With reference to the election of the President of India, consider the following statements: 1) The value of the vote of each MLA varies from State to State. 2) The value of the vote of MPs of the Lok Sabha is more than the value of the vote of MPs of the Rajya Sabha. Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?

The answer is A (1 only). This is a question on the electoral college for the President under Article 54 and the formula in Article 55.

• Statement 1 is correct. Each MLA's vote is worth (total population of the state / number of elected MLAs) / 1000. Since state populations and assembly sizes differ, the value of an MLA's vote differs from state to state. Uttar Pradesh MLAs carry much higher value than Sikkim MLAs.
• Statement 2 is wrong. Every elected MP, whether from the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, has a vote value of 708. The formula divides the total value of all MLA votes by the total number of elected MPs, so the value is uniform across both Houses.

Core concept: the presidential electoral college is made up of elected MPs and MLAs, with a weighted vote. The uniform MP value and the state-wise MLA value both follow from Article 55. This matters for Mains questions on federalism and the role of the states in electing the head of state. The MLA values are calculated on the 1971 Census basis, which has not been changed for presidential elections.

Trap: Aspirants assume that an LS MP must carry more weight than an RS MP because the Lok Sabha is the more powerful House. The electoral formula gives every MP the same value.