RAS question
The minimum age to be appointed as the Governor of a state in India is:
Correct answer: (C) 35 years.
A person must have completed 35 years of age to be appointed as the Governor of a state in India.
Explanation
Article 157 of the Constitution of India sets the eligibility rule for appointment as Governor. Under Article 157, no person is eligible for appointment as Governor unless he is a citizen of India and has completed the age of thirty-five years. The age threshold is therefore not a convention or an exam-specific rule; it is a constitutional qualification. The person must also not hold an office of profit, but the constitutional minimum age for appointment as Governor is 35 years.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 25 years applies to membership of the Lok Sabha or a Vidhan Sabha, not to appointment as Governor.
- (B) 30 years applies to membership of the Rajya Sabha or a Vidhan Parishad, while Article 157 fixes a higher age for Governor.
- (D) The Constitution does not prescribe a 40-year minimum for the Governor; Article 157 specifies completion of 35 years.
Concept
Constitutional qualifications for high offices under the state executive include direct, article-based rules on age and eligibility. RAS repeatedly asks such age and eligibility rules because they are direct, article-based facts in Indian Polity.