Question
Consider the following statements in respect of election to the President of India:
1. The members nominated to either House of the Parliament or the Legislative Assemblies of States are also eligible to be included in the Electoral College.
2. Higher the number of elective Assembly seats, higher is the value of vote of each MLA of that State.
3. The value of vote of each MLA of Madhya Pradesh is greater than that of Kerala.
4. The value of vote of each MLA of Puducherry is higher than that of Arunachal Pradesh because the ratio of total population to total number of elective seats in Puducherry is greater as compared to Arunachal Pradesh.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: Nominated members of Parliament or State Assemblies are explicitly excluded from the Presidential electoral college — only elected members count.
Statement 2 is incorrect: A vote’s value actually depends on the ratio of population to elected seats, not simply on how many assembly seats a state has — a state with more seats doesn’t automatically mean a higher per-MLA vote value.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Given Kerala’s higher population-to-seat ratio, each Kerala MLA’s vote is actually worth more than each Madhya Pradesh MLA’s vote — the reverse of what’s claimed.
Statement 4 is correct: Because Puducherry’s population-to-seat ratio is higher than Arunachal Pradesh’s, each Puducherry MLA’s vote genuinely carries more weight — in the 2022 election, this worked out to 16 versus just 8.
With only statement 4 correct, the answer is Option A.