RAS question
The State Election Commission in Rajasthan conducts elections for:
Correct answer: (A) Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies.
The State Election Commission in Rajasthan conducts elections to Panchayati Raj institutions and Urban Local Bodies.
Explanation
The answer is Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies because the Constitution gives local-body elections to the State Election Commission, not to the Election Commission of India. Article 243K vests the superintendence, direction and control of electoral rolls and elections to Panchayats in a State Election Commission headed by a State Election Commissioner appointed by the Governor. For urban local bodies, Article 243ZA similarly vests elections to Municipalities in the State Election Commission referred to in Article 243K. That is why, in Rajasthan, the State Election Commission's domain is local self-government: Panchayati Raj institutions on the rural side and Urban Local Bodies on the municipal side.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Vidhan Sabha elections are not conducted by the State Election Commission, because Article 324 vests elections to the Legislature of every State in the Election Commission.
- (C) All of the above overstates the SEC's role, since the Constitution assigns only Panchayat and Municipality elections to the State Election Commission while legislative and parliamentary elections lie elsewhere.
- (D) Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections are parliamentary elections, and Article 324 vests elections to Parliament in the Election Commission, not the State Election Commission.
Concept
This tests the constitutional division of election authority between the Election Commission of India and State Election Commissions. It recurs in RAS because Rajasthan Polity questions often ask which institution controls which level of democratic elections.