Which of the following statement is not correct regarding the Chief Minister of Rajasthan ?
- (1)Mohanlal Sukhadia took oath as Chief Minister four times.
- (2)The Chief Minister at the time of Emergency of 1975 was Haridev Joshi.
- (3)Barkatullah Khan remained the Chief Minister for the shortest period.
- (4)C.S. Venkatachari was not the elected Chief Minister.
Answer
Why
Correct — option (3), Barkatullah Khan remained the Chief Minister for the shortest period.
The stem asks for the statement that is not correct. The Legislative Bodies in India record for Rajasthan lists Barkatullah Khan as Leader of the House from 9 July 1971 to 11 October 1973, when he died in office — a little over two years.
Other Chief Ministers served far less. The same record lists Hira Lal Devpura from 23 February to 10 March 1985, about two weeks, at the end of the Seventh Assembly. The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly's record shows Tika Ram Paliwal's government from 3 March to 31 October 1952.
Barkatullah Khan's tenure was therefore not the shortest, and statement (3) is the incorrect one.
The other three statements hold. Mohan Lal Sukhadia was sworn in four times; Haridev Joshi was Chief Minister when the Emergency was proclaimed in June 1975; and C.S. Venkatachari held office in 1951, before Rajasthan had an elected Legislative Assembly.
Barkatullah Khan served about two years; Hira Lal Devpura served about two weeks.
Why the others are wrong
- (1)Mohanlal Sukhadia took oath as Chief Minister four times. — This statement is correct, so it is not the answer. The Legislative Bodies in India record lists four separate terms for Mohan Lal Sukhadia as Leader of the House, beginning 13 November 1954, 11 April 1957, 12 March 1962 and 26 April 1967 — a new government, and a new oath, each time.
The Assembly's House Tenure record lists him as Chief Minister in each of the First to Fourth Assemblies. His last oath followed a spell of President's Rule from 13 March to 26 April 1967.
- (2)The Chief Minister at the time of Emergency of 1975 was Haridev Joshi. — This statement is correct. The internal Emergency was proclaimed on 25 June 1975. Haridev Joshi was Chief Minister from 11 October 1973 to 29 April 1977, so the proclamation fell in his first term.
His government was followed by President's Rule from 30 April 1977, which the Assembly's record lists.
- (4)C.S. Venkatachari was not the elected Chief Minister. — This statement is correct. C.S. Venkatachari, an Indian Civil Service officer, held office from 6 January to 25 April 1951, between Hiralal Shastri and Jai Narayan Vyas.
The Assembly's record shows Rajasthan's First Legislative Assembly constituted on 23 February 1952, so he was not chosen through an elected Assembly.
Concept
Rajasthan's first Chief Ministers held office before any general election. Hiralal Shastri, C.S. Venkatachari and Jai Narayan Vyas led governments between 1949 and early 1952; the First Legislative Assembly was constituted on 23 February 1952.
Tika Ram Paliwal became Chief Minister on 3 March 1952. Mohan Lal Sukhadia took over in November 1954 and was sworn in four times, the last in April 1967 after a short spell of President's Rule.
Barkatullah Khan succeeded Sukhadia on 9 July 1971 and died in office on 11 October 1973. Haridev Joshi followed and was in office when the Emergency was proclaimed in June 1975.
A claim that one tenure was the "shortest" has to be checked against every Chief Minister's dates, including brief terms such as Hira Lal Devpura's in 1985.
RPSC's syllabus lists the State Political System of Rajasthan as "Governor, Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Legislative Assembly, High Court."
The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly's House Tenure record ties each Chief Minister to an Assembly. The Seventh Assembly (1980–85), for example, had three: Jagannath Pahadia, Shiv Charan Mathur and Hira Lal Devpura.
Superlatives such as longest, shortest or most oaths come from comparing all the dated terms, not from recalling a single name.
National events also mark the State's timeline. The Emergency proclamation of 1975 fell in Haridev Joshi's first term, and President's Rule came in 1967, 1977, 1980 and 1992–93.
Key facts
- Mohan Lal Sukhadia was sworn in as Chief Minister four times: in 1954, 1957, 1962 and 1967.
- Barkatullah Khan was Chief Minister from 9 July 1971 until his death in office on 11 October 1973.
- Haridev Joshi was Chief Minister from 11 October 1973 to 29 April 1977, and in office when the Emergency was proclaimed on 25 June 1975.
- Hira Lal Devpura was Chief Minister from 23 February to 10 March 1985.
- C.S. Venkatachari held office from 6 January to 25 April 1951; the First Legislative Assembly was constituted on 23 February 1952.
Barkatullah Khan's term was far longer than Devpura's, so statement (3) is incorrect. Dates: Legislative Bodies in India (Rajasthan) and the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.
Study next
Common traps
- Linking "shortest" to a Chief Minister who died in office. Barkatullah Khan's term ended early but still lasted over two years.
- Placing the 1975 Emergency in Barkatullah Khan's term. He died in October 1973, and Haridev Joshi was Chief Minister by June 1975.
- Reading "not elected" as a trick. C.S. Venkatachari held office in 1951, before the First Legislative Assembly was constituted in February 1952.
A question can give statements about Rajasthan's Chief Ministers — oaths, tenures and events in their terms — and ask for the one that is not correct, as here.
A question can also ask which Chief Minister was in office during a national event, or which of several served the shortest time.
Related PYQs
Which of the following Chief Minister faced President’s Rule in Rajasthan for maximum number of times ?
- (1) Hari Dev Joshi
- (2) Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
- (3) Jai Narayan Vyas
- (4) Shiv Charan Mathur
Answer(2)
Same list of Chief Ministers, read against President's Rule: it asks which Chief Minister faced President's Rule the maximum number of times (RPSC key: option (2), Bhairon Singh Shekhawat). This question is about oaths, tenures and the 1975 Emergency.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who was the Chief Minister of Rajasthan when the Emergency was proclaimed on 25 June 1975?
- (a)Barkatullah Khan
- (b)Haridev Joshi
- (c)Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
- (d)Mohan Lal Sukhadia
Answer(2) — Haridev Joshi was Chief Minister from 11 October 1973 to 29 April 1977. Barkatullah Khan (1) had died in office in October 1973. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (3) led the government formed after the Sixth Assembly was constituted in June 1977. Mohan Lal Sukhadia's (4) last term ended in July 1971. - practice — not a real PYQ
Among the following Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, who held office for the shortest period?
- (a)Barkatullah Khan
- (b)Hira Lal Devpura
- (c)Tika Ram Paliwal
- (d)Haridev Joshi (first term)
Answer(2) — Hira Lal Devpura served from 23 February to 10 March 1985, about two weeks. Tika Ram Paliwal (3) served about eight months in 1952, Barkatullah Khan (1) a little over two years, and Haridev Joshi's first term (4) about three and a half years.