Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists : List-I (Speaker of Lok Sabha) A. Manohar Gajanan Joshi B. Somnath Chatterjee C. Meira Kumar D. Sumitra Mahajan List-II (Tenure) 1. 14th Lok Sabha 2. 13th Lok Sabha 3. 16th Lok Sabha 4. 15th Lok Sabha Code:
- (a)A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
- (b)A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
- (c)A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
- (d)A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2
Correct — A, A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3. Take the four Speakers in the order they held office and the code follows. Manohar Gajanan Joshi presided over the 13th Lok Sabha, elected Speaker in May 2002 after G. M. C. Balayogi, who had held the chair since 1998, died in a helicopter crash that March; Joshi remained until the House was dissolved in 2004, so A-2. Somnath Chatterjee was Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009, so B-1. Meira Kumar took the chair of the 15th Lok Sabha in June 2009 and was the first woman to hold the office, so C-4. Sumitra Mahajan was Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019, the second woman in the chair, so D-3. Only option (a) carries that set.
- (b)A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3 — Puts Somnath Chatterjee in the 15th Lok Sabha and Meira Kumar in the 14th. Chatterjee's term ran from 2004 to 2009, which is the 14th House, and Meira Kumar's from 2009, which is the 15th.
- (c)A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2 — Moves Manohar Joshi to the 16th Lok Sabha, three Houses too late; he was Speaker in 2002 to 2004.
- (d)A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2 — Gets Somnath Chatterjee and Meira Kumar right but sends Manohar Joshi to the 16th Lok Sabha and Sumitra Mahajan to the 13th, exchanging the two ends of the list.
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected by the House from among its members under Article 93, presides over sittings, decides whether a Bill is a Money Bill under Article 110(3), and rules on disqualification for defection under the Tenth Schedule. The office continues after dissolution until immediately before the first meeting of the next House, which is why a Speaker's tenure is described by the Lok Sabha he presided over rather than by calendar years alone.
Match-lists of office-holders are best solved from the two anchors you are surest of and then by elimination. Somnath Chatterjee in the 14th and Meira Kumar in the 15th are the pair most candidates hold securely, and fixing them alone removes options (b) and (c). Between the survivors, the question becomes whether Manohar Joshi belongs to the 13th or the 16th, and Joshi's Speakership belongs to the Vajpayee years, which is the 13th. The trap in this list is Joshi himself, because he did not serve a full term: he took over in mid-House after Balayogi's death, so his name is easily displaced in memory. One present-day line: Om Birla, Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha from 2019, continued into the 18th in June 2024.
- Manohar Gajanan Joshi was Speaker of the 13th Lok Sabha, elected in May 2002 after G. M. C. Balayogi's death, and served until 2004.
- Somnath Chatterjee was Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009.
- Meira Kumar, Speaker of the 15th Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014, was the first woman to hold the office.
- Sumitra Mahajan was Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019, the second woman in the chair.
- The Speaker is elected under Article 93, certifies Money Bills under Article 110(3), and decides defection cases under the Tenth Schedule.
- Assuming every Speaker served a full House; Balayogi died in office and Joshi completed the 13th Lok Sabha.
- Mixing the two women Speakers — Meira Kumar was the first, in the 15th House, and Sumitra Mahajan the second, in the 16th.
- Dating Speakers by calendar years alone; the office runs with the House and continues past dissolution until the next House first meets.
As a match-list of Speakers to Lok Sabhas, or as a single question on who was the first woman Speaker.
With reference to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, consider the following statements : While any resolution for the removal of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is under consideration 1. He/She shall not preside. 2. He/She shall not have the right to speak. 3. He/She shall not be entitled to vote on the resolution in the first instance. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 2 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(a) 1 only
The same office in the same examination year, tested for its constitutional position rather than its holders. Article 96 lets the Speaker speak and vote in the first instance on a removal resolution, but not preside over it.
Consider the following: 1. M.A. Ayyangar 2. G.S. Dhillon 3. Balram Jakhar 4. P.A. Sangma How many of them were the Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
- (a) 1
- (b) 2
- (c) 3
- (d) 4
Answer(d) 4
The same list of office-holders tested two years earlier, over an older set of names. All four there held the chair, which is the sort of roll a candidate should be able to run through before attempting a match-list like this one.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who among the following was the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
- (a)Sucheta Kripalani
- (b)Meira Kumar
- (c)Sumitra Mahajan
- (d)Najma Heptulla
Answer(b) Meira Kumar — elected Speaker of the 15th Lok Sabha in June 2009.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Under which Article of the Constitution of India is the Speaker of the Lok Sabha chosen by the House from among its members?
- (a)Article 89
- (b)Article 93
- (c)Article 99
- (d)Article 100
Answer(b) Article 93 — which also provides for the Deputy Speaker.