Until Parliament by law otherwise provides, which one of the following constitutes the quorum of meeting of ei ther House of Parliament ?

1. Structure and Composition of the Union Parliament (basic)

To understand how the Indian Parliament functions, we must first look at its structural DNA. Under Article 79 of the Constitution, the Union Parliament is not just a collection of legislators; it is a trinity consisting of the President, the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), and the House of the People (Lok Sabha) Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth (7th ed.), Constitutional Prescriptions, p.454. Even though the President is not a member of either House and does not sit in Parliament for debates, they are an integral part because no bill passed by both Houses can become law without the President's assent.

The two Houses differ significantly in their composition and character:

Feature	Rajya Sabha (Upper House)	Lok Sabha (Lower House)
Max Strength	250 Members Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth (7th ed.), Constitutional Prescriptions, p.454	550 Members Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth (7th ed.), Constitutional Prescriptions, p.454
Representation	States and Union Territories (Indirect election)	The People (Direct election)
Nominated	12 members (by President for expertise in Art, Science, etc.)	Currently none (Anglo-Indian nomination discontinued)

Beyond its members, a House needs a minimum "working strength" to conduct business, known as the Quorum. According to Article 100(3), the quorum for either House is one-tenth of the total number of members. This figure includes the presiding officer (the Speaker or the Chairman) Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth (7th ed.), Parliament, p.237. In practical terms, this means at least 55 members must be present in the Lok Sabha and 25 members in the Rajya Sabha. If this requirement isn't met, the presiding officer is constitutionally duty-bound to either adjourn the House or suspend the meeting until the quorum is present.

Sources: Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth (7th ed.), Constitutional Prescriptions, p.454; Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth (7th ed.), Parliament, p.237

2. The Presiding Officers: Speaker and Chairman (basic)

The parliamentary engine cannot run without a conductor. In the Lok Sabha, this role is played by the Speaker, and in the Rajya Sabha, by the Chairman. The Speaker is not merely a moderator; they are the head of the Lok Sabha and its representative, acting as the guardian of the powers and privileges of the members and the House as a whole Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 23, p.230. Their authority is derived from three main sources: the Constitution of India, the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, and Parliamentary Conventions. While the Vice-President of India serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Speaker is specifically elected by the Lok Sabha from amongst its members. One of the most vital constitutional duties of a presiding officer is maintaining the Quorum. Under Article 100(3), a House cannot legally conduct a meeting unless at least one-tenth of the total number of members (including the presiding officer) are present Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 23, p.237. If the quorum is not met—meaning fewer than 55 members in the Lok Sabha or 25 in the Rajya Sabha—Article 100(4) mandates that the presiding officer must either adjourn the House or suspend the meeting until the required number of members is present. To ensure the House functions smoothly even when the top leaders are away, the Speaker nominates a panel of not more than ten chairpersons (and similarly, the Chairman nominates a panel of vice-chairpersons in the Rajya Sabha). Any member of this panel can preside over the House in the absence of the Speaker or Deputy Speaker and, while doing so, they enjoy the same powers as the Speaker Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 23, p.232. However, there is a critical distinction: a panel member cannot preside if the office of the Speaker or Deputy Speaker is vacant (due to death, resignation, or removal). In such cases, the President must appoint a member to perform those duties until an election is held.

Functionary	Resignation Submitted To	Source/Article
Speaker of Lok Sabha	Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha	Article 94
Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha	Chairman of Rajya Sabha	Article 90
Chairman of Rajya Sabha (Vice-President)	President of India	Article 67

Finally, the presiding officer holds significant quasi-judicial power. Under the 10th Schedule (Anti-Defection Law), any question regarding the disqualification of a member arising out of defection is decided by the presiding officer, and their decision is final in this regard Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 73, p.598.

