Nominated Members of Rajya Sabha

• Context (TH): On July 13, 2025, President Droupadi Murmu exercised her constitutional authority under Article 80(1)(a) and 80(3) of the Indian Constitution to nominate four eminent individuals to the Rajya Sabha.
• Newly Nominated Members (2025): Harsh Vardhan Shringla (ex-Foreign Secretary), Ujjwal Nikam (prosecutor), Dr. Meenakshi Jain (historian, Padma Shri), & C. Sadanandan Master (educationist).

About Nominated Members of Rajya Sabha

Constitutional Provisions for Rajya Sabha Nominations

• Article 80 of the Constitution:
  1. The Council of States shall consist of-
     • Twelve members to be nominated by the President and
     • Not more than two hundred and thirty-eight representatives of the States and of the UTs.
  2. Clause 3 of the article lays down the qualifications for the appointment.
• They are nominated by the President of India in the field of art, literature, science and social service.
• He should be a citizen of India above 30 years of age and possessing such other qualifications as may be prescribed by law of Parliament.
• The nomination of members to the Rajya Sabha was borrowed by the IC from Ireland.
• A member who is elected/nominated for a full term serves for a period of six years.
• A nominated member can join a political party within six months of their nomination.
• Under the Tenth Schedule, a nominated member is disqualified for being a member of the House if they join any political party after the expiry of six months from the date on which they are nominated.
• Classical dancer and theosophist Rukmini Devi Arundale was the first woman in Indian history to be nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha (1952-56 and 1956-62).

Powers and Privileges of Nominated Members

• Nominated members of Rajya Sabha enjoy all the powers and privileges to which the elected MPs are entitled.
• They can take part in the proceedings of the House in a normal manner.
• So far, none of the nominated member has been inducted into the Council of Ministers.
• A nominated member has also been exempted from filing his assets and liabilities under Section 75A of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
  • RPA,1951 requires the elected member to do so within 90 days of their making or subscribing oath/affirmation.

Election of President and Vice-President

• Nominated members are not allowed to vote in the election of the President.
• They do have the right to vote in the election of the Vice-President.

Significance of Nomination

• The rationale behind this principle of nomination is to provide eminent persons a place in the Rajya Sabha without going through the process of election.
• By nominating them to Rajya Sabha, the state not only recognises their merit but also enables them to enrich the debates by their expertise and knowledge that they have in different areas.

Criticisms of Nomination

Poor Attendance

• There has been criticism that several nominated members have poor attendance and do not appear to show much interest in legislative work.
  • Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, actor Rekha, and businesswoman Anu Aga have faced criticism in recent years.

Politicisation of the Nominated Category

• Over time, the high ideal of the nomination came to be eroded.
• Ruling dispensations have repeatedly used the nominated category to shore up their numbers in the House, to dispense favours, and to get their preferred individuals into Parliament.
• While a nominated member can join a political party within six months of taking his/ her seat, even those who remain technically independent are assumed to be aligned with the ruling regime.