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THE CONSTITUTION, MADE UNDERSTANDABLE

Article 89
The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Council of States

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26 Parts12 Schedules506 indexed article entries, including historical omissions
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Source edition: as on 1 May 2026. Omitted and struck-down reference entries remain labelled. Open the authoritative PDF ↗

Article 89 / Part V

The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Council of States

included in edition
THE PLAIN-LANGUAGE GUIDE

What does this mean?

The Vice-President chairs Rajya Sabha, whose members elect a Deputy Chairman. This establishes the House's principal presiding offices.

The Union's President, ministers, Parliament, Supreme Court and Comptroller and Auditor-General.

PURPOSE & CONTEXT

Why is this provision here?

The House needs identifiable presiding officers, administrative support and entry formalities so its constitutional work can continue under known rules.

Historical evidence

This Article number belongs to the original constitutional framework, but its present wording may include later amendments or substitutions. A provision-specific original Assembly debate has not been verified here. The explanation of function above is editorial inference from the text, not an attributed single motive of the framers. The original draft-making archive is a research resource, not proof of a particular historical reason.

The explanation of purpose is an editorial reading of the provision. A drafting motive is attributed only where a linked historical source supports it.

Limits, exceptions & reading carefully

Educational summary of the linked source text. Exceptions, provisos, implementing laws and applicable judgments must be read before applying it to a real case.

Read the official constitutional text
89. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Council of States.—(1) The Vice- President of India shall be ex officio Chairman of the Council of States. (2) The Council of States shall, as soon as may be, choose a member of the Council to be Deputy Chairman thereof and, so often as the office of Deputy Chairman becomes vacant, the Council shall choose another member to be Deputy Chairman thereof.

Extracted from the Legislative Department’s May 2026 edition. Page footnotes may refer to neighbouring provisions; check their markers in the PDF. Inclusion in this edition does not by itself establish commencement or judicial effect.