Indian Politics Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The essential feature of parliamentary government is the accountability of the executive to the legislature.

The ministry is drawn from the legislature and holds office only so long as it retains the confidence of the lower house. An independent judiciary and a written constitution belong to other principles entirely, and Britain, the model parliamentary system, has no written constitution at all.

Answer: C

Correct answer: The 42nd Amendment

The 42nd Amendment of 1976 inserted socialist, secular and integrity into the Preamble, changing the description of India from a “sovereign democratic republic” to a “sovereign socialist secular democratic republic” and the phrase “unity of the nation” to “unity and integrity of the nation”. This is the only amendment ever made to the Preamble, which is what makes it a favourite examination point. It was possible because the Supreme Court held in Kesavananda Bharati that the Preamble is part of the Constitution and can be amended under Article 368, provided the basic structure is not destroyed. That reversed the position taken in Berubari in 1960, where the Preamble had been held not to be part of the Constitution. It is often argued that the two words added nothing, since India was already secular in guaranteeing freedom of religion and treating all faiths equally, and already committed to socialistic goals through the Directive Principles. The amendment made explicit what was implicit.

Answer: B

Correct answer: It is headed by a retired Supreme Court judge

A Delimitation Commission is headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, appointed by the President, and its other members are the Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner nominated by him, and the State Election Commissioner of the state concerned. Its task is to redraw the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies after each census so that each contains, so far as practicable, an equal population, and to determine which seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Its orders have the force of law and, crucially, cannot be called in question in any court - a bar designed to prevent elections being held up by litigation. Four commissions have been constituted, in 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002. The allocation of seats among states remains frozen on 1971 census figures until the first census after 2026, so the 2002 commission redrew boundaries within states without altering any state’s total.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Municipalities

The Twelfth Schedule, inserted by the 74th Amendment in 1992, lists 18 subjects that may be devolved to urban local bodies - among them urban planning, regulation of land use, water supply, public health and sanitation, fire services, slum improvement, urban poverty alleviation and the provision of urban amenities. The 74th Amendment also inserted Part IX-A and provided for three kinds of urban body according to size: a Nagar Panchayat for an area in transition from rural to urban, a Municipal Council for a smaller urban area, and a Municipal Corporation for a larger one. It requires elections every five years, reserves seats for Scheduled Castes and Tribes in proportion to population and not less than one third for women, and provides for Ward Committees in larger municipalities. It also created District Planning Committees and Metropolitan Planning Committees to consolidate the plans of rural and urban bodies. The Eleventh Schedule is its rural counterpart, listing 29 subjects for panchayats.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 26 January 1950

The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, which is celebrated as Republic Day. The date was chosen deliberately. On 26 January 1930 the Indian National Congress had declared Purna Swaraj, complete independence, at its Lahore session, and the anniversary had been observed as Independence Day through the years that followed. Bringing the Constitution into force on that day honoured it. Three dates are commonly confused. The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949, now marked as Constitution Day. It came into force on 26 January 1950. And 15 August 1947 is Independence Day, when the country became a dominion under the Indian Independence Act while still governed by the Government of India Act 1935. It was on 26 January 1950 that India ceased to be a dominion and became a republic, with a President in place of the British monarch as head of state.

Answer: C

Article 368 lays down the procedure for amending the Constitution.

Most amendments need a two-thirds majority of members present and voting in each House and a majority of the total membership; those affecting the federal structure also need ratification by half the state legislatures. The Kesavananda Bharati case held that the power cannot be used to destroy the basic structure.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 9 December 1946

The Constituent Assembly first met on 9 December 1946, in the Constitution Hall in New Delhi, with 207 members present. Dr Sachchidananda Sinha, the oldest member, was chosen as temporary chairman, and Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected permanent President two days later. The Muslim League boycotted the session, pressing its demand for a separate state, and members from the areas that became Pakistan withdrew after partition, which reduced the Assembly’s membership considerably. It was constituted under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, with members elected indirectly by the provincial assemblies. It took two years, eleven months and eighteen days to complete its work, adopting the Constitution on 26 November 1949 and bringing it into force on 26 January 1950. It went on to serve as the provisional Parliament of India until the first general election in 1951–52.

Answer: B

K.C. Wheare called the Indian Constitution quasi-federal.

He meant that it is federal in form but unitary in spirit: the centre can redraw state boundaries, legislate on state subjects in defined circumstances, and take over a state's administration under Article 356.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister, from 15 August 1947 until his death in office in May 1964 - sixteen years and nine months, the longest tenure any Indian Prime Minister has held. His government shaped much of the country’s institutional architecture: the Planning Commission and the Five-Year Plans, a mixed economy with a large public sector, the policy of non-alignment abroad, and the establishment of the IITs and other scientific institutions. The distractors each held a different first. Sardar Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, and led the integration of the princely states. Dr Rajendra Prasad was the first President. Lal Bahadur Shastri was the second Prime Minister, succeeding Nehru in 1964. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President under Article 75, and by convention must be the leader able to command a majority in the Lok Sabha. Indira Gandhi, Nehru’s daughter, became the first woman to hold the office in 1966.

Answer: D

Statements 2 and 4 are correct.

Parliament may legislate on a State List subject if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution by a two-thirds majority declaring it to be in the national interest (Article 249), or during a proclamation of national emergency (Article 250). A presidential direction and a Speaker's certificate are not routes the Constitution provides.