In the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), how many parliamentary seats are allocated to the State of Tripura under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of India?

Introduction / Context:
The Parliament of India is bicameral, consisting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha represents the States and Union Territories at the Union level, and each State is allocated a fixed number of seats based mainly on population. This question focuses on the specific number of Rajya Sabha seats allotted to the small north eastern State of Tripura. Knowing such allocations helps learners understand the federal and representative structure of India.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The question is about the Council of States, that is, the Rajya Sabha.
- The State under consideration is Tripura, a relatively small State in north eastern India.
- The options provided are 7, 1, 18 and 10 seats.
- The allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha is as per the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution of India and related laws.

Concept / Approach:
The Rajya Sabha is a permanent House with a maximum strength defined by the Constitution. Seats are allocated to the States and Union Territories largely in proportion to their population. Larger States like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have many seats, while smaller States and Union Territories have very few. Tripura is one of the smaller States in terms of population, so it has a small representation in the Rajya Sabha. The correct approach is to recall or logically infer that Tripura gets only a single seat in the Upper House, not a large number like 7, 10 or 18.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the total membership of the Rajya Sabha is capped at 250, out of which most seats are distributed among the States according to population. Step 2: Recognise that very large States such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar have double digit seat allocations, whereas small north eastern States have one or a very small number of seats. Step 3: Tripura is a geographically and demographically small State compared to major States of India. Step 4: The allocation for Tripura in the Rajya Sabha is therefore only one seat, reflecting its relatively small population. Step 5: Among the options given, the value that matches this known allocation is 1.

Verification / Alternative check:
A learner can verify this by consulting a current list of Rajya Sabha members organised by State, where Tripura will show only one member at any given time. Alternatively, standard political science and polity compendiums that list the distribution of Rajya Sabha seats by State clearly show Tripura with one seat. The consistency of this information across sources confirms that the correct answer is 1 and not any of the larger numbers suggested by the other options.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, 7 seats, is too high for a small State like Tripura; such numbers are associated with larger States or those with higher populations.
Option C, 18 seats, is clearly inappropriate for Tripura and would correspond to very large States, not a small north eastern State.
Option D, 10 seats, is also much higher than the actual allocation and does not match any standard reference for Tripura's representation in the Rajya Sabha.

Common Pitfalls:
One common mistake is to confuse Lok Sabha seats with Rajya Sabha seats, because Lok Sabha constituencies are often discussed more frequently in the news. Another error is to assume that every State must have a larger presence in the Rajya Sabha than it actually does, without considering population size. Students may also mix up the seat allocations of different north eastern States. To avoid such confusion, it is helpful to remember that several small States, including Tripura, have just one Rajya Sabha seat.

Final Answer:
Tripura has only 1 parliamentary seat in the Rajya Sabha.