PYQ Question

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?

March 12, 2026 en

A. Only one
B. Only two
C. All three
D. All four

Answer: A

Explanation

Let’s analyze each statement regarding the Indian Presidential election:
1. **Statement 1**: Incorrect. The Electoral College for the President consists only of *elected* members of both Houses of Parliament and *elected* members of the Legislative Assemblies of States and Union Territories (Delhi and Puducherry). Nominated members are explicitly excluded.
2. **Statement 2**: Incorrect. The value of an MLA’s vote is calculated as: (Population of the State / Total number of elected MLAs in the State) ÷ 1000. Therefore, if the number of elective Assembly seats (denominator) is higher, the value of each MLA’s vote will be *lower*, assuming the population remains constant.
3. **Statement 3**: Incorrect. Based on the 1971 census (which is used for this calculation), the value of an MLA’s vote for Kerala is 152, while for Madhya Pradesh, it is 131. Thus, Kerala’s MLA vote value is greater than Madhya Pradesh’s.
4. **Statement 4**: Correct. The value of an MLA’s vote for Puducherry is 16, and for Arunachal Pradesh, it is 8. This is indeed because the ratio of total population (1971 census) to the total number of elective seats in Puducherry is greater compared to Arunachal Pradesh, resulting in a higher vote value per MLA.
Therefore, only one statement is correct. This question requires detailed knowledge of the Presidential election process, a fundamental topic in UPSC Polity & Governance.