This book examines the efficacy of the Rajya Sabha as a federal second chamber in India, evaluating the effectiveness it embodies and sustains legislative federalism over time. Aimed at practitioners, policymakers, and scholars, the book examines essential themes, including the constitutional development of bicameralism. It offers a nuanced assessment of the Rajya Sabha’s capacity to represent state interests, manage centre-state tensions, and reshape national policy agendas. It also discusses the chamber’s legislative and non-legislative prerogatives, its role as a watchdog over the executive arm, the role of parliamentary committees, and the socio-economic profile of its members, to showcase the changing role of the second house from one-party dominance to a multi-party coalition phase. It will help readers, who design, operate, or study institutions, to rethink what a federal second chamber can and should do in a parliamentary democracy like India.

Rich in quantitative data, this book is indispensable for students and scholars of political science, Indian politics, Indian party systems, political institutions, political sociology and public administration.