Which of the following statements regarding the Constituent Assembly of India are correct? 1. The Constituent Assembly was elected indirectly by the members of the Provincial Legislative Assemblies. 2. The elections to the Constituent Assembly were held on the basis of universal adult franchise. 3. The scheme of election to the Constituent Assembly was laid down by the Cabinet Mission. 4. The distribution of seats in the Constituent Assembly was done on the basis of the Mountbatten Plan. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Introduction / Context:
The Constituent Assembly of India was the body that drafted and adopted the Constitution of independent India. Understanding how this Assembly was formed is an important topic in Indian polity and history. Examinations often ask candidates to identify which statements about its composition and election are historically accurate. This question presents four detailed statements and asks you to select the correct combination, so you must know the key facts about how the Assembly was elected and which plans or missions guided that process.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Statement 1 says that members of the Constituent Assembly were elected indirectly by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies.
• Statement 2 claims that the elections were held on the basis of universal adult franchise.
• Statement 3 states that the scheme of election was laid down by the Cabinet Mission.
• Statement 4 states that the distribution of seats was done according to the Mountbatten Plan.
• We assume standard textbook facts about the Constituent Assembly as accepted in Indian constitutional history.

Concept / Approach:
The correct approach is to evaluate each statement individually. You should recall that the Constituent Assembly was created under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946. Members were elected by Provincial Legislative Assemblies, not directly by all adult citizens, so the franchise was limited. You should also remember that the Mountbatten Plan mainly dealt with the partition and transfer of power and did not lay down the original distribution of seats in the Constituent Assembly. By matching each statement with these known facts, you can mark which statements are true and then choose the correct option containing only those statements.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Evaluate Statement 1. Members of the Constituent Assembly were indeed elected indirectly by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies. Therefore, Statement 1 is correct. Step 2: Evaluate Statement 2. The elections were not based on universal adult franchise. Only a limited electorate, mainly comprising members elected to the Provincial Legislative Assemblies under the Government of India Act 1935, participated. Therefore, Statement 2 is incorrect. Step 3: Evaluate Statement 3. The Cabinet Mission of 1946 put forward the plan and scheme of election for the Constituent Assembly. Hence, Statement 3 is correct. Step 4: Evaluate Statement 4. The Mountbatten Plan, presented in 1947, was mainly about partition and transfer of power, not the original seat distribution. The distribution of seats was decided under the Cabinet Mission Plan, not the Mountbatten Plan. Therefore, Statement 4 is incorrect. Step 5: Combine the results. Only Statements 1 and 3 are correct, so the correct option is the one that lists 1 and 3 only.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by recalling the timeline. The Cabinet Mission came to India in 1946, before independence, and proposed the creation of a constituent body elected indirectly by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies. Universal adult franchise was first introduced for Lok Sabha elections after the Constitution came into force, not for the Constituent Assembly. The Mountbatten Plan was presented later in 1947 and did not provide the original election scheme for the Assembly. These chronological facts confirm that Statements 1 and 3 are correct while Statements 2 and 4 are not.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• 1 only: This ignores the fact that Statement 3 is also correct, because the Cabinet Mission did lay down the election scheme.
• 1, 2 and 3 only: This incorrectly includes Statement 2, which is wrong because universal adult franchise was not used.
• 1, 2, 3 and 4: This treats all statements as correct, which contradicts the historical record of limited franchise and the distinct role of the Mountbatten Plan.

Common Pitfalls:
A common error is to assume that any body related to the Constitution must have been elected by universal adult franchise, because that is how democratic elections normally work today. Another pitfall is confusion between the Cabinet Mission Plan and the Mountbatten Plan, since both are associated with the final years of British rule. Candidates sometimes mix up the functions of these two plans and assume that the later Mountbatten Plan must have fixed all details, including seat distribution. Careful attention to dates and the specific role of each plan helps avoid these mistakes.

Final Answer:
The correct statements regarding the Constituent Assembly of India are 1 and 3 only.