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UPSC CSE Prelims 2017 · GS Paper I · Question 86 · Elections, rights issues & governance

भारत में मताधिकार और निर्वाचित होने का अधिकार

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2017, General Studies Paper I, Question 86 — Elections, rights issues & governance.

Prelims 2017 · Q86

Elections, rights issues & governance Medium

भारत में मताधिकार और निर्वाचित होने का अधिकार

Read this question in English

Right to vote and to be elected in India is a

(a) Fundamental Right · (b) Natural Right · (c) Constitutional Right · (d) Legal Right

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (c) संवैधानिक अधिकार है

The right to vote comes from the Constitution itself: Article 326 says elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies rest on adult suffrage. It is therefore a constitutional right, but it is not one of the Fundamental Rights, which are listed in Part III (Articles 12 to 35).

  • ✓ (c) Article 326 gives every citizen who is of the prescribed age and not otherwise disqualified the right to vote. Citizens equally have the right to stand for election, subject to age and other conditions set by law.
  • ✗ (a) Article 326 sits in the part of the Constitution on elections, not in Part III on Fundamental Rights, so the right to vote cannot be enforced as a Fundamental Right.
  • ✗ (b) A natural right is one a person is said to hold irrespective of any law. Here the right is created and regulated by the Constitution and election laws.
  • ✗ (d) A legal (statutory) right rests on an ordinary Act. The right to vote is anchored in the Constitution, although the conditions are worked out by laws such as the Representation of the People Act.

Remember · Right to vote (Art. 326, adult suffrage): a constitutional right, not a Fundamental Right.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE Prelims 2017, Q86 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/prelims/2017/q86

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