assembly)	Shyamdeo Rai Choudhury
2017 (17th Assembly)	Fateh Bahadur
2022 (18th Assembly)	Ramapati Shastri

Historical Changes in Assembly Strength

Memorize this sequence to easily recall the evolution of seat capacity:

\mathbf{430} \longrightarrow \mathbf{425} \longrightarrow \mathbf{403}

1952: 430 seats
1967: Reduced to 425 seats
2002 (Post-Uttarakhand Reorganisation): Reduced to 403 seats

What Happened to the Anglo-Indian Seat?

Under Article 333, the Governor could nominate 1 Anglo-Indian member if underrepresented (making total seats $403 + 1 = 404$ ).
The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 ended the provision for Anglo-Indian nominations in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies (effective 25 January 2020).
Last Nominated Anglo-Indian Member in UP: Dr. Denzil John Godeen (17th Assembly).

4. UP Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad)

The Legislative Council is the permanent Upper House of Uttar Pradesh. It cannot be dissolved.

Individual Term: 6 years.
Rotation: One-third ( $1/3^{\text{rd}}$ ) of its members retire every 2 years.
Constitutional Limits (Article 171):
- Maximum: $1/3^{\text{rd}}$ of total Assembly strength ( $\approx 134$ ).
- Minimum: 40 members.
- UP Legislative Council Strength: 100 seats (largest in India).

Seat Strength Historical Evolution

\mathbf{72} \longrightarrow \mathbf{108} \longrightarrow \mathbf{100}

1950: 72 members
1958: Expanded to 108 members
2000 (Post-Uttarakhand Reorganisation): Re-fixed at 100 members

Composition & Election Breakdown of the 100 Seats

Category / Electorate	Seats	Electoral Process / Authority
Local Authorities	36	Elected by members of Municipalities, Zila Panchayats, etc.
MLAs	38	Elected by members of the UP Legislative Assembly
Graduates	8	Elected by registered graduates residing in the constituency
Teachers	8	Elected by secondary/higher education teachers
Governor Nominees	10	Nominated for expertise in Literature, Science, Art, Co-operative Movement, or Social Service
Total	100	Formula: $36 + 38 + 8 + 8 + 10 = 100$

Council Chairmen: Critical Historical Distinction

First Presiding Officer (1937 Period): Sir Sitaram (Presided from 1925 to 1949).
First Post-Independence Chairman: Chandra Bhal (Served 1949–1958).
First Post-Independence Deputy Chairman: Nizamuddin (1952–1958).
Current Chairman: Kunwar Manvendra Singh.

5. Comparative Quick Reference: Assembly vs. Council

Feature	Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha)	Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad)
Type of House	Lower / Directly Elected	Upper / Indirectly Elected
Continuity	Subject to dissolution (5-year term)	Permanent House (No dissolution)
Current Seats	403	100
Minimum Age	25 years	30 years
Presiding Officer	Speaker / Deputy Speaker	Chairman / Deputy Chairman
Money Bills	Exclusive authority; final decision	Advisory role only (max delay: 14 days)
Ordinary Bills	Can override Council objections	Can delay up to 4 months total (3m + 1m)
Executive Accountability	Council of Ministers is collectively responsible	No direct executive accountability

6. Key Committees of the UP Legislature

Legislative committees conduct detailed oversight over policy implementation, budgets, and public finances:

Public Accounts Committee (PAC): Audits public accounts, government expenses, and CAG reports.
Estimates Committee: Examines expenditure projections and suggests measures for administrative efficiency and economy.
Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU): Monitors performance and financial integrity of state public sector units (PSUs).
Business Advisory Committee: Allocates floor time for legislative bills and discussions.
Rules Committee: Reviews and frames the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House.
Committee of Privileges: Investigates breaches of legislative privileges and immunity of members.

7. Crucial Constitutional Articles for UPPCS

Article	Subject Matter
168	Constitution of Legislatures in States
169	Abolition or creation of Legislative Councils in States
170	Composition of Legislative Assemblies
171	Composition of Legislative Councils
172	Duration of State Legislatures
173	Qualifications for membership of State Legislature
174	Sessions, prorogation, and dissolution of State Legislature
178	Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
182	Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council
191	Disqualifications for membership
194	Powers, privileges, and immunities of State Legislatures
202	Annual Financial Statement (State Budget)

Contact:

Call/WhatsApp 9997453844 for details

Hemant Bhatt

Chief Mentor at Oracle IAS

Hemant Bhatt is a B. Tech from Pantnagar University and has studied Social Sciences at SciencesPo, Paris. He teaches at Oracle IAS, Dehradun. He has given 5 UPSC mains back to back along with 2 interviews.
He is a bibliophile,accomplished writer and a fitness enthusiast.