This page lists 11 previous year UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination (General Studies Paper-I) questions on President (Polity), asked between 1996 to 2023. Choose an option to see the correct answer and the full explanation on the same page.
Showing 1–10 of 11 questions
UPSC 2023Polity · President
Q1. 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: As per Article 54 of the Constitution, the President of India is elected by the Members of an Electoral College consisting of:
The elected members of both Houses of Parliament.
The elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of all States [including the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry]. The Members nominated to either House of Parliament or the Legislative Assemblies of States, including NCT of Delhi and Union Territory of Puducherry, are not eligible to be included in the Electoral College.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The higher the number of elective Assembly seats, the higher the value of the vote of each MLA of that State is not always true as it depends on the ratio of the total population to the total number of elective seats.
Statement 3 is incorrect: The value of the vote of each MLA of Madhya Pradesh is less than that of Kerala, as it depends on the ratio of the total population to the total number of elective seats.
Statement 4 is correct: Based on the ratio of the total population to the total number of elective seats in the State value of the vote of each MLA of Puducherry is higher than that of Arunachal Pradesh.
UPSC 2023Polity · President
Q2. Consider the following statements: 1. If the election of the President of India is declared void by the Supreme Court of India, all acts done by him/ her in the performance of duties of his/her office of President before the date of decision become invalid. 2. Elections for the post of the President of India can be postponed on the ground that some Legislative Assemblies have been dissolved and elections are yet to take place. 3. When a Bill is presented to the President of India, the Constitution prescribes time limits within which he/ she has to declare his/her assent. How many of the above statements are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: If the election of a person as President is declared void by the Supreme Court, acts done by him before the date of such declaration of the Supreme Court are not invalidated and continue to remain in force.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Where an assembly is dissolved, the members cease to be qualified to vote in Presidential elections, even if fresh elections to the dissolved assembly are not held before the Presidential elections.
Statement 3 is incorrect: When a bill is sent to the President after it has been passed by the Parliament, he can give his assent to the bill, withhold his assent to the bill or return the bill (if it is not a money bill) for reconsideration of the Parliament. No time limit has been fixed by the Constitution within which the President has to give his/her assent to the bill.
Exam tip:
S1 is an extreme statement and violates common sense. The President performs major constitutional functions -- signing laws, appointments, pardons, etc. If those be-come invalid, it would create a constitutional crisis. So logically, such actions must be protected retroactively. For S2, Use this guiding test: "Does this condition make the whole system hostage to one state’s situation?" If yes That’s logically faulty for a pan-India constitutional post like the President. For S3, If the Constitution had set time limits, there’d be no controversy over "pocket veto" (where President takes no action). The fact that such debates happen = Time limits don’t exist. Hence all three are likely false.
UPSC 2018Polity · President
Q3. With reference to the election of the President of India, consider the following statements: 1. The value of the vote of each MLA varies from State to State. 2. The value of the vote of MPs of the Lok Sabha is more than the value of the vote of MPs of the Rajya Sabha. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
The President of India is elected indirectly by the Electoral College and it is conducted in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.
Statement 1 is correct: The President of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of:
1. Elected members of the two Houses of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of the States
2. States includes national capital territory of Delhi and the Union territory of Pondicherry The value of votes of MLAs would differ from State to State as it is based on population criterion and population of each state has a different value.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The value of vote of each MP is the same whether it is Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. There shall be uniformity in the scale of representation of the different states at the election of the President as follows:
Value of vote of an MLA of a state:
(Population of state / Total number of elected members of state legislative assembly) * 100 Value of vote of an MP: (Total value of votes of MLA’s of all states/ Total number of elected members parliament) * 100
UPSC 2015Polity · President
Q4. Consider the following statements: 1. The Executive Power of the Union of India is vested in the Prime Minister. 2. The Prime Minister is the ex Officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: As per the Article 53(1), the executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with this Constitution.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Cabinet Secretary is the top-most executive official and senior-most civil servant of the Government of India and he/she is the ex-officio head of the Civil Services Board.
UPSC 2014Polity · President
Q5. Consider the following statements: 1. The President shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business. 2. All executive actions of the Government of India shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the Prime Minister. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
The executive organ of government is responsible for implementing and enforcing laws and policies enacted by the legislature. It is typically headed by the President or Prime Minister and includes various government departments and agencies.
Statement 1 is correct: India follows a Parliamentary type of Government in which the President is the constitutional head of the state. He is the Executive head of India. Article 77(3) of the Indian Constitution says that the President shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Article 77(1) of the Indian Constitution lays down all executive action of the Government of India shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the President.
