Twelve nominated members and a ceiling of 238: Article 80 and the Rajya Sabha
Background
Article 80 of the Constitution settles how the Council of States, the upper House of Parliament, is put together. It allows twelve members nominated by the President, and not more than two hundred and thirty-eight members representing the States and the Union territories. Seats for the States and Union territories are allotted as the Fourth Schedule lays down. The President nominates people with special knowledge or practical experience in such matters as literature, science, art and social service, so that list is illustrative and not closed. A State's representatives are elected by the elected members of its Legislative Assembly, through proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. For the Union territories the Article fixes no method of its own and leaves the manner of choosing representatives to be prescribed by Parliament by law. The Article therefore separates a nominated element, an elected element and a statutory element in one House.
In plain words
Council of States Rajya Sabha — The upper House of India's Parliament.
Single transferable vote A ranked proportional voting method — A voter ranks the candidates and surplus votes above the winning quota pass to the next choice.
Fourth Schedule The Schedule allotting Council of States seats — It records how many Rajya Sabha seats each State and Union territory holds.