Indian Politics Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The share elected by local bodies is 1/3.

Article 171(3) fixes the composition of a Legislative Council: one-third elected by members of local bodies such as municipalities and district boards, one-twelfth by graduates, one-twelfth by teachers, one-third by the members of the Legislative Assembly, and the rest (about one-sixth) nominated by the Governor.

1/12 is the graduates' or the teachers' share, so it is the near miss. 1/2 and 1/5 are not shares in the article.

Answer: A

The answer is (a), (b), (c), (d), all four.

Section 17(3) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 lets the Governor remove the State Chief Information Commissioner by order if he is adjudged an insolvent, is convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude, engages in paid employment outside his duties during his term, is in the Governor's opinion unfit to continue because of infirmity of mind or body, or acquires financial or other interests likely to affect his functions prejudicially.

Each of the four listed circumstances is in that section, so every option that drops one of them is incomplete.

Answer: D

The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 years.

The Constitution (Sixty-first Amendment) Act, 1988 amended Article 326 to reduce the voting age for elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 21 to 18 years. It came into force in March 1989.

The ages of 19, 16 and 17 have never been the voting age under the Constitution.

Answer: D

All four are recommendations, so the answer is a, b, c and d.

The Ashok Mehta Committee (1977-78) recommended replacing the three-tier system with a two-tier system of Zila Parishad and Mandal Panchayat, making the district the first point of decentralisation below the state, reservation of seats for SCs and STs in proportion to their population, and official participation of political parties in Panchayat elections.

Each partial option leaves out at least one of these, so none of them is complete.

Answer: C

The responsibility not conferred is management of law and order.

Article 243W, inserted by the 74th Amendment, lets state legislatures endow municipalities with powers to prepare plans for economic development and social justice and to implement schemes, including those on the 18 matters of the Twelfth Schedule. Article 243X lets them authorise municipalities to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees.

Law and order, that is police and public order, remains a state subject and is not among the municipal functions.

Answer: C

The state executive consists of the Governor, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers, Advocate General.

Part VI, Chapter II of the Constitution, 'The Executive', provides for the Governor (Articles 153-162), the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister (Articles 163-164) and the Advocate General (Article 165).

Option A leaves out the Governor and Advocate General. The Chief Justice of the High Court belongs to the judiciary, and the Vice President is part of the Union, not the state.

Answer: A

The answer accepted is the Chief Election Commissioner, standing for the Election Commission of India.

Under Section 13A of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, each state's Chief Electoral Officer is an officer of the state government designated or nominated by the Election Commission in consultation with that government. The CEO supervises electoral rolls and the conduct of elections in the state under the Commission's control.

The Governor appoints the State Election Commissioner, who conducts panchayat and municipal elections, a different office. Neither the Chief Justice of a High Court nor the Chief Justice of India appoints election officers.

Answer: C

Constitutional status was given to municipalities by the 74th Amendment Act.

The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992, in force from 1 June 1993, added Part IX-A, 'The Municipalities' (Articles 243-P to 243-ZG), and the Twelfth Schedule listing 18 municipal functions.

Its twin, the 73rd Amendment Act, did the same for panchayats (Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule), which is the usual confusion. The 92nd Amendment (2003) added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali to the Eighth Schedule, and the 75th (1993) provided for rent control tribunals.

Answer: D

Part IX consists of Articles 243 to 243 O.

Part IX, 'The Panchayats', was inserted by the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992. It runs from Article 243 (definitions) through 243-A (Gram Sabha), 243-B (constitution of panchayats) and so on to 243-O, which bars courts from interfering in electoral matters.

Articles 243-P to 243-ZG form Part IX-A, 'The Municipalities', added by the 74th Amendment. Articles 168 to 212 deal with the State Legislature, and Articles 214 to 231 with the High Courts, so those options are from Part VI.

Answer: D

The 7th Amendment facilitated the appointment of the same person as a Governor for two or more states.

The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, which carried out the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines, added a proviso to Article 153 allowing one person to be appointed Governor of two or more states.

The same Act also allowed a common High Court for two or more states (Article 231), which is not the same as appointing one judge to several High Courts. State Election Commissioners came with the 73rd and 74th Amendments in 1992, and there is no provision for one Advocate General serving two states.