RAS question
The Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly is elected by:
Correct answer: (A) Members of the Assembly from among themselves.
The Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly is elected by the Assembly members from among themselves under Article 178 of the Constitution of India.
Explanation
Article 178 lays down the constitutional rule for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of a State Legislative Assembly. It says every Legislative Assembly of a State shall choose two members of the Assembly to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and when either office becomes vacant, the Assembly chooses another member for that office. Applied to Rajasthan, this means the Speaker is not appointed from outside the House and is not elected by Parliament, the Governor, or the Chief Minister acting alone. The office matters in Assembly procedure because the Speaker presides over sittings, maintains order, and uses a casting vote when votes are tied.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Governor does not elect the Speaker because Article 178 places the choice with the Legislative Assembly itself.
- (C) Members of Parliament from Rajasthan have no role because Article 178 refers to members of the State Legislative Assembly choosing the Speaker.
- (D) The Chief Minister may support or propose a candidate, but the constitutional election is by the Assembly members, not by the Chief Minister alone.
Concept
This tests officers of the State Legislature under Article 178. In RAS-style Rajasthan polity, the trap is to separate the Assembly's own election of its Speaker from appointment or influence by the Governor, Parliament, or the Chief Minister.