UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Money power, capture of institutions pushed the Opposition to margins: Rahul

Q1. With reference to the constitutional safeguards for members of the Election Commission of India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Chief Election Commissioner cannot be removed from office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.
  2. An Election Commissioner other than the Chief Election Commissioner cannot be removed from office except on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
  3. Article 324 expressly extends the bar on varying conditions of service to a member's disadvantage after appointment to the other Election Commissioners as well as the Chief Election Commissioner.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q2. With reference to the appointment of members of the Election Commission of India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Article 324 itself specifies the members of the body that recommends names for appointment as Chief Election Commissioner.
  2. The committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India laid down in Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India was to operate only until Parliament made a law on the subject.
  3. Under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, the Selection Committee may consider a person not included in the panel prepared by the Search Committee.
  4. Article 324 allows the number of Election Commissioners other than the Chief Election Commissioner to be fixed from time to time by the President.
  • A. 2 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q3. With reference to the Supreme Court's 2024 judgment in Association for Democratic Reforms v. Union of India on electoral bonds, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Court accepted that, because bonds could be bought only through the banking channel, keeping donors anonymous was a reasonable restriction on voters' access to information.
  2. The Court traced the voters' right to information about the funding of political parties to Article 19(1)(a).
  3. The Court invalidated not only the Scheme but also the Finance Act, 2017 amendments to the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the Income Tax Act, 1961.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 requires political parties to submit to the Election Commission of India a declaration of donations they have received.
  2. Article 324 of the Constitution itself lays down the threshold of donation amount above which political parties must disclose their donors.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. Consider the following assertion: The Indrajit Gupta Committee's model of state funding was meant to level the field among parties rather than to replace private political funding altogether. Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

  1. The Committee viewed state funding as a way to ensure a level playing field for poorer political parties.
  2. The Committee considered only partial, and not full, state funding suitable given the economic situation of the country at the time.
  3. The Government kept the Committee's recommendations under consideration instead of implementing them.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. Consider the following facts: I. The Finance Act, 2017 inserted a proviso into Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 under which contributions received through electoral bonds need not be shown in a party's declaration of donations to the Election Commission of India. II. In 2024, the Supreme Court struck down the Electoral Bond Scheme along with this proviso. III. The Court directed the State Bank of India, the bank issuing the bonds, to furnish details of bonds purchased and redeemed to the Election Commission of India. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. Before 2024, the Election Commission could identify bond donors from the parties' own declarations under Section 29C.
  2. After the verdict, information on bond transactions reached the Election Commission through a route that did not depend on the parties' own declarations.
  3. The verdict implies that corporate contributions to political parties are no longer permitted in any form.
  • A. 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q7. Suppose Parliament amends the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023 so that the Chief Justice of India replaces the Union Cabinet Minister on the Selection Committee. Which one of the following would be the most direct consequence of this change?

  • A. The CEC could thereafter be removed only on the Selection Committee's recommendation
  • B. Members nominated by the government would cease to be a majority on the Selection Committee
  • C. Appointments would be made by the Selection Committee itself instead of by the President
  • D. Other Election Commissioners would become removable only in the manner of Supreme Court judges

Q8. Which one of the following best distinguishes state funding of elections from mandatory disclosure of political donations as remedies against money power?

  • A. State funding is meant for independent candidates; disclosure is meant only for recognised political parties
  • B. Both place a ceiling on what a party may raise, and differ only in which body audits the party's accounts
  • C. State funding shows voters who gave to the parties; disclosure cuts parties' dependence on private money by capping it
  • D. State funding cuts parties' dependence on private money; disclosure leaves amounts free but shows voters who gave