Election Commission (Indian Polity and Governance)

Total Questions: 55

31. Which Constitutional Amendment reduced the voting age from 21 years to 18 years? [U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2007, 2010, Uttarakhand P.C.S. (Mains) 2006]

Correct Answer: (c) Sixty-first Amendment
Solution:
  •  Article 326 of the Constitution of India deals with elections to the Houses and to the State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of
  • The article before being amended by the 61st Amendment stated that any citizen of India who is 21 years or above, and who is not disqualified on any other arounds such as non-residence, crime, corrupt or illeaal practices or unsoundness of mind. is eliaible to
  • The proposal to reduce the voting age to 18 years was brought about to increase the participation of the youth in the electoral
  • Today, in India about 52 lakh voters are 18 years of age and they do play a decisive role in the outcome of the elections happening

32. Which of the following is concerned with the 61- Amendment of the Indian Constitution? [U.P.P.C.S. (Spl) (Mains) 2008]

Correct Answer: (c) Lowering the age of voters
Solution:
  •  Article 326 of the Constitution of India deals with elections to the Houses and to the State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of
  • The article before being amended by the 61st Amendment stated that any citizen of India who is 21 years or above, and who is not disqualified on any other arounds such as non-residence, crime, corrupt or illeaal practices or unsoundness of mind. is eliaible to
  • The proposal to reduce the voting age to 18 years was brought about to increase the participation of the youth in the electoral
  • Today, in India about 52 lakh voters are 18 years of age and they do play a decisive role in the outcome of the elections happening

33. In which article of the constitution the Adult Suffrage is recognised? [Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2018]

Correct Answer: (c) Article 326
Solution:Article 326 - Elections to the house of the people and to the legislative assemblies of states to be based on adult suffrage.
  •  Article 326 of the Constitution of India deals with elections to the Houses and to the State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of
  • The article before being amended by the 61st Amendment stated that any citizen of India who is 21 years or above, and who is not disqualified on any other arounds such as non-residence, crime, corrupt or illeaal practices or unsoundness of mind. is eliaible to
  • The proposal to reduce the voting age to 18 years was brought about to increase the participation of the youth in the electoral
  • Today, in India about 52 lakh voters are 18 years of age and they do play a decisive role in the outcome of the elections happening

34. Which Article of the Indian Constitution provides right to vote i.e. adult suffrage for electing representatives of Lok Saba and Vidhan Sabha? [U.P. R.O./A.R.O. (Mains) 2017]

Correct Answer: (a) Article 326
Solution:Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RP Act, 1950):
  • Section 16 disqualifies non-citizens from being enrolled in electoral rolls.
  • Section 19 requires voters to be ordinarily resident and aged 18 or more on the qualifying date.

Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RP Act, 1951):

  • Section 62 allows voting for all enrolled individuals unless disqualified by law or imprisoned.
  • These laws form the statutory framework for voting, leading to the view that the right to vote is not absolute but subject to legislative qualifications.

35. According to the Law enacted by Parliament in December 1989, the legal age for a citizen to become major is: [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2000]

Correct Answer: (d) 18 years
Solution:
  •  Article 326 of the Constitution of India deals with elections to the Houses and to the State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of
  • The article before being amended by the 61st Amendment stated that any citizen of India who is 21 years or above, and who is not disqualified on any other arounds such as non-residence, crime, corrupt or illeaal practices or unsoundness of mind. is eliaible to
  • The proposal to reduce the voting age to 18 years was brought about to increase the participation of the youth in the electoral
  • Today, in India about 52 lakh voters are 18 years of age and they do play a decisive role in the outcome of the elections happening

36. The Principles for election to the State Legislatures include: [U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2011]

1. It will be on the basis of adult suffrage.

2. There will be only one electoral roll for every territorial constituency.

3. Religion, Race, Sex, etc., will have no place in the formation of the electoral roll.

4. The political parties will be free to have their norms.

Select the correct answer from the given code:

Code:

Correct Answer: (d) All the four
Solution:According to the Constitution 61st Amendment Act, 1988 all adults of 18 years age have the Right to Vote. There is no distinction on the basis religion, race, sex, etc. There will be only one electoral list for every territorial constituency, and the political parties can establish their own norms.

