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Q1 (IAS/2018) Polity & Governance › Parliament › Leader of opposition Official Key

Consider the following statements : 1. In the first Lok Sabha, the single largest party in the opposition was the Swatantra Party. 2. In the Lok Sabha, a "Leader of the Opposition" was recognised for the first time in 1969. 3. In the Lok Sabha, if a party does not have a minimum of 75 members, its leader cannot be recognised as the Leader of the Opposition. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is option B because only statement 2 is correct.

**Statement 1 is incorrect**: The Swatantra Party became the single-largest opposition party in the fourth Lok Sabha (1967[1]–71) with 44 seats, not the first Lok Sabha. The first Lok Sabha was from 1952-1957, while the Swatantra Party's emergence as the largest opposition party occurred much later in 1967.

**Statement 2 is correct**: In the Lok Sabha, a "Leader of the Opposition" was recognised for the first time in 1969[2]. This marks the formal recognition of this constitutional position.

**Statement 3 is incorrect**: While the document mentions a minimum of 75 members in the Lok Sabha[3], the actual requirement is 10% of the total strength (approximately 55 members in a 545-member house), not 75 members. The document does not provide complete information to verify the exact threshold, but the commonly accepted rule is one-tenth of the total strength.

Therefore, only statement 2 is correct, making option B the right answer.

Sources
  1. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatantra_Party
  2. [2] https://employmentnews.gov.in/NewEmp/MoreContentNew.aspx?n=SpecialContent&k=30302
  3. [3] https://employmentnews.gov.in/NewEmp/MoreContentNew.aspx?n=SpecialContent&k=30302
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following statements : 1. In the first Lok Sabha, the single largest party in the opposition was the Swatantra Party. 2. I…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This question is a classic 'Polity meets History' trap. While it looks like obscure trivia about the Swatantra Party, it is actually a test of the '10% Rule' (Quorum/Recognition convention). If you knew the standard parliamentary convention for recognition is 10% of the House (55 seats, not 75), you could solve this instantly without knowing anything about 1969 or the Swatantra Party.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Was the Swatantra Party the single largest opposition party in the First Lok Sabha (1952–1957)?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 4/5
"It became the single largest opposition party in the fourth Lok Sabha. It secured 44 seats."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states when Swatantra became the single largest opposition party — in the fourth Lok Sabha, not the first.
  • Gives the seat count and frames the achievement as occurring in a later Lok Sabha (fourth Lok Sabha).
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"became the single-largest opposition party in the fourth Lok Sabha (