Civics Chapter 03: How the State Government Works

Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are elected by the people. They then become members of the legislative assembly and also form the government.

Every state in India has a Legislative Assembly. Each state is divided into different areas or constituencies. From each constituency, the people elect one representative who then becomes a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).

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.

After the elections, the MLAs belonging to the ruling party will elect their leader who will become the chief minister. The chief minister and other ministers have the responsibility of running various government departments or ministries.