How the State Government Works

"India is a union of states. It has 28 states and 8 Union Territories. To carry on the smooth functioning of the states, there is the need for a state government. The organisation of the state government includes the governor, the state legislature and the state council of ministers."

In previous chapters, we discussed the fact that government works at three levels - local, state and national - and looked at the work of local government in some detail. In this chapter, we examine the work of the government at the state level. How does this take place in a democracy? What is the role of a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and Ministers? How do people express their views or demand action from government?

1.0Who is an MLA?

• Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are elected by the people.
• They then become members of the legislative assembly and also form the government.
• In this way we say that the MLAs represent people.
• The example below will help us understand this better.
• Every state in India has a Legislative Assembly.
• Each state is divided into different areas or constituencies.
• For example, look at the map below.
• It shows that the state of Himachal Pradesh is divided into 68 assembly constituencies.
• From each constituency, the people elect one representative who then becomes a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
• You would have noticed that people stand for elections in the name of different parties.
  
• These MLAs, therefore, belong to different political parties.
• A political party whose MLAs have won more than half the number of constituencies in a state can be said to be in a majority.
• The political party that has the majority is called the ruling party and all other members are called the opposition.
• For example, the Legislative Assembly of the state of Himachal Pradesh has 68 MLA constituencies.

2.0Results of the Assembly Elections in Himachal Pradesh in 2017

• Candidates from various political parties won the 2017 assembly elections and became MLAs.
• Since the total number of MLAs in the Legislative Assembly is 68, a political party would have needed to have more than 34 MLAs in order to gain a majority.
• The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 44 MLAs had the majority and it became the ruling party.
• The ruling party forms the government an its duration is for next five years.
• All other MLAs became the opposition.
• In this case, the Indian National Congress (INC) was the major opposition party, since it had the largest number of MLAs after the BJP.
• Among the opposition were other parties, including those who had been elected as independent candidates.

3.0Appointment of CM and other Ministers

• After the elections, the MLAs belonging to the ruling party will elect their leader who will become the chief minister.
• In this case, the BJP MLAs chose Shri Jairam Thakur as their leader and he became the chief minister.
• The chief minister then selects some MLAs from majority as ministers.
• After the elections, it is the Governor of the state who appoints the chief minister and other ministers.
• The chief minister and other ministers have the responsibility of running various government departments or ministries.
• They have separate offices.
• A Legislative Assembly is a place where all the MLAs, whether from the ruling party or from the opposition meet to discuss various things.
• Hence, some MLAs have dual responsibilities: one as an MLA and the other as a minister.

The main job of a Legislative Assembly is to make Laws for that entire state. We have to remember that not all MLAs become minister. Article 164 specifies that the total number of ministers in a state, including the Chief Minister, should not exceed $15\%$ of the total number of members in the legislative assembly of that state.

4.0A debate in the Legislative Assembly

• A debate is generally held in Legislative Assembly to discuss current problems.
• MLAs take part in the debate by asking questions, expressing their opinions or giving suggestions to the government.
• The minister concerned the then replies and assures the assembly that adequate steps are being taken to resolve the problems.
• The MLAs have to approve the decisions taken.

5.0Working of the Government

• The MLAs are together responsible for the working of the government.
• Various government departments and ministers who head them, together make up the government.
• In common usage, the word 'government' refers to government departments and various ministers who head them.
• All the MLAs who gather together in the Legislative Assembly together form the Legislature.
• The following points show how the government works -
• According to the discussions in the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister and the ministers in charge have to take action to correct the problems faced by people. This is done through various government departments like public Works Department, Agriculture Department, Health Department and so on.
• The Legislative Assembly is not the only place where opinions are expressed about the work of government. There are several newspapers, TV channels and other organisations which also talk about the working of a government.
• After the discussion in the assembly, a press conference is generally held by a particular minister who explains the steps taken by the government. Media persons then report these discussions in newspapers, forums, platforms, etc.
  
• New laws can also be implemented by the State Government on certain issues in the Legislative Assembly of the respective state.
• The people of the state have the main authority as they are the ones who elect the MLAs. Whenever the government fails to satisfy people's needs, they organise meetings to voice their opinions and protest against government.

6.0Glossary

• Constituency - A particular area from which all the voters living there choose their representatives. This could be, for example, a panchayat ward or an area that chooses an MLA.
• Majority - This is a situation when more than half the number in a group supports a decision or an idea. This is also called a simple majority.
• Opposition - This refers to elected representatives who are not members of the ruling party and who play the role of questioning government decisions and actions as well as raise new issues for consideration in the Assembly.
• Press Conference - A gathering of journalists from the media who are invited to hear about and ask questions on a particular issue and are then expected to report on this to the larger public.

7.0MIND MAP