In the question given below, a statement is followed by two courses of action numbered (I) and (II). Choose the correct option from the following : Statement : There has been less voting in this Lok Sabha election as compared to previous Lok Sabha election. Course of action : (I) The election commission should announce re-election for Lok Sabha. (II) Election commission should cancel the voting rights of the people who did not vote in this Lok Sabha election.

Correct — option (3), Neither (I) nor (II) follows.

A course of action follows when it is practical and deals with the problem in the statement without creating a bigger one. The problem here: fewer people voted in this Lok Sabha election than in the previous one.

Course (I), a re-election, does not follow. Lower turnout does not mean the poll itself was defective, and holding the election again does nothing about why people stayed away. It repeats a nationwide exercise without addressing the cause.

Course (II), cancelling the voting rights of those who did not vote, does not follow. It punishes instead of fixing the cause, and it would shrink participation further — the opposite of the goal.

It also cuts against Article 326: a citizen aged at least 18, not disqualified under the Constitution or a law on the ground of non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime, or corrupt or illegal practice, is entitled to be registered as a voter. Not voting is not one of those grounds.

So the answer is Neither (I) nor (II) follows. The idea to remember: a course of action must meet the stated problem practically; a drastic or punitive step that misses the cause does not follow.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  Only (I) follows. — Option (1) accepts a re-election. But low turnout is not a defect in the poll, and a fresh election would not by itself bring more voters out.

  A course that follows would address why turnout fell: studying the reasons, or voter-awareness work of the kind the Election Commission runs under its SVEEP programme.

• (2)
  Only (II) follows. — Option (2) accepts cancelling the voting rights of non-voters. That is a punitive step which reduces participation instead of raising it.

  It also conflicts with adult suffrage under Article 326, which entitles eligible citizens to be registered as voters. The grounds on which a law may disqualify them are non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime, and corrupt or illegal practice; not voting is not among them.

• (4)
  Both (I) and (II) follow. — Option (4) accepts both courses, and each fails on its own.

  A re-election repeats the poll without touching the cause of low turnout. Cancelling voting rights punishes voters and shrinks the electorate. Neither is a practical answer to fewer people voting, so both fail the test of a course that follows.

In statement-and-courses-of-action reasoning, the statement reports a problem or a situation, and each course proposes a step. Take the statement as true and judge each step on its own.

A course follows when it is practical, within reach of whoever is to act, and likely to reduce the problem or deal with its cause.

It does not follow when it is drastic or punitive out of proportion to the problem, when it addresses something the statement does not raise, or when it would create a larger problem than the one it solves.

Key facts

• A course of action follows if it practically deals with the stated problem or its cause without creating a larger problem.
• Article 326: elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies are on the basis of adult suffrage.
• Article 326 disqualification grounds a law may set: non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime, or corrupt or illegal practice.
• Article 324 vests superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, elections to Parliament and State Legislatures, among others, in the Election Commission.
• SVEEP (Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation) is the Election Commission's programme to raise voter awareness and participation.

Common traps

• Low turnout is not a defect in the poll. The statement reports fewer voters, not a flawed election, so a re-election answers the wrong problem.
• A punitive step can defeat its own goal. Cancelling voting rights reduces participation when the concern is too little participation.
• A course does not have to be the only possible fix, but it must address the stated problem. Judge each course by that test separately.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2021 and 2018 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Statement: Many students in a district failed the Class 10 mathematics examination this year. Courses of action: (I) The education department should find out why results fell and arrange remedial classes. (II) Mathematics should be removed from the Class 10 syllabus.

  • (a)Only (I) follows.
  • (b)Only (II) follows.
  • (c)Neither (I) nor (II) follows.
  • (d)Both (I) and (II) follow.
  Answer(1) — (I) looks for the cause and offers a practical remedy, so it follows. (II) is a drastic step that removes a core subject instead of fixing the learning problem, so it does not. Option (2) picks the drastic step, option (3) rejects the practical one, and option (4) accepts both.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Statement: Heavy rain has flooded several low-lying colonies of the city. Courses of action: (I) The administration should move affected residents to relief camps. (II) The municipal body should pump the water out of the flooded colonies.

  • (a)Only (I) follows.
  • (b)Only (II) follows.
  • (c)Neither (I) nor (II) follows.
  • (d)Both (I) and (II) follow.
  Answer(4) — (I) gives immediate relief to affected people and (II) removes the standing water; both are practical and address the problem. Options (1) and (2) each drop a valid course, and option (3) rejects both.