UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — General Elections and bye-elections 2026: Assured Minimum Facilities and Voter Assistance to be provided at All Polling Stations
Q1. Exercising its plenary powers of superintendence, direction and control of elections under Article 324, the Election Commission of India directed that Assured Minimum Facilities (AMFs) be provided at how many polling stations for the 2026 General Elections to Legislative Assemblies and the accompanying bye-elections?
- A. 1,18,807 polling stations
- B. 2,18,807 polling stations
- C. 75,064 polling stations
- D. 10.5 lakh polling stations
Q2. In the context of the ECI's authority to issue binding directions such as the AMF mandate, what does the 'plenary power of superintendence, direction and control' under Article 324 most precisely mean?
- A. The wide residuary power to issue directions and fill the void where enacted election law is silent, so as to ensure free and fair elections
- B. The power to enact election laws that take effect only after ratification by Parliament
- C. An advisory power that can be exercised only with the prior approval of the President of India
- D. A power confined to the delimitation of constituencies and allotment of seats
Q3. The ECI's 2026 Assured Minimum Facilities checklist enumerates how many baseline facilities to be provided at every polling station (counting drinking water, waiting area with shade, toilet with water facility, adequate lighting, ramp for PwD electors, standard voting compartment and proper signage)?
- A. Five
- B. Six
- C. Seven
- D. Nine
Q4. With reference to the Assured Minimum Facilities directives for the Bihar 2025 elections and the 2026 General Elections to Legislative Assemblies, consider the following statements:
1. Both directives provide for a mobile phone deposit facility just outside the entrance of the polling station.
2. The 2026 AMF list includes a ramp of proper gradient for PwD electors, drinking water and proper signage.
3. Unlike the Bihar 2025 directive, the 2026 AMF list omits the ramp for PwD electors.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Both directives provide for a mobile phone deposit facility just outside the entrance of the polling station.
- The 2026 AMF list includes a ramp of proper gradient for PwD electors, drinking water and proper signage.
- Unlike the Bihar 2025 directive, the 2026 AMF list omits the ramp for PwD electors.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. The optional home-voting (postal ballot) facility, availed by over 2.37 lakh electors in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry during the 2026 elections, is provided under which provision of the Representation of the People Act, 1951?
- A. Section 20
- B. Section 25
- C. Section 60(c)
- D. Section 62
Q6. The following are listed as States/UT going to full general elections to their Legislative Assemblies in the 2026 cycle:
1. Assam
2. Tamil Nadu
3. West Bengal
4. Bihar
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified?
- Assam
- Tamil Nadu
- West Bengal
- Bihar
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 3 and 4
Q7. The Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme, the umbrella for voter facilitation and education, is operationalised solely by which body?
- A. The Election Commission of India
- B. The Ministry of Education
- C. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
- D. The Ministry of Home Affairs
Q8. With reference to the SVEEP programme of the Election Commission of India, consider the following statements:
1. It was launched by the ECI as a national voter-education programme following the 2009 general elections.
2. It identifies the gender gap, youth disconnect and urban apathy as key electoral-participation challenges.
3. It is a statutory programme established under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- It was launched by the ECI as a national voter-education programme following the 2009 general elections.
- It identifies the gender gap, youth disconnect and urban apathy as key electoral-participation challenges.
- It is a statutory programme established under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q9. For the 2026 Assembly elections, senior-citizen electors must have attained at least what age to be eligible for the optional home-voting (postal ballot) facility extended to all such qualifying voters?
- A. 75 years
- B. 80 years
- C. 85 years
- D. 90 years
Q10. Consider the following voter-facilitation initiatives:
1. Mobile Deposit Facility outside polling stations
2. 'Book-a-Call with BLO' facility
3. Beta version of the ECINET digital platform
4. Pan-India extension of home voting for 85+ and PwD electors
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as having been piloted/introduced during the Bihar 2025 Assembly Elections?
- Mobile Deposit Facility outside polling stations
- 'Book-a-Call with BLO' facility
- Beta version of the ECINET digital platform
- Pan-India extension of home voting for 85+ and PwD electors
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 4 only
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 2 and 4
Q11. Under the 2026 directive, the Voter Assistance Booths (VABs) set up for every polling-station location to help electors locate their booth number and serial number are staffed by teams of which functionaries?
- A. Returning Officers (ROs)
- B. Booth Level Officers (BLOs)
- C. District Election Officers (DEOs)
- D. Presiding Officers
Q12. Regarding the evolution of the Assured Minimum Facilities framework, consider the following:
1. The AMF framework draws on the ECI's Strategic Framework on Accessible Elections.
2. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, AMFs such as ramps, drinking water and standard voting compartments were provided at polling stations.
3. The 2026 AMF directive builds on a similar directive issued for the Bihar 2025 elections.
4. Assured Minimum Facilities were introduced for the first time only in the 2026 elections.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- The AMF framework draws on the ECI's Strategic Framework on Accessible Elections.
- In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, AMFs such as ramps, drinking water and standard voting compartments were provided at polling stations.
- The 2026 AMF directive builds on a similar directive issued for the Bihar 2025 elections.
- Assured Minimum Facilities were introduced for the first time only in the 2026 elections.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4