Consider the following statements : 1. In the election for Lok Sabha or State Assembly, the winning candidate must get at least 50 percent of the votes polled, to be declared elected. 2. According to the provisions laid down in the Constitution of India, in Lok Sabha, the Speaker's post goes to the majority party and the Deputy Speaker's to the Opposition. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Neither 1 nor 2. India elects its Lok Sabha and State Assembly members by the first-past-the-post system. The candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins, even if that is well under half of the votes polled; with many candidates in the field, winners often get 35 or 40 percent. So statement 1 is wrong. Article 93 of the Constitution only says that the Lok Sabha shall choose two of its members to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker. It says nothing about which party gets either post. Giving the Deputy Speaker's post to the Opposition is a convention that has often been followed, but it is not a constitutional rule, and the post has at times stayed vacant. So statement 2 is wrong as well. Option A is wrong because statement 1 is false. Option B is wrong because statement 2 is false. Option C is wrong because both are false. Exam tip: first-past-the-post needs only the highest votes, not a majority; Article 93 elects the Speaker and Deputy Speaker without any party rule.
Practice Questions
View allIn the context of polity, which one of the following would you accept as the most appropriate definition of liberty?
- A.Protection against the tyranny of political rulers
- B.Absence of restraint
- C.Opportunity to do whatever one likes
- D.Opportunity to develop oneself fully
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In political theory, and in the spirit of the Indian Constitution, liberty means positive freedom: the conditions and opportunities a person needs to develop their personality fully.
Read the full explanation →Constitutional government means
- A.a representative government of a nation with federal structure
- B.a government whose Head enjoys nominal powers
- C.a government whose Head enjoys real powers
- D.a government limited by the terms of the Constitution
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Constitutional government means limited government: those in power can act only within the limits that the constitution lays down. The essence of constitutionalism is that state power is restrained by a higher law, so that rights are protected and authority cannot be used arbitrarily.
Read the full explanation →What was the exact constitutional status of India on 26th January, 1950?
- A.A Democratic Republic
- B.A Sovereign Democratic Republic
- C.A Sovereign Secular Democratic Republic
- D.A Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic
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When the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, its Preamble declared India a Sovereign Democratic Republic.
Read the full explanation →With reference to the Constitution of India, consider the following statements : 1. No High Court shall have the jurisdiction to declare any central law to be constitutionally invalid. 2. An amendment to the Constitution of India cannot be called into question by the Supreme Court of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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Both statements deny powers of judicial review that Indian courts clearly hold. Statement 1 is wrong.
Read the full explanation →Under the Indian Constitution, concentration of wealth violates
- A.the Right to Equality
- B.the Directive Principles of State Policy
- C.the Right to Freedom
- D.the Concept of Welfare
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Article 39(c), one of the Directive Principles in Part IV, directs the State to ensure that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment.
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