SSC · Railway
The Constitution allows a maximum strength of 550 elected members in the Lok Sabha. Of these, 530 represent the states, and the remaining 20 seats are meant for:
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Answer: Option A — The Union territories
Detailed Solution
Under the Constitution, the Lok Sabha can have a maximum of 550 elected members: not more than 530 members chosen from the states and not more than 20 members chosen from the Union territories.
Representation of Union territories:
- Members from the Union territories are chosen in the manner that Parliament provides by law.
- Parliament has laid down that they are elected directly by the people, just like members from the states.
- The Union territories now have 13 seats in the Lok Sabha, well within the limit of 20.
Present strength of the Lok Sabha:
- The present strength is 543 elected members.
- Of these, 530 are from the states and 13 are from the Union territories.
Anglo-Indian seats:
- Earlier, the President could nominate up to two members of the Anglo-Indian community if he felt that the community was not adequately represented.
- This provision was ended by the 104th Amendment Act, which did not extend it beyond January 2020.
- So the Lok Sabha no longer has nominated members.
Allocation of seats:
- Seats are allotted to states on the basis of population, so that the ratio between the number of seats and the population is, as far as practicable, the same for all states.
- The allocation is based on the 1971 census and has been frozen until the first census after 2026, so that states that controlled their population growth are not penalised.
Election method:
- Members are elected directly by the voters of their constituencies.
- Every citizen who is 18 years or older and is not disqualified can vote.
Reserved seats:
Seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in proportion to their population.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Anglo-Indian nominations have ended and were never part of the 550 elected seats.
- ✗Members with special knowledge are nominated to the Rajya Sabha, not the Lok Sabha.
- ✗Overseas Indian citizens have no reserved seats.
Quick tip
Remember: Lok Sabha maximum 550 elected = 530 from states + 20 from Union territories; present strength 543.
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Parliament — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Parliament, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Parliament of India: the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their composition, powers and officers, sessions, the law-making process, money bills, joint sittings, parliamentary committees, and devices such as question hour, zero hour and the various motions. Typical questions ask about the maximum strength of each house, the minimum age for members, who certifies a money bill (the Speaker), who presides over a joint sitting, and which committee is chaired by a member of the opposition (the Public Accounts Committee, by convention). Note the special powers of the Rajya Sabha under Articles 249 and 312. Practise the Parliament questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.