Who is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha?

The presiding officer of a legislative House is the person who chairs its sittings and regulates its proceedings. The two Houses of the Indian Parliament each have a distinct presiding officer: the Lok Sabha is presided over by its own elected Speaker, while the Rajya Sabha's presiding officer is fixed by the Constitution to an office outside the House itself.

Article 89(1) of the Constitution of India provides that the Vice-President of India shall be the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States). This means the person holding the office of Vice-President presides over Rajya Sabha sittings by virtue of that office, without being a member of the House or being elected by it.

This is confirmed by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat's own official publications, which describe the Vice-President as the ex-officio Chairman. It is also consistent with the parallel design of the Lok Sabha, whose Speaker is elected from among its own members under Article 93 -- the two Houses use different mechanisms for their presiding officers.

• President of India -- the constitutional Head of State and part of Parliament under Article 79, but does not preside over the sittings of either House.

• Prime Minister of India -- heads the Union Council of Ministers and leads government business in Parliament, a role separate from chairing a House's sittings.

• Speaker of Lok Sabha -- presides over the Lok Sabha under Article 93, elected from among that House's own members; this is the Lower House's presiding office, not the Rajya Sabha's.

Therefore, the Vice-President of India is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.