Sources: Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 23: Parliament, p.230; Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 23: Parliament, p.232; Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 23: Parliament, p.237; Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 73: Anti-Defection Law, p.598

3. Parliamentary Sessions: Summoning to Dissolution (intermediate)

To understand how our Parliament functions, we must first visualize the lifecycle of its meetings. A session is the period spanning from the first day the House meets to its prorogation (or dissolution in the case of the Lok Sabha). Typically, the President issues a Summons to each member to attend the session. Under Article 85, the President must ensure that the maximum gap between two sessions does not exceed six months—meaning Parliament must meet at least twice a year Introduction to the Constitution of India, The Union Executive, p.213. Within a session, the House meets daily, usually in two sittings: the morning sitting (11 am to 1 pm) and the post-lunch sitting (2 pm to 6 pm) Indian Polity, Parliament, p.236. Terminating these meetings happens in four distinct ways, and it is crucial to distinguish who holds the power for each. Adjournment and Adjournment Sine Die are tools of the Presiding Officer (the Speaker or Chairman). An adjournment pauses the sitting for a specific time (like a few hours or days), whereas sine die means the House is adjourned without naming a specific day for reassembly Indian Polity, Parliament, p.236. In contrast, Prorogation and Dissolution are executive powers exercised by the President. While prorogation only ends a session, dissolution ends the very life of the Lok Sabha, necessitating fresh elections. Finally, for any of these meetings to validly transact business, there must be a Quorum. According to Article 100, the quorum is one-tenth of the total membership of the House, including the Presiding Officer. This means at least 55 members in the Lok Sabha and 25 in the Rajya Sabha must be present. If the quorum is not met, it is the constitutional duty of the Speaker or Chairman to either adjourn the House or suspend the meeting until the required number of members is present Indian Polity, Parliament, p.237.

Feature	Adjournment	Prorogation
Who decides?	Presiding Officer (Speaker/Chairman)	President of India
Scope	Terminates a sitting only	Terminates a session of the House
Effect on Bills	Does not affect pending bills	Does not affect pending bills
Effect on Notices	Does not affect pending notices	Pending notices (except for bills) lapse

Sources: Introduction to the Constitution of India, The Union Executive, p.213; Indian Polity, Parliament, p.236; Indian Polity, Parliament, p.237

4. Decision Making: Voting and the Casting Vote (intermediate)

In the Indian Parliamentary system, the heartbeat of decision-making is the principle of majority rule. As per Article 100 of the Constitution, most matters—from passing ordinary bills and money bills to deciding on a No-Confidence Motion—are determined by a simple majority of the members present and voting Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 23, p.239. However, before any vote can take place, the House must satisfy the Quorum. This is the minimum representative strength required to validly conduct business, which is set at one-tenth of the total membership of the House. For the Lok Sabha, this means at least 55 members must be present, and for the Rajya Sabha, at least 25 members Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 23, p.237. Notably, the presiding officer is included when calculating this quorum.

To ensure the impartiality of the chair, a unique voting protocol is followed for the presiding officer (the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha). Under normal circumstances, the presiding officer does not vote in the first instance Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 23, p.233. They do not participate in the initial tally like an ordinary Member of Parliament. However, if the House is perfectly split—resulting in an equality of votes or a tie—the presiding officer exercises what is known as a casting vote. This vote is used specifically to break the deadlock and resolve the matter. Even the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who is not a member of the House, enjoys this power to ensure legislative work does not come to a standstill Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 23, p.233.

Feature	Ordinary Member	Presiding Officer (Speaker/Chairman)
First Instance Vote	Yes (Standard right to vote)	No (To maintain neutrality)
Casting Vote	No	Yes (Only to break a tie)
Included in Quorum	Yes	Yes

Sources: Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 23: Parliament, p.239; Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 23: Parliament, p.237; Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 23: Parliament, p.233

5. Quorum in State Legislatures: A Comparative Study (intermediate)

In our journey through parliamentary procedures, we must understand the concept of Quorum—the legal minimum number of members required to be present for a House to conduct its business. Without a quorum, any proceedings or decisions made are considered invalid. This rule ensures that laws are not passed by a tiny, unrepresentative minority of the House. In the context of the State Legislature, the Presiding Officer (the Speaker or Chairman) has the specific duty to adjourn the House or suspend the meeting if a quorum is not met Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 33, p.339.

While the logic remains the same as in Parliament, there is a subtle but vital difference in how the number is calculated for State Legislatures. According to the Constitution, the quorum for a meeting of a House of a State Legislature is ten members or one-tenth of the total number of members of the House (including the presiding officer), whichever is greater Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 33, p.341. This "whichever is greater" clause is particularly important for smaller states (like Goa or Sikkim) where 1/10th of the house might only be 4 or 5 members—a number too small to represent the will of the people.

