Prelims 2013 · archive
EasyConsider the following statements:
- 1.The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha are not the members of that House.
- 2.While the nominated members of the two Houses of the Parliament have no voting right in the presidential election, they have the right to vote in the election of the Vice President.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Statement 2 alone is correct, so the answer is (b). The Deputy Chairman is chosen from among the Rajya Sabha's own members, so statement 1 is wrong. The Vice-President is elected by all members of both Houses, nominated members included. The President is elected only by elected members, which makes statement 2 right.
- ✗ 1. The Vice-President is the ex officio Chairman and is not a member of either House (Art. 66(2), 89(1)). The Deputy Chairman, however, is chosen by the Council from among its own members (Art. 89(2)). So the claim fails for the Deputy Chairman.
- ✓ 2. Art. 54 limits the Presidential electoral college to the elected members of Parliament and the State Legislative Assemblies, so nominated members cannot vote. Art. 66(1) makes the Vice-Presidential electoral college all members of both Houses of Parliament, so nominated members can vote.
Remember · President: only elected MPs and MLAs vote. Vice-President: all MPs vote, nominated ones included. The VP is not a member of either House, but the Deputy Chairman is a Rajya Sabha member.
Sources
- Constitution of India, Art. 89 (Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Council of States) ↗ “The Vice- President of India shall be ex officio Chairman of the Council of States. (2) The Council of States shall, as soon as may be, choose a member of the Council to be Deputy Chairman thereof … The Vice-President shall be elected by the 1[members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament] … The President shall be elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of— (a) the elected members of both Houses of Parliament; and (b) the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2013, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·