UPSC Prelims 2017 · GS Paper I
Question 86: Polity and Governance
Right to vote and to be elected in India is a
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
The right to vote has its basis in Article 326 of the Constitution, which provides that elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies are held on the basis of adult suffrage, and the Constitution also lays down qualifications for membership of Parliament and the State legislatures (Articles 84 and 173). UPSC treats the right to vote and to be elected as a constitutional right. It is not listed in the Fundamental Rights chapter, and it is not merely a natural right.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong: the right to vote is not in the Fundamental Rights chapter.
- (b) Wrong: a natural right exists independently of the State, but this one is created by the Constitution.
- (c) Right: it rests on constitutional provisions such as Article 326.
- (d) Not UPSC's answer: it is a legal right only in the sense that statutes spell out its details.
Worth knowing: The Supreme Court has in several cases described the right to vote and to contest as statutory rather than constitutional; UPSC's key goes with constitutional.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2017, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.