Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is 1, 2, 4

Key Points

• Schedule 3 enriched Forms of oaths and Affirmations of offices for elected officials including judges.
• It contains the forms of oath and affirmation for:
  • Union Ministers of India
  • Parliament Election Candidates
  • Members of Parliament (MPs)
  • Supreme Court Judges
  • Comptroller and Auditor General
  • State Ministers
  • State Legislature Elections Candidates
  • State Legislature Members
  • High Court Judges

Additional Information

• First Schedule contains the Lists of the states and territories of India (also about their changes).
• The second Schedule lists the salaries of officials holding public office, Presidents, judges, and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
• The fourth Schedule contains the Allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of Parliament) per State or Union Territory.
• The fifth Schedule includes the Provisions as to the Administration and Control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes.
• The sixth Schedule includes the Provisions as to the Administration of Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
• The seventh Schedule contains The Union (central government), state, and concurrent lists of responsibilities.
• 8^th, 9^th, 11^th and 12^th Schedule contains the Languages, Validation of certain Acts and Regulations, Panchayat Raj (rural local government), and Municipalities (urban local government) respectively.
• The tenth Schedule enriched "Anti-defection" provisions for the Members of Parliament and the Members of the State Legislatures.

The correct answer is Dr. Sampurnanand. 

Key Points

The correct answer is President.

Key Points

• Inter-State Council is a constitutional body set up on the basis of provisions in Article 263 of the Constitution of India by a Presidential Order dated 28th May 1990 on the recommendation of the Sarkaria Commission.

Additional Information 

• Article 263 of the Indian Constitution envisages the establishment of an institutional mechanism to facilitate coordination of policies and their implementation between the Union and the State Governments.
• Prime Minister is the Chairman of the Inter-state Council.
• Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories having Legislative Assemblies, Administrators of Union Territories not having Legislative Assemblies, Governors of States under President’s rule and six Ministers of Cabinet rank in the Union Council of Ministers (nominated by the Chairman of the Council) are members of the Council.
• Five Ministers of Cabinet rank nominated by the Chairman of the Council are permanent invitees to the Council.

The correct answer is Election Commission.

Important Points  In India, the political parties are given ‘recognition’ by the Election Commission of India.

• Election Commission of India:
  • The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India.
  • The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Assemblies in India, and the offices of the President and Vice President in the country.
  • Part XV of the Indian constitution deals with elections and establishes a commission for these matters.
  • The Election Commission was established in accordance with the Constitution on 25th January 1950.
  • Article 324 to 329 of the constitution deals with powers, function, tenure, eligibility, etc of the commission and the member.
• Articles related to Elections:

Key Points

•  Functions of ECI:
  • Election Commission of India superintendents, direct and control the entire process of conducting elections to Parliament and Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India.
  • The most important function of the commission is to decide the election schedules for the conduct of periodic and timely elections, whether general or bye-elections.
  • It prepares the electoral roll, issues Electronic Photo Identity Card (EPIC).
  • It decides on the location of polling stations, assignment of voters to the polling stations, location of counting centers, arrangements to be made in and around polling stations and counting centers, and all allied matters.
  • It grants recognition to political parties & allots election symbols to them along with settling disputes related to it.
  • The Commission also has advisory jurisdiction in the matter of post-election disqualification of sitting members of Parliament and State Legislatures.
  • It issues the Model Code of Conduct in elections for political parties and candidates so that no one indulges in unfair practice or there is no arbitrary abuse of powers by those in power.
  • It sets limits of campaign expenditure per candidate to all the political parties and also monitors the same.

The correct answer is 2 only.

Key Points

• The first statement is not correct because it talks about the chairman as well as the deputy chairman.
  • The Vice-President of India is ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha.
  • Rajya Sabha also chooses from amongst its members, a Deputy Chairman.​
  • ​Hence statement 1 is not correct.
• President: Elected members of parliament (MPs from Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha).
  • Elected members of State legislative members, including that of NCT of Delhi and Pondicherry.
• Vice President: Vice President is elected indirectly, by an electoral college consisting of members of both houses of the Parliament.
  • Hence statement 2 is correct.

​​​Additional Information

• Special Powers of Rajya Sabha
  • The Upper House also has some special powers, such as:
    • Power to transfer a subject from the State List to Union List for a specified period (Article 249).
    • To create additional All-India Services (Article 312).
    • To endorse Emergency under Article 352 for a limited period when the Lok Sabha remains dissolved.