Question

The President of India is elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of the elected members of:

• A. both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of States
• B. both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of States and the Union Territories of Delhi and Pondicherry
• C. the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of States only
• D. the elected members of the Legislative Assembly of States and the Union Territories of Delhi and Pondicherry only

Hint:

Remember two key rules for the Presidential election: 1. Only elected members vote (no nominated members allowed). 2. The voting pool includes both Houses of Parliament, all State Assemblies, plus the UTs of Delhi and Puducherry.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Concept: The election process for the President of India is an indirect vote regulated under Article 54 of the Constitution, which defines the composition of the Presidential Electoral College.

Step 1: Breaking down the components of Article 54.
According to Article 54, the Electoral College responsible for voting in a presidential election includes:
• The elected members from both houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha).
• The elected members from the Legislative Assemblies (Vidhan Sabhas) of all the States. Nominated members from any house are excluded from this voting pool.

Step 2: Factoring in the 70th Constitutional Amendment Act.
The 70th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 expanded the electoral college to include elected members from the Legislative Assemblies of the Union Territories of Delhi and Pondicherry (Puducherry).

Step 3: Comparing the completeness of the options.
Option (A) omits the Union Territories, while Options (C) and (D) leave out members of Parliament entirely. Only Option (B) lists all required components of the presidential electoral college, making it the correct answer.