In the Lok Sabha (House of the People), what is the maximum total number of members who can represent the States of India, excluding representation from Union Territories?

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: 530

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
The Constitution of India sets upper limits on the total membership of the Lok Sabha and also on how many of those members can represent the States and the Union Territories. Article 81 deals with the composition of the House of the People and originally fixed these maximum numbers. Many polity questions ask specifically about the maximum possible number of members from States, which is different from the overall maximum including Union Territories.


Given Data / Assumptions:
- The question concerns the Lok Sabha's maximum strength from States only.- Representation from Union Territories is to be excluded when counting this number.- Options include 630, 530, 430 and 330.


Concept / Approach:
Article 81 originally provided that the House of the People shall consist of not more than 530 members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the States and not more than 20 members to represent the Union Territories. In addition, there used to be a provision for nominated Anglo Indian members, which has since been removed. For this question, we are concerned only with the maximum of 530 from States, ignoring Union Territories and any nominated members.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the full maximum strength of the Lok Sabha, as per the original constitutional framework, was 552 (530 from States, 20 from Union Territories and 2 nominated Anglo Indian members).Step 2: The question explicitly asks about members from States only, so we focus on the 530 figure.Step 3: Option B (530) matches this figure exactly, while 630, 430 and 330 do not correspond to any standard constitutional limit.Step 4: Therefore, the correct answer is 530 as the maximum number of members from States in the Lok Sabha.


Verification / Alternative check:
A simple memory trick is to remember the pair 530 and 20: 530 elected representatives from States and 20 from Union Territories, together forming the main elected component of the Lok Sabha. Adding the earlier 2 nominated members gives the familiar 552 figure. Even if the nominated category changes, the State wise maximum of 530 remains an important benchmark.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (630) is wrong because it exceeds the known maximum and has no basis in the constitutional text.Option C (430) and Option D (330) are wrong because they underestimate the capacity of the House and do not match any standard figure for Lok Sabha composition.


Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse the overall maximum strength of the Lok Sabha with the maximum strength from States alone, or they forget the exact numbers and guess among the options. Another frequent error is not reading the phrase from States carefully and accidentally including the Union Territory seats. To avoid such mistakes, revise Article 81 and keep the numbers 530 (States), 20 (Union Territories) and 552 (historical overall maximum) clearly in mind.


Final Answer:
Correct answer: 530

More Questions from Indian Politics

Discussion & Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Join Discussion