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?
Correct Answer: Option A
The President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of:
- Elected members of both Houses of Parliament.
- Elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States (MLAs).
- Elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry.
Nominated members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies are NOT part of the electoral college.
Statement 1 is not correct: Nominated members are not eligible to be included in the Electoral College.
The value of an MLA's vote is determined by the formula: Population of the state / (1000 x Total number of elected members in the State Legislative Assembly).
Statement 2 is not correct: Higher the number of elective Assembly seats, lower is the value of vote of each MLA.
The Constitution (Eighty-fourth) Amendment Act, 2001 froze the population figures used for calculating the value of votes to the 1971 census until the first census after 2026 is published.
As per the established formula, the vote values for MLAs in different states are:
- Madhya Pradesh: 131
- Kerala: 152
- Arunachal Pradesh: 8
- Puducherry: 16
Statement 3 is not correct: The value of vote of each MLA of Madhya Pradesh (131) is less than that of Kerala (152).
Statement 4 is correct: The value of vote of each MLA of Puducherry (16) is higher than that of Arunachal Pradesh (8).
Hence, only statement 4 is correct.