Old Parliament House, New Delhi in the context of "Constituent Assembly of India"

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⭐ Core Definition: Old Parliament House, New Delhi

The Old Parliament House, officially known as the Samvidhan Sadan (Constitution House), was the seat of the Parliament of India between 26 January 1950 and 18 September 2023. It housed the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha (the lower and upper houses) respectively in India's bicameral parliament for nearly 73 years. Earlier it had served as the seat of the Imperial Legislative Council between 18 January 1927 and 15 August 1947, and the Constituent Assembly of India between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950.

The building was designed by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker and was constructed between 1921 and 1927. It was opened in January 1927 as the seat of the Imperial Legislative Council and was known as the Council House. Following the Indian Independence in 1947, it was taken over by the Constituent Assembly of India, and then became the seat of the Indian Parliament on 26 January 1950 with India becoming a republic following the adoption of the Indian Constitution.

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Old Parliament House, New Delhi in the context of New Parliament House, New Delhi

Parliament House (ISO: Saṁsada Bhavana) in New Delhi is the seat of the Parliament of India. It houses the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, which are lower and upper houses respectively in India's bicameral parliament. It is located on Rafi Marg in Central Vista, the central administrative area in New Delhi. It is located to the east of the Old Parliament House, amongst the other administrative buildings of the Indian government.

The Old Parliament House was constructed in 1927. Proposals for a new parliament building to replace the old one emerged in the early 2010s due to the ageing of the old building. In 2019, the proposal to construct a new parliament building was unveiled by the Government of India as part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project. It was inaugurated on 28 May 2023 by prime minister Narendra Modi. The new building was first used for official business on 19 September 2023 during a special session of the parliament.

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Old Parliament House, New Delhi in the context of Democracy in India

India is considered to be the world's most populous democracy. Elections in the country started with the 1951–52 Indian general election. India was among the first post-colonial nations to adopt universal adult suffrage, granting all adult citizens equal voting rights.

In recent years, under the premiership of Narendra Modi, India has experienced significant democratic backsliding. The Economist Democracy Index classifies India as a flawed democracy. The Freedom House classifies India as partly free.

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Old Parliament House, New Delhi in the context of Herbert Baker

Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 – 4 February 1946) was an English architect remembered as the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, and a major designer of some of New Delhi's most notable government structures. He was born and died at Owletts in Cobham, Kent.

Among the many churches, schools and houses he designed in South Africa are the Union Buildings in Pretoria, St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown, St. John's College, Johannesburg, the Wynberg Boys' High School, Groote Schuur in Cape Town, and the Champagne Homestead and Rhodes Cottage on Boschendal, between Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. With Sir Edwin Lutyens he was instrumental in designing, among other buildings, Parliament House, and the North and South Blocks of the Central Secretariat, all in New Delhi, which in 1931 became the capital of the British Raj, as well as its successor states the Dominion of India and the Republic of India. In 1928 he also designed the European School, Nairobi, the original co-education primary school of both Nairobi School and The Kenya High School. His other prominent works include the East African Railways Headquarters, Government House and the administration building at the then Prince of Wales School in Nairobi. His tomb is in Westminster Abbey.

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