Question

Who is the ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha?
a)Vice President
b)Prime Minister
c)President
d)Chief Justice

Answer 1

Hint: India has a bicameral legislature which consists of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Consisting of not more than 250 members , the Rajya Sabha is a permanent house and not subjected to dissolution.

Complete Answer: The ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha is known as the Chairman. He is responsible for maintaining decorum in the House, for adjourning the House in absence of quorum and has the casting vote in case of equality of votes. The Vice President of India is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and hence option (A ) is correct. During any period when the VicePresident acts as President or discharges the functions of the President, he does not perform the duties of the office of the Chairman of Rajya Sabha.
 The other options are incorrect as-
- Option (B ) Prime Minister is incorrect as he is the leader of the ruling party in Lok Sabha.
-Option (C ) President as he doesn’t sit in the meeting of either of the two houses of the parliament.
-Option (D ) Chief Justice is incorrect as the chief justice is part of the judiciary and not the legislature.

Therefore option (A ) is the correct answer.

Note: Just like the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the salary of the Chairman of Rajya Sabha is charged on the Consolidated Fund of India. However, unlike the Speaker the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is not a member of the house.