Presiding Officers

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha from among its members. He/she does not hold office at the "pleasure of the President" (unlike a Minister or Governor). He/she can be removed only by a resolution passed by a majority of all the then members of the Lok Sabha. Furthermore, even when the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker continues in office until immediately before the first meeting of the new Lok Sabha. Statement 2 is incorrect: According to Article 93, the Lok Sabha must choose two of its members to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively. Therefore, a person must be a member of the Lok Sabha at the time of their election. The "six-month" rule applies to Ministers (Article 75), not to the Speaker. Statement 3 is correct: Under Article 94(b), the Speaker may resign from his/her office by writing under his/her hand addressed to the Deputy Speaker. Conversely, the Deputy Speaker resigns by writing to the Speaker.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Under Article 89 of the Constitution, the Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and is not a member of the House. However, the Deputy Chairman is elected by the Rajya Sabha from among its members. Therefore, the Deputy Chairman is a member of the House, making the statement "both are not members" factually wrong. Statement 2 is correct: The Electoral College for the President (Article 54) includes only elected members of Parliament. However, the Electoral College for the Vice-President (Article 66) consists of all members of both Houses of Parliament, including nominated members.

**Statement 1 is incorrect.** In the first Lok Sabha, the single largest party in the opposition was not the Swatantra Party but the Communist Party of India. **Statement 2 is correct.** In the Lok Sabha, a "Leader of the Opposition" was indeed recognized for the first time in 1969. **Statement 3 is incorrect.** In the Lok Sabha, if a party does not have a minimum of 75 members, its leader cannot be recognized as the Leader of the Opposition. The requirement is not 75 members but 10% of the total strength of the house, which is 55 members. So, only statement 2 is correct.

**Statement 1 is correct:** The date of election of the Deputy Speaker is fixed by the Speaker. On the other hand date of election of the Speaker is fixed by the President. **Statement 2 is incorrect:** There is no mandatory provision that the election of a candidate, as Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, shall be from either the principal opposition party or the ruling party. It is only by convention that the position of Deputy Speaker is offered to the opposition party in India. **Statement 3 is correct:** In case of the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker presides over the sessions of the Lok Sabha and conducts the business in the house. The Deputy Speaker has the same power as the Speaker when presiding over the sitting of the House. **Statement 4 is incorrect:** The Deputy Speaker is also elected by the Lok Sabha from amongst its members right after the election of the Speaker has taken place. There is no provision and or established practice of moving the motion for his election by the speaker and it is seconded by the prime minister.

**Statement 1 is correct:** Under Article 96(1), the Speaker cannot preside over the House while a resolution for their removal is active, even if they are present. **Statement 2 is incorrect:** Under Article 96(2), the Speaker maintains the right to speak and participate in the proceedings of the House during the consideration of the removal resolution. **Statement 3 is incorrect:** According to Article 96(2), the Speaker is entitled to vote only in the first instance. They do not have a "casting vote" (the vote used to break a tie/second instance) in this specific scenario.

✅ **Statement I: Correct** The Speaker of Lok Sabha continues in office even after dissolution until just before the new House meets, ensuring continuity (Article 94). ❌ **Statement II: Incorrect** No constitutional mandate requires the Speaker to resign from their political party; this is only a convention for impartiality. ✅ **Statement III: Correct** The Speaker can be removed by a majority resolution with at least 14 days' prior notice (Article 94). **Therefore, statements I and III are correct.**