Member of Legislative Assembly

The word MLA literally expands to Member of Legislative Assembly. The MLA is a member who is appointed by the voters of a district to the legislature of the State Indian Government and the voters nominate the MLA.

  • About MLA:

   In our country, there can be four to nine MLAs in each state for every MP (Member of Parliament) that it has in the Lok Sabha. MLA’s have different duties as per their roles. Some MLAs have more than one task to perform. An MLA can be a CM & can also be a cabinet minister.

 There are certain duties that an MLA performs:

  1. An MLA looks after the complaints and ambitions of people and brings it in front of the state government.
  2. He/she brings up the concerns of their region in front of the State Government.
  3. He/ she will allow the best use of Local Area Development (LAD) budget to improve his or her electorate.

The term of an MLA or legislative Assembly is five years. On special circumstances the term can be dissolved earlier on the request of the CM, who enjoys an actual majority support in the Assembly. During an emergency the tenure of the MLA or the Legislative Assembly can be extended upto a period of one year at a time and not exceeding the period beyond six months after the emergency is over.

The remunerationof an MLA is between Rs. 1, 25,000/- to Rs. 2, 50, 000/- per month. Apart from salary an MLA also gets other facilities such as government accommodation, Dearness and Travel Allowance (DA & TA), medical allowance, computer operator, stationery, postal & telephone allowance, along with many other facilities provided by their respective state governments. After retirement an MLA also gets pension.

  • Eligibility Criteria of MLA:

There are some basic criteria for being an MLA, the criteria’s are as follows-

  1. The nominee must be an Indian resident.
  2. The age of the nominee should be at least 25 years of age.
  3. The nominee has to be a voter of any constituency.
  4. The nominee should not be insane or mad.
  5. They should not hold any office of benefits under the government of India.
  • Powers Provided to an MLA:

The powers of an MLA are divided among the legislature and the state. There are some powers that can be controlled by parliament but it cannot be controlled by the legislature. There are some powers that can be controlled by state & parliament both.

Primary powers which are controlled by parliament and cannot be controlled by legislature are as follows-

  1. Coordinating the police.
  2. Deciding for the prisons.
  3. Making decisions for irrigation.
  4. Works for agriculture.
  5. Local government tasks.
  6. Public health issues.
  7. Pilgrimage welfare.
  8. Burial grounds.

         The powers that are controlled by state and parliament both are as follows:

  1. Education.
  2. Marriage.
  3. Divorce.
  4. Forest management.
  5. Wild animals and birds protection.
  • Election Process Of an MLA:

As we know MLAs are directly elected by the voters of a constituency. The process of electing an MLA is as follows:

  1. The elections are held after the expiry of the current assembly’s tenure, after a period of five years.
  1. All the states are divided into different constituencies or specific areas on the basis of population.
  1. Candidates belonging to these constituencies are voted for by citizens who are over 18 years of age.
  1. The candidates can either be affiliated to a specific political party or contest the elections as independent candidates.
  • Any number of candidates can stand for the election as long as each of them fulfills the eligibility criteria.
  • The candidates are required to rally for themselves by voicing their plans and concerns of their constituency.
  • The members are directly elected through an electorate who votes according to universal adult franchise.
  • The voting is done by a secret ballot to ensure that only the voter knows for whom he/she has voted.
  1. The governor of the state has the executive power of nominating a member of the Anglo-Indian community, in case the said person lacks adequate representation in the assembly.
  • FAQs:-

Question1. What does MLA stand for?

Answer1. The word MLA stands for Member of Legislative Assembly.

Question2. What are the basic criteria to become an MLA?

Answer 2. An MLA should be a citizen of India and minimum age of the MLA should be 25 years.

Question3. What is the tenure of an MLA?

Answer3. An MLA has a total tenure of 5 years. The tenure of MLA can be dissolved earlier upon the request of the chief minister.

Question4. Who is an MLA?

Answer- An MLA is an individual who is the representative of the citizens of his/ her constituency or electoral division.

Question5. What are the roles and responsibilities of an MLA?

Answer5.  The MLA acts as legislator to understand the existing laws and create new laws; an MLA is also a representative of the people, he has represents the viewpoints of the people and he/ she also gives assistance in problem solving; depending on the fortune of the political party an MLA can also serve as a cabinet minister.

Question6. What is the difference between MLA and MLC?

Answer6.  MLA stands for Member of Legislative Assembly, MLC stands for Member of Legislative Council; MLAs are elected by the common mass, MLCs are elected by restricted people like teachers and lawyers; MLAs can propose money bills, MLCs cannot propose such bills; MLAs can participate in vote of confidence, MLCs do not have such power; Ministers in a government at State level are mostly MLAs, MLCs get the chance to become ministers.

Question7. How many MLA seats are available in India?

Answer7.  There are total 4,120 MLA seats in 31 State Legislative Assemblies including Delhi & Puducherry.

Question8. Who was the longest-serving MLA in India?

Answer8. The former Chief Minister and reformist of Tamil Nadu, MK Karunanidhi has been the longest-serving MLA in India. He had been elected as an MLA in 1957 and for 13 years he continued to be an MLA.