Consider the following statements in respect of election to the President of India : 1. The members nominated to either House of the Parliament or the Legislative Assemblies of States are also eligible to be included in the Electoral College. 2. Higher the number of elective Assembly seats, higher is the value of vote of each MLA of that State. 3. The value of vote of each MLA of Madhya Pradesh is greater than that of Kerala. 4. The value of vote of each MLA of Puducherry is higher than that of Arunachal Pradesh because the ratio of total population to total number of elective seats in Puducherry is greater as compared to Arunachal Pradesh. How many of the above statements are correct?
- (a) Only one ✓ UPSC's answer
- (b) Only two
- (c) Only three
- (d) All four
Why the answer is (a)
• Statement 1 is wrong: only elected members of both Houses of Parliament and of State Legislative Assemblies (plus Delhi and Puducherry) form the Electoral College; nominated members are excluded.
• Statement 2 is wrong: an MLA's vote value is the State's population (1971 census) divided by the number of elected MLAs, in thousands — it depends on population per seat, not on the number of seats alone.
• Statement 3 is wrong: the value is 131 for a Madhya Pradesh MLA but 152 for a Kerala MLA, so Kerala's is greater.
• Statement 4 is correct: Puducherry's MLA value (16) exceeds Arunachal Pradesh's (8) because Puducherry has a higher population per seat.
• Hence only one, option (a).
Why the other options are wrong
- (b) Only two
- Only statement 4 is correct; statements 1, 2 and 3 are wrong.
- (c) Only three
- Three statements are wrong.
- (d) All four
- Nominated members are excluded, vote value depends on population per seat, and Kerala's value exceeds MP's.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023, held on 28 May 2023. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.