The Prime Minister of India, at the time of his/her appointment:

Answer: (a) Need not necessarily be a member of one of the Houses of the Parliament but must become a member of one of the Houses within six months

The Constitution does not require the Prime Minister to be an MP when appointed. Article 75(5) says a Minister who is not a member of either House for six consecutive months ceases to be a Minister. So a non-member PM must enter either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha within six months.

• ✓ (a) Article 75(1) only says the President appoints the PM. Article 75(5) allows a non-member to stay in office for six consecutive months, so the person must join either House within that time.
• ✗ (b) The Constitution does not require the Lok Sabha specifically. Membership of either House is enough, and Rajya Sabha members such as Manmohan Singh have served as PM.
• ✗ (c) Prior membership at the time of appointment is not mandatory. Article 75(5) gives a six-month window.
• ✗ (d) Nothing in Article 75 limits the PM to the Lok Sabha, and a person who is not yet a member can be appointed.

Remember · Article 75(5): any Minister, including the PM, must become a member of either House of Parliament within six consecutive months. The Lok Sabha is not compulsory.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error