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UPSC Prelims 2017 · Polity · Elections, Parties & Anti-defection
For election to the Lok Sabha, a nomination paper can be filed by
- (a) anyone residing in India
- (b) a resident of the constituency from which the election is to be contested
- (c) any citizen of India whose name appears in the electoral roll of a constituency
- (d) any citizen of India
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (c) any citizen of India whose name appears in the electoral roll of a constituency
Section 4, RP Act 1951: a Lok Sabha candidate must be an elector of any parliamentary constituency (for reserved seats, also an SC/ST member).
The idea
Qualification: citizen · 25 years · oath under the Third Schedule (Art. 84) · registered voter in any constituency (RP Act). Rajya Sabha once needed domicile in the State; the 2003 amendment removed that (upheld in Kuldip Nayar, 2006).
Why the others are wrong
(a) Residents include non-citizens. Candidates must be citizens.
(b) There is no residence requirement for the Lok Sabha constituency you contest.
(d) Citizenship alone is not enough; the person must be on an electoral roll.
The trap
“Resident of the constituency” sounds democratic, but Indian law never required it for the Lok Sabha.
🔒 Lok Sabha candidate: citizen · 25 · on the electoral roll of ANY constituency · can contest up to two seats (Sec. 33(7) RP Act).
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