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 ✓ UPSC's answer
Why the answer is (d)
• India uses the first-past-the-post system: the candidate with the most votes wins, even with far less than 50% — so statement 1 is wrong.
• Statement 2 is wrong: the Constitution (Articles 93–94) only provides that the House elects a Speaker and Deputy Speaker; giving the Deputy Speaker's post to the Opposition is a convention since the 11th Lok Sabha, not a constitutional provision.
• Hence neither 1 nor 2, option (d).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) 1 only
- Statement 1 is wrong: no 50% threshold exists in FPTP.
- (b) 2 only
- Statement 2 is wrong: the Deputy Speaker convention is not constitutional.
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- Both statements are wrong.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2017, held on 18 June 2017. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.