The Legislative Assembly is the popularly elected chamber and is the real Centre of power in a State. The maximum strength of an assembly must not exceed 500 or its minimum strength fall below 60. But some of the States have been allowed to have smaller Legislative
The territorial constituencies demarcation should be done as far as possible, such that the ratio between the population of each constituency and the number of seats allotted to it is the same all over the State.
Apart from these general provisions, there are also special provisions with respect to the representation of SC and ST. In case the Governor feels that the Anglo-Indian community is not adequately represented, he can nominate one member of that community to the assembly.

37. If 'One Nation One Election' is to be realized in India, which Article of the Indian Constitution will require an amendment? [67th B.P.S.C. (Pre) (Re-Exam), 2022]

Correct Answer: (e) None of the above/More than one of the above
Solution:'One Nation, One Election' is to be realized in India, a constitutional amendment may be needed in Articles 83, 85, 172, 174 and 356. Thus correct option is (e).
  • The implementation of the One Nation, One Election policy is not feasible within the current constitutional framework. To enable this policy, certain essential amendments to the Constitution are necessary, including:
  • Article 83: Concerning the duration of the Houses of Parliament, amendments are required to fix the tenure and timing for the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
  • Article 85: Pertaining to sessions, prorogation, and dissolution of Parliament, clear guidelines must be established to prevent arbitrary or ambiguous dissolution of sessions.
  • Article 172: Governing the duration of State Legislatures, amendments are needed to synchronize their tenure with that of the Lok Sabha.
  • Article 174: Similar to Article 85, this article deals with sessions, prorogation, and dissolution of State Legislatures. Amendments are required to standardize procedures and timelines.
  • These amendments are critical to harmonize the electoral processes at both the central and state levels, ensuring the successful implementation of the policy.

38. Which one of the following statements regarding Exit Poll is correct? [I.A.S. (Pre) 1994]

Correct Answer: (a) Exit Poll is a term used to denote a post-election survey of voters regarding the candidates in whose favour they had exercised their franchise
Solution:Exit Poll is a term used to denote a post-election survey of voters regarding the candidates in whose favour they had exercised their franchise. The Opinion Poll is conducted by different survey agencies before the elections to know public views regarding the elections.

Limitations of Exit Poll

  • These surveys can be influenced by the choice, wording and timing of the questions.
  • Prone to error: It relies on a random sample, may not be the true representative of the electorate.
  • Non-response bias: Not all selected voters in the sample genuinely participate and respond.
  • Volatility of Voter behaviour: Last-minute voter sentiment changes can affect predicted election results.
  • Absentee Voters: It does not cover absentee voters, who may vote through postal ballots.

39. What is the total number of electors in Lok Sabha elections of 2009 in Million ?(1 million = 10 Lakh). [U.P. Lower Sub. (Spl) (Pre) 2004]

Correct Answer: (c) 714
Solution:The total number of electors in the Lok Sabha election of 2009 was 714 million.
  • The Lok Sabha is the Lower House of India's bicameral Parliament.
  • Literally meaning the "House of the People", the Lok Sabha has been envisaged as the House of the Parliament, composed of directly elected representatives of the Indian populace.
  • In the Indian Constitutional Framework, it has been assigned a pivotal role in the legislative process, including the enactment of laws, the formulation of the Union budget, and the articulation of the democratic will of the people.

40. Consider the following statements :

1. In India, there is no law restricting the candidates from contesting in one Lok Sabha election from three constituencies.

2. In 1991 Lok Sabha Election, Shri Devi Lal contested from three Lok Sabha constituencies.

3. As per the existing rules, if a candidate contests in one Lok Sabha election from many constituencies, his/her party should bear the cost of by-elections to the constituencies vacated by him/her in the event of him/her winning in all the constituencies.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

 

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:According to Section 33 of the Representation of People Act 1951:

A person shall not be nominated as a candidate for election -

(a) in the case of a general election to the House of the People, from more than two Parliamentary constituencies;

(b) in the case of a general election to the Legislative Assembly of a State, from more than two Assembly constituencies in that State;

Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.

In 1991 Lok Sabha Election, Shri Devi Lal contested from three Lok Sabha constituencies. In response to in 1996, the Representation of the People Act, 1951, was amended. Hence, whenever the leader have won more than one, the candidates have retained only one, forcing bypolls in the rest. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

9There is no such provision in the rules like, "if a candidate contests in one Lok Sabha election from many constituencies, his/her party should bear the cost of bye - elections to the constituencies vacated by him/her in the event of him/her winning in all the constituencies." Hence statement 3 is incorrect.