The quorum to constitute a sitting of the Lok Sabha is _____ of the total number of members of the house.
- A.One-half
- B.Two-thirds
- C.One-sixth
- D.One-tenth
Show answer
Correct answer: D. One-tenth
Explanation
The correct answer is One-tenth. Under Article 100(3), the quorum to constitute a meeting of either House of Parliament is one-tenth of the total number of members of the House, including the Speaker or the person acting as presiding officer. In the 543-member Lok Sabha that means about 55 members must be present. If there is no quorum, the presiding officer must adjourn the House or suspend the meeting until there is one.
The other fractions belong to other rules. One-half, that is a simple majority, is how ordinary decisions are taken. Two-thirds is part of the special majority needed for constitutional amendments, for approving a National Emergency and for removing judges. One-sixth has no role at all. The same one-tenth figure turns up elsewhere too, which makes it easy to remember: a party needs one-tenth of the seats for its leader to be recognised as Leader of the Opposition, and one-tenth of the Lok Sabha's members can demand a special sitting to disapprove an emergency.