Rajya Sabha sittings of the Houses of Parliament of India are rare, and in the history of the Republic, only three such joint-sessions have been held; the latest one for the passage of the 2002 Prevention of Terrorism Act. The Vice President of India (currently, Venkaiah Naidu) is the "ex-officio" Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who presides over its sessions. The Deputy Chairman, who is elected from amongst the house's members, takes care of the day-to-day matters of the house in the absence of the Chairman. The Rajya Sabha held its first sitting on 13 May 1952. The salary and other benefits
15th Lok Sabha from Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Indian Parliament, were elected to 15th Lok Sabha after the Indian general election, 2009. Members of the 15th Lok Sabha by political party and alliance: Members by political party in 15th Lok Sabha are given below- Source: Various news organisations<br> The new United Progressive Alliance (UPA) included 79 members, 78 members in the cabinet plus Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The first 20 cabinet ministers including Manmohan Singh, swore in on 22 May 2009, while the other 59 cabinet members swore in on 27 May 2009. The 5 non-Congress cabinet ministers, include M.K. Azhagiri