State Legislative Council
The State Legislative Council is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral state legislature; the lower house being the State Legislative Assembly. Its establishment is defined in Article 169 of the Constitution of India.
, after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, 6 out of 28 states have a State Legislative Council. The latest state to have a council is Telangana..
Qualification required to be an MLC
Each Member of the State Legislative Council serves for a six-year term, with terms staggered so that the terms of one third of a State Legislative Council's membership expire every two years. This arrangement parallels that for the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India.MLC must be a citizen of India, at least 30 years old, mentally sound, not an insolvent, and must be enrolled on the voters' list of the state for which he or she is contesting an election. He or she may not be a Member of Parliament at the same time.
The size of the State Legislative Council cannot be more than one third of the membership of the State Legislative Assembly. However, its size cannot be less than 40 members.
MLCs are chosen in the following manner:
- One third are elected by the members of local bodies such as municipalities, Gram panchayats, Panchayat samitis and district councils.
- One third are elected by the members of Legislative Assembly of the State from among the persons who are not members of the State Legislative Assembly.
- One sixth are nominated by the Governor from persons having knowledge or practical experience in fields such as literature, science, arts, the co-operative movement and social services.
- One twelfth are elected by persons who are graduates of three years' standing residing in that state.
- One twelfth are elected by persons engaged for at least three years in teaching in educational institutions within the state not lower than secondary schools, including colleges and universities.
List of State Legislative Councils
Abolished State Legislative Councils
The existence of a State Legislative Council has proven politically controversial. A number of states that have had their Legislative Council abolished have subsequently requested its re-establishment; conversely, proposals for the re-establishment of the Legislative Council for a state have also met with opposition. Proposals for abolition or re-establishment of a state's Legislative Council require confirmation by the Parliament of India.| State Legislative Council | Seat/state capital | Year established | Year abolished | Notes |
| Assam Legislative Council | Shillong | 1935 | 1969 | Abolished by the Assam Legislative Council Act, 1969 |
| Bombay Legislative Council | Bombay | 1861 | 1960 | Abolished by the Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960. |
| Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council |
| 1957 | 2019 | Abolished by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. |
| Madhya Pradesh Legislative Council | Bhopal | 1956 | 1969 | Abolished by the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Council Act, 1969 |
| Punjab Legislative Council | Chandigarh | 1956 | 1969 | Abolished by the Punjab Legislative Council Act, 1969. |
| Tamil Nadu Legislative Council | Madras | 1956 | 1986 | Abolished by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council Act, 1986 |
| West Bengal Legislative Council | Calcutta | 1952 | 1969 | Abolished by the West Bengal Legislative Council Act, 1969 |