Consider the following statements:
- 1.In India, there is no law restricting the candidates from contesting in one Lok Sabha election from three constituencies.
- 2.In 1991 Lok Sabha Election, Shri Devi Lal contested from three Lok Sabha constituencies.
- 3.As per the existing rules, if a candidate contests in one Lok Sabha election from many constituencies, his/her party should bear the cost of bye-elections to the constituencies vacated by him/her in the event of him/her winning in all the constituencies.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Why UPSC dropped it · explanation
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation in its final answer key.
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation in its final answer key. The facts it tests: since a 1996 amendment, Section 33(7) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 lets a person contest from at most two constituencies in a general election, and no rule makes a candidate's party pay for the resulting bye-election.
- ✗ 1. There is a law: Section 33(7) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 allows a person to contest a general election from a maximum of two constituencies. It was inserted by a 1996 amendment; before that there was no limit.
- • 2. This is a point of election history, not of law, and it is left unjudged in this write-up; UPSC dropped the question from evaluation anyway.
- ✗ 3. No existing rule makes the party bear the cost. The Election Commission has only proposed that, if two-seat contests continue, the candidate (not the party) should pay for the bye-election to the seat he or she vacates.
Remember · Section 33(7), RPA 1951 (since 1996): a person may contest from a maximum of two constituencies. Under Section 70, a person winning both must leave one seat.
Sources
- Election Commission of India, Proposed Electoral Reforms (December 2016), Ch V: Section 33(7) of the RP Act, 1951 (copy hosted by ADR) ↗ · reference work “allows a person to contest a general election or a group of bye-elections or biennial elections from a maximum of two constituencies … Sub-section (7) was introduced through a 1996 amendment, prior to which there was no bar on the number of constituencies from which a candidate could contest. … in case the existing provisions are to be retained, a candidate contesting from two seats should bear the cost of the bye- election to the seat that the contestant decides to vacate”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·