The Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 1996 introduced several changes to election law. Statement I is correct: conviction for insulting the flag or constitution leads to a 6-year disqualification. Statement II is correct: the security deposit for candidates was significantly increased. Statement III is incorrect: the amendment limited the number of constituencies a candidate could contest from to two, not one. Statement IV, while imprecisely worded ("No election will now be countermanded"), reflects the change that the death of a contesting candidate no longer automatically leads to the countermanding of the election for all candidates; specific provisions were made for candidates of recognized parties (adjournment and substitution) and non-recognized parties/independents (election proceeds). Relative to the prior law where any death countermanded the poll, this was a major change, often summarized as the end of countermanding in the old sense.
Dinesh Goswami Committee: Constituted in 1990, this committee studied and recommended changes in the electoral system, including issues like electronic voting machines (EVMs), anti-defection law, and registration of political parties. 2. Tarkunde Committee: This committee, appointed by Jaya Prakash Narayan in 1974-75, was one of the early significant non-governmental initiatives to suggest electoral reforms in India. Its report contained various recommendations to improve the electoral process. 3. Indrajit Gupta Committee: This committee, set up in 1998, specifically focused on the issue of State Funding of Elections and submitted a report recommending partial state funding. 4. Balwantrai Mehta Committee: Formed in 1957, this committee is famous for its recommendations on the establishment of the Panchayati Raj System in India, not electoral reforms for the national or state- level elections. 103. Consider the following statements about the recent amendments to the Election Law by the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 1996: I. Any conviction for the offence of insulting the Indian National flag or the Constitution of India shall entail disqualification for contesting elections to Parliament and State Legislatures for six years from the date of conviction. II. There is an increase in the security deposit which a candidate has to make to contest the election to the Lok Sabha. III. A candidate cannot now stand for election from more than one Parliamentary constituency. IV. No election will now be countermanded on the death of a contesting candidate. Which of the above statements are correct?
Asked in UPPCS Prelims 1999 · Topic: Election Commission (Electoral Reforms: Recommendations and Implementation)
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