Under the original Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections law, the name of a candidate for the office of President of India had to be proposed by how many members of the Electoral College?

Introduction / Context:
The President of India is elected indirectly by an Electoral College that includes elected members of both Houses of Parliament and elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of states and certain Union territories. The process of nomination for the presidential election is regulated by law, which specifies how many electors must support a candidate. This question refers to the original requirement under the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections law, before later amendments increased the numbers. Knowing these details is useful for understanding how the system tries to ensure that only serious candidates contest for the highest office in the country.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on the nomination stage of the presidential election.
• The question refers to the original legal requirement, not the present increased figures.
• The term Electoral College includes all electors defined in Article 54.
• Four numerical options are given, based on citizens, members of Parliament, or members of the Electoral College.

Concept / Approach:
The idea behind the nomination requirement is to filter out non serious candidates by insisting that a minimum number of electors must endorse the nomination. Under the original law, a candidate's name had to be proposed by at least ten electors who were members of the Electoral College and supported further by an equal number as seconders. Later, this minimum was raised, but the question here targets the earlier figure. Among the given options, only the choice of any ten members of the Electoral College matches that older requirement. The other options either use too small a number or refer to citizens or only members of Parliament, which does not reflect the full Electoral College structure.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: Recall that the nomination for the office of President must be supported by a group of electors, not by ordinary citizens. Step 2: Remember that under the original law, at least ten electors had to sign as proposers and another ten as seconders for each valid nomination. Step 3: Review the options and note that only option stating any ten members of the Electoral College corresponds to this requirement. Step 4: Discard options mentioning five citizens or five members of Parliament, since citizens in general are not part of the Electoral College. Step 5: Eliminate the single member option, because that would not limit non serious candidates.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, one can consult standard polity references that describe the presidential election procedure. They generally mention that initially the requirement was ten proposers and ten seconders from the Electoral College, which was later increased by amendment to fifty and fifty. This historical description confirms that the correct number in the original arrangement was ten, and that it applied specifically to members of the Electoral College, not to ordinary citizens or only to members of Parliament. This cross check gives strong confirmation for option any ten members of the Electoral College.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Any five citizens of India: Citizens at large do not directly participate in the presidential election; only the Electoral College does, so this option is outside the legal framework. Any five members of Parliament: The Electoral College includes state legislators as well, so restricting proposers only to Parliament members and using the number five does not reflect the original law. Any one member of the Electoral College: Allowing a single proposer would not effectively screen candidates and does not match the original statutory requirement. These options therefore do not satisfy the condition described in the question.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners may confuse the original requirement with the revised figure of fifty proposers and fifty seconders that applies today. Another pitfall is confusing citizens with electors and assuming that any adult citizen can propose a candidate, which is not correct for this indirect election. To prevent such mistakes, aspirants should clearly distinguish between historical and current figures and remember that the Electoral College is the only body that directly participates in the presidential election, both in nomination and voting.

Final Answer:
Under the original law, the name of a candidate for the office of President of India had to be proposed by any ten members of the Electoral College.