Bicameralism
Also called: Bicameral legislature · Topic: Parliament: Composition, Powers and Law-making · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 9 "From the Rulers to the Ruled: Types of Governments"; Class 8, Ch 5 "Universal Franchise and India's Electoral System"; Class 8, Ch 6 "The Parliamentary System: Legislature and Executive"; Class 9, Ch 7 "Elections"; Class 11, Ch 5 "Legislature"
Meaning
Bicameralism means a legislature (law-making body) with two Houses. A unicameral legislature has only one House. Class 11, Legislature gives two reasons why large, diverse countries choose two Houses. First, every section of society and every region gets a voice. Second, each decision gets a "double check": if one House acts in haste, the other can reconsider. India's Parliament is bicameral, with the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Example
In the Constituent Assembly on 30 July 1949, Purnima Banerji called an upper House a revising body whose "views may count but not its votes". India's earlier model was the two-House central legislature under the Government of India Act 1919.
Don't confuse with
- Federalism: dividing power between the Union and the states. A second House often represents the states, but a country can be federal and have one House, or have two Houses without being federal.