Union Cabinet approved a proposal to set up Legislative Council in Assam

Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 28 November 2013 approved a proposal to create a Legislative Council in Assam.

According to the Article 169 of Constitution of India, Parliament can create or abolish the Legislative councils in States.

According to the proposal, the Legislative Council will have 42 members. As per Article 171 of the Constitution, the total number of members in the Council of a state having such a House shall not exceed one third of the total number of members in the Legislative Assembly of that state. In the case of Assam, the total number of MLAs is 126.

The Assam state Legislative Assembly had in 2005 and 2010 passed a resolution demanding an Upper House. Political parties and groups believe that members of various communities and ethnic, groups which could not be sent to the Assembly, can be accommodated in the Council for a fair representation. Assam had an Upper House which was abolished after Independence.

The Vidhan Parishad (or Legislative Council) is the upper house in the states of India that have a bicameral legislature.

As of 2011, six Indian states viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh have a Legislative Council.

A Bill to create a Legislative Council in Rajasthan was introduced in Parliament recently and it is pending with the Standing Committee.

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