Q. With respect to the composition of the State Legislative Assembly (SLA), consider the following statements:
1. The constitution of India fixes both the maximum as well as the minimum strength of the State Legislative Assemblies.
2. Governor of the state can nominate two members who have legal expertise, to the state legislative assembly.
3. The total number of assembly seats in each state is decided by the Parliament.
4. The 97th Constitutional Amendment Act provided for the delimitation of constituencies based on the 2011 census.
How many of the above given statements is/ are correct?
Exp) Option b is the correct answer.
The legislative assembly consists of representatives directly elected by the people on the basis of universal adult franchise.
Statement 1 is correct: The constitution of India fixes both the maximum as well as the minimum strength of the SLA. Article 170 fixes maximum strength of the State Legislative Assembly at 500 and minimum strength at 60. However, in case of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Goa, the minimum number is fixed at 30 and in case of Mizoram and Nagaland, it is 40 and 46 respectively.
Statement 2 is incorrect: There is no such provision. As per the Original constitution, the Governor can nominate one member (President can nominate two members) from the Anglo-Indian community. But the recent Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Amendment) Act, 2019 passed by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, ended the provision for nomination of Anglo Indians (both by Governor as well as the President).
Statement 3 is correct: After each census, a readjustment is to be made in the total number of assembly seats in each state and the division of each state into territorial constituencies. The Parliament is empowered to determine the total number of assembly seats in each state.
Statement 4 is incorrect: The 97th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA) is not related to demarcation of constituencies. The 87th CAA 2003 provided for the delimitation of constituencies on the basis of 2001 census.