Exam tip:
S2 aligns with Function-person/organisation/ministry match trap as its easy to manipulate to make it false. Is it PM or President?
UPSC 2012Polity · President
Q6. According to the Constitution of India, it is the duty of the President of India to cause to be laid before the Parliament which of the following? 1. The Recommendation of the Union Finance Commission. 2. The Report of the Public Accounts Committee. 3. The Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. 4. The Report of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Explanation
India follows a Parliamentary type of Government in which the President is the constitutional head of the state. He is the Executive head of India and all the executive powers of the Union shall be vested in him. The President lays Reports and Statements before the parliament of the following bodies:
Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General Annual report of UPSC Reports of Finance Commission. Reports of Special officers of SC & ST Report of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Report of the National Commission of Backward Classes.
UPSC 2003Polity · President
Q7. Under which Article of the Indian Constitution did the President give his assent to the ordinance on electoral reforms when it was sent back to him by the Union Cabinet without making any changes (in the year 2002)?
Explanation
Option (a) is incorrect: Article 121 prohibits parliamentary discussions on judges’ conduct except during removal motions.
Option (b) is incorrect: Article 122 prohibits courts from questioning parliamentary procedures and conduct of business within Parliament.
Option (c) is correct: Article 123 allows the President to issue ordinances when Parliament is not in session, giving them the same effect as laws. These ordinances are issued based on the Council of Ministers’ advice, as outlined in Article 74.
Option (d) is incorrect: Article 124 outlines the establishment, appointment, and tenure of Supreme Court judges.
UPSC 2003Polity · President
Q8. Under which Article of the Indian Constitution did the President make a reference to the Supreme Court to seek the Court’s opinion on the Constitutional validity of the Election Commission’s decision on deferring the Gujarat Assembly Elections (in the year 2002)?
Explanation
Article 143 allows the President to seek the Supreme Court’s advice on legal questions or public matters. The President can also refer disputes from treaties or agreements for the Court’s opinion.
Option (b) is correct: The President sought the Supreme Court’s opinion under Article 143 on deferring Gujarat Assembly Elections.
Option (a), (c) and (d) are incorrect:
Article 142 empowers the Supreme Court to pass any order necessary for doing complete justice in any case. Article 144 mandates that all authorities in India assist in implementing Supreme Court orders and decrees. Article 145 allows the Supreme Court to frame rules for regulating its practices and procedures.
UPSC 2003Polity · President
Q9. Consider the following statements: In the electoral college for Presidential Election in India, 1. The value of the vote of an elected Member of Legislative Assembly equals State Population × 100 = Number of Elected MLAs of the State 2. The value of the vote of an elected Member of Parliament equals to total value of the votes of all elected MLA’s divided by total number of elected MP’s 3. There were more than 5000 members in the latest elections. Which of these statements is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: The formula: The value of the vote of an elected Member of Legislative Assembly equals = [{State Population / (Number of Elected MLAs of the state} X 1000]. Thus the equation should have 1000 at the place of multiplication not 100.
Statement 2 is correct: The statement is slightly incorrect because the value of vote of an elected member of the Parliament equals the total value of the votes of all elected MLAs divided by total number of elected MPs.
Statement 3 is incorrect: For the 2003 question the latest Presidential election was held in 2002 which had 4896 electors.
UPSC 1997Polity · President
Q10. In the Presidential election in India, every elected member of the Legislative Assembly of a State shall have as many votes as there are multiples of one thousand in the quotient obtained by dividing the population of the State by the total number of the elected members of the Assembly. As at present the expression "population" here means the population as ascertained by the: (1997)
Explanation
The formula for electing the President of India considers each state’s population and the number of elected members in the state’s Legislative Assembly. In 1997 R K Narayanan with nearly 95% defeated T N Seshan who got nearly 5% vote. The census used in the election was 1971 due to complex interplay of politics and constitutional provisions. Even the Presidential election 2022 used the 1971 census. The 84th Constitutional Amendment act 2001 froze the use of census data from 1971 till 2026.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
2023
(a) Only one
2
2023
(d) None
3
2018
(a) 1 only
4
2015
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
5
2014
(a) 1 only
6
2012
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
7
2003
(c) Article 123
8
2003
(b) Article 143
9
2003
(b) Only 2
10
1997
(c) 1971 Census
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on President?
This page covers 11 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on President (Polity), asked between 1996 to 2023. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for President?
Questions on President (Polity) are available for 8 years, from 1996 to 2023. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
