Which List and Entry of Seventh Schedule of Indian Constitution is related to election of the legislature of the State?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

This is a grace question — the commission's key accepts both A and C, so either earns the mark. A (List-I, the Union List, Entry 72) reads 'Elections to Parliament, to the Legislatures of States and to the offices of President and Vice-President; the Election Commission' — so elections to a State legislature fall here. C (List-II, the State List, Entry 37) reads 'Elections to the Legislature of the State subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament' — which is squarely about State-legislature elections. Because both entries cover elections to the State legislature, A or C is accepted.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) State List Entry 27 deals with the production, supply and distribution of goods — nothing to do with elections.  (d) Concurrent List Entry 32 covers shipping and navigation on inland waterways — unrelated to elections.

Concept: The Seventh Schedule distributes subjects across three lists — Union (List I), State (List II) and Concurrent (List III). Elections to a State legislature appear in two of them: Union List Entry 72 is a broad entry covering elections to Parliament and to the State Legislatures plus the Election Commission, while State List Entry 37 specifically covers elections to the Legislature of the State, subject to any law made by Parliament. That deliberate overlap is exactly why the question earned a grace mark.

State PCS 2020 Q37 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2020 Q37 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer