UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Thursday’s polls drew global attention: EC

Q1. The International Election Visitors' Programme (IEVP), 2026 under which foreign delegates observed the Assembly elections was conducted as a flagship initiative of which one of the following?

  • A. Election Commission of India
  • B. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
  • C. Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB)
  • D. Ministry of External Affairs

Q2. Polling in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (Phase-I), which coincided with the Phase-II visit of IEVP 2026 delegates, was held on which one of the following days?

  • A. Thursday, 23 April 2026
  • B. Wednesday, 8 April 2026
  • C. Monday, 4 May 2026
  • D. Sunday, 22 April 2026

Q3. IIIDEM, where IEVP 2026 delegates were given EVM demonstrations, is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. The apex training and capacity-building institute of the Election Commission of India, catering to electoral officials and foreign Election Management Bodies
  • B. A statutory autonomous body under the Representation of the People Act that adjudicates election disputes
  • C. The documentation and research wing of A-WEB headquartered at Songdo
  • D. A wing of the Ministry of External Affairs dedicated to electoral diplomacy

Q4. The Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) was established in which year and at which location?

  • A. 2013, at Songdo, South Korea
  • B. 2011, at New Delhi, India
  • C. 2013, at Bengaluru, India
  • D. 2019, at Songdo, South Korea

Q5. The term 'A-WEB', frequently referred to in the context of the ECI's international cooperation, denotes which one of the following?

  • A. A global association of the Election Management Bodies of member countries
  • B. A web-based electoral roll management portal operated by the ECI
  • C. An online voting platform for overseas Indian electors
  • D. A specialised agency of the United Nations for election observation

Q6. Under Article 324 of the Constitution, the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Parliament and State legislatures is vested in which one of the following?

  • A. Election Commission of India
  • B. Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice
  • C. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. Delimitation Commission of India

Q7. What is the combined total number of Assembly Constituencies across the five States/UTs — Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry — that went to Assembly polls in 2026?

  • A. 824
  • B. 790
  • C. 864
  • D. 918

Q8. In the context of the ECI hosting foreign EMB delegates under IEVP 2026 and demonstrating EVM-VVPAT technology, the concept of 'electoral diplomacy' is best understood as which one of the following?

  • A. The use of a country's electoral expertise and democratic processes as an instrument of soft power and international cooperation
  • B. The practice of permitting citizens abroad to cast their votes from their country's diplomatic missions
  • C. A binding treaty obligation requiring states to invite foreign observers to every election
  • D. The deployment of career diplomats as accredited election observers under a United Nations mandate