Q. Consider the following statements:
1.All the members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected on the basis of Universal Adult Suffrage.
2.The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among the States.
3.The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act of 2023 reserved one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement I is Correct: According to Article 326 of the Constitution, the elections to the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and the Legislative Assembly of every State shall be on the basis of Universal Adult Suffrage. This means every citizen who is not less than 18 years of age (reduced from 21 by the 61st Amendment Act, 1988) has the right to vote directly.
Statement II is Incorrect: The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution deals exclusively with the allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) to the States and Union Territories. The allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha is determined based on population under Article 81 and the provisions of the Delimitation Acts.
Statement III is Correct: The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 (also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) introduced Article 330A, which provides for the reservation of one-third of all elected seats for women in the Lok Sabha. It also includes a “quota within a quota” for women belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). However, this reservation will only come into effect after the publication of the next census and the subsequent delimitation exercise.
