RAS question
The Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha can be dissolved by the:
Correct answer: (A) Governor.
The Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha can be dissolved by the Governor.
Explanation
The dissolving authority for the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha is the Governor. In practice, the Governor may dissolve the Assembly on the advice of the Chief Minister, and the same power can operate in the President's Rule setting. The Constitution of India, India Code supports this directly: Article 174(2)(b), under the provisions on sessions, prorogation and dissolution of State Legislatures, says that the Governor may dissolve the Legislative Assembly. Article 356 explains the President's Rule context by allowing the President, when constitutional machinery fails in a State, to assume functions of the State Government and powers vested in or exercisable by the Governor. The constitutional authority remains the Governor, not the Chief Minister, Speaker, or President directly.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) President directly is wrong because Article 174 names the Governor as the authority to dissolve a State Legislative Assembly, while President's Rule is handled through the Article 356 framework.
- (C) The Chief Minister can advise dissolution, but the act of dissolving the Vidhan Sabha is attributed to the Governor in Article 174.
- (D) The Speaker conducts and presides over Assembly proceedings, but Article 174 assigns dissolution to the Governor.
Concept
The Governor's constitutional powers in relation to the State Legislature include a key distinction between advice and formal authority. RAS repeats this area because Rajasthan polity questions often turn on who exercises a power and who merely recommends or presides.