The number of seats in Telangana State Legislative Council are:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3:

The correct option is 3 (40):
The number of seats in the Telangana State Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) is 40. This number is determined according to the provisions laid out in the Constitution of India, specifically Article 171, which governs the composition of Legislative Councils in states. The Article stipulates two main limits: the total number of members in the Legislative Council must not exceed one-third of the total number of members in the Legislative Assembly of that state, and the minimum strength must be 40. When Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the reorganization established a new bicameral structure. Since the Legislative Assembly of Telangana has 119 members, one-third of this is 39.66. As the Constitution requires the total strength to be not less than 40 and not more than 1/3rd of the Assembly's strength (which would imply a number slightly greater than 39.66 is not permissible under the maximum limit), the fixed strength for the Telangana Legislative Council was established at 40 members, adhering to the constitutional minimum requirement. This composition ensures that the Council maintains its dignity and functional capacity as a second house, providing a platform for representation from various specialized groups like teachers, local authorities, and nominated members.

The incorrect option is 1 (32):
The number 32 is less than the constitutionally mandated minimum strength for any State Legislative Council in India. Article 171(1) clearly states that the total number of members in the Legislative Council of a state shall, in no case, be less than forty. Therefore, a strength of 32 members is constitutionally impossible for the Telangana Legislative Council, or for any other state in India that has a bicameral legislature. This option is simply too low to meet the fundamental constitutional requirement set for the upper houses of state legislatures.

The incorrect option is 2 (36):
Like option 1, the number 36 also falls below the minimum strength of 40 members prescribed by Article 171 of the Constitution for a State Legislative Council. Although 36 is close to the minimum requirement, it still fails to meet the threshold, rendering it an incorrect figure. The constitutional framers set this minimum of 40 to ensure that the Council has enough members to function effectively, form committees, and provide meaningful legislative scrutiny, which would be compromised by a lower count.

The incorrect option is 4 (44):
While 44 is above the minimum limit of 40, it is also above the maximum permissible limit. The maximum strength of a State Legislative Council is capped at one-third of the total membership of the corresponding State Legislative Assembly. Since the Telangana Legislative Assembly has 119 members, one-third of this strength is approximately 39.66. The number of seats in the Council cannot exceed this fraction. Therefore, a strength of 44 would violate the maximum limit stipulated in Article 171(1) of the Indian Constitution, making it an incorrect choice.