Feature	Parliament (Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha)	State Legislature (Assembly/Council)
Standard Rule	1/10th of total membership.	10 members OR 1/10th of total membership.
Comparison Factor	Fixed percentage.	Whichever is greater.
Presiding Officer	Included in the count.	Included in the count.

As you can see, the procedure is broadly similar to Parliament, but the State Legislatures have that extra safeguard of the "10 members" floor Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.), The State Legislature, p.284. If the bell rings and the required numbers aren't there, the Speaker cannot proceed with the day's agenda. They must either wait for members to trickle in or call it a day until the next session.

Sources: Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.), Chapter 33: State Legislature, p.339, 341; Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.), The State Legislature, p.284

6. The Constitutional Mandate of Quorum (Article 100) (exam-level)

In any representative democracy, the legitimacy of a legislative body depends on a certain minimum participation. This threshold is known as the Quorum — the minimum number of members required to be present in the House before it can validly transact any business. Under Article 100(3) of the Constitution, this quorum is set at one-tenth of the total number of members of each House. Crucially, this count includes the presiding officer (the Speaker in the Lok Sabha or the Chairman in the Rajya Sabha). Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 23: Parliament, p. 237

Let’s look at the actual numbers as they stand today. Since the Lok Sabha has a total strength of 543 (effective), the quorum is at least 55 members. For the Rajya Sabha, with a strength of 245, the quorum is at least 25 members. If these numbers are not met, the House is effectively 'not in session' for the purpose of making laws or discussing policy. Interestingly, the Constitution allows Parliament the flexibility to change this number by law in the future, but until such a law is made, the one-tenth rule remains the mandate. Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 23: Parliament, p. 237

What happens if the House meets and members start leaving, causing the attendance to drop below the threshold? Article 100(4) places a clear duty on the presiding officer. If at any time during a meeting there is no quorum, the Speaker or Chairman must either adjourn the House or suspend the meeting until the quorum is restored. It is common practice for a member to 'draw the attention' of the Chair to the lack of quorum, after which the 'quorum bell' is rung to call members from the lobbies and library back into the chamber.

While the rules for the State Legislature are similar, there is a slight nuance to remember: the quorum for a State House is 10 members or one-tenth of the total strength, whichever is greater. Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 33: State Legislature, p. 341

Feature	Lok Sabha	Rajya Sabha
Standard	1/10th of total members	1/10th of total members
Minimum Number	55	25
Includes Chair?	Yes (Speaker)	Yes (Chairman)

Sources: Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 23: Parliament, p.237; Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity, Chapter 33: State Legislature, p.341

7. Solving the Original PYQ (exam-level)

Now that you have explored the structural and functional aspects of the Indian Legislature, this question tests your ability to apply the concept of minimum representative strength required for valid proceedings. This requirement, known as the Quorum, is a fundamental safeguard under Article 100(3) of the Constitution. It ensures that legislative business is not transacted without a meaningful presence of the people's representatives. By connecting your understanding of parliamentary procedure to this specific constitutional mandate, you can see how the building blocks of legislative discipline come together to form the basis of this question.

To arrive at the correct answer, you must recall the specific numerical threshold established by the Constitution: one-tenth of the total number of members of either House. It is a crucial reasoning cue to remember that this count includes the presiding officer (the Speaker or the Chairman). As you learned in M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity, if this threshold is not met, Article 100(4) makes it the mandatory duty of the presiding officer to either adjourn the House or suspend the meeting. There is no discretionary power here; without at least 55 members in the Lok Sabha or 25 in the Rajya Sabha, the session cannot legally continue.

UPSC often uses other common constitutional fractions as traps to test your precision. Fractions like one-third or two-thirds (Options C and D) are frequently cited in the context of special majorities for constitutional amendments or the retirement of members in the Rajya Sabha. Similarly, one-fourth (Option B) might appear in requirements for certain types of notices. However, for the basic functioning of a daily session, the Constitution is clear: Option (A) is the only correct answer. Mastering these distinctions allows you to bypass these numerical distractions with confidence.