Question

A person who is not the member of either house of the Indian Parliament after being appointed as minister has to become the Member of Parliament within ____.
A) 3 months
B) 6 months
C) 9 months
D) 12 months

Answer 1

Hint: The Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies form the legislative part of the Government of India. The citizens of the country elect the members of these assemblies, directly or indirectly. Out of these elected members, some may be appointed as ministers. Sometimes, people who are not elected, are also appointed as ministers with special nomination from the President or Governor.

Complete answer:
The Constitution of India provides a set of eligibility criteria which must be met by a candidate who wishes to be a minister of the Indian Government (Prime Minister, Chief Minister etc.) These include:
- Being a citizen of India
- Being above the age of 25 years
- Being a member of the legislature, i.e. being an M.P (Member of Parliament) or an M.L.A. (Member of Legislative Assembly).

If someone is not a member of the legislature, then also he/she can apply to be a minister (provided, they get a signature from the governor of the state) If this person becomes a minister without being a member of the legislature, then he/she has a maximum of six months (from the date of appointment) to get themselves elected to the legislature.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (B) A person who is not the member of either house of the Indian Parliament after being appointed as minister has to become the Member of Parliament within six months.

Note: For being a member of the Rajya Sabha, one must be above the age of 30 to be eligible for being elected (unlike Lok Sabha or the State Legislative bodies, which require 25 years of age). These members are elected by the members of the legislative assemblies of all the states and Union territories. 12 of these members are not elected, but are directly nominated by the President of the country.