Consider the following statements: 1. The Election Commission of India is a five-member body. 2. Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections. 3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognised political parties. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Only statement 3 is correct, so D is right. Under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, when a split or merger within a recognised party is disputed, the Election Commission decides which faction gets the party name and symbol. This is a quasi-judicial function, and courts usually defer to the Commission's decision at the first stage.

• Statement 1 is wrong. The Commission was a single-member body for decades and became multi-member (CEC plus two Election Commissioners) in 1993. It has three members, not five.
• Statement 2 is wrong. Article 324 vests superintendence, direction and control of elections in the Commission. It fixes the schedule for general elections and bye-elections. The Ministry of Home Affairs has no role in scheduling.

Core concept: Article 324 and the Commission's independence, a standard Mains theme under electoral reforms and institutional autonomy.

Trap: Aspirants often assume the Commission has five members or that the government fixes poll dates, and then pick option A or lose track of statement 2.