Revision summary
The Legislative Council is a state’s optional second chamber under Articles 168–171. Its members come from local bodies, graduates, teachers, Assembly electors, and a nominated quota. It can revise and delay ordinary bills but cannot finally block money bills. Relevance lies in scrutiny and functional or local representation; the case against it is cost, delay, and patronage. Creation and abolition follow an Assembly resolution and a parliamentary law, so the Constitution treats the Council as useful only if a state will use it as a revising house.
Model answer
Copper italics in this answer — like this — are the key facts. Each one is unpacked in the Facts & figures rail.
Introduction
A Legislative Council is the Vidhan Parishad, the optional second chamber of a state legislature under Articles 168 to 171. It is not a copy of the Rajya Sabha for every state. Its relevance is the live question: whether a revising house still earns its cost in a democratic system already based on the Vidhan Sabha.
Body
Design
Parliament may create or abolish a Council if the Legislative Assembly so resolves. Membership mixes elected teachers, graduates, local-body representatives, Assembly electors, and a Governor’s nominated quota of persons from literature, science, art, the cooperative movement, and social service. The Council cannot permanently block money bills. It can delay and revise ordinary legislation. This is a house of second thought and of functional representation, not a house of equal popular sovereignty.
Relevance
Supporters say a Council checks hasty bills, gives a voice to local bodies and professions, and offers a place for experienced persons who may not fight Assembly elections. In a large state, revision can improve drafting. Opponents say it is a parking place for party loyalists, a delay on majority programmes, and a colonial leftover. Several states have abolished Councils; others retain or seek them.
Relevance, then, is conditional. A Council is relevant where it actually revises and represents local government, as the 73rd Amendment’s panchayat system might suggest a need for a local-body stream. It is not relevant as a permanent veto on the Assembly. The constitutional design already limits it. The political task is to staff it for scrutiny rather than for patronage.
Flow diagram
Conclusion
The Legislative Council is an optional revising chamber with a mixed electorate and limited power over money. It remains relevant as second thought and as a channel for local and professional voice. It loses relevance when it is only patronage. The Constitution leaves that choice to states under parliamentary approval.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Women's role in the anti-arrack movement.
Next question on this syllabus topic (2024 · Q5(e)). View answer →
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Is the Council a federal house like the Rajya Sabha?
No. It represents categories within a state, not states in the Union. Federal second-chamber logic belongs to the Council of States at the Centre.
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Why do some states want a Council and others not?
Parties may want revision, a wider elite, or berths for allies. Others see delay of their Assembly majority. The constitutional test should be scrutiny, not berths.
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.
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2022 · Q5(c) · PSIR GS 1 · 10 marks
Legislative Council is a house without any effective powers. Comment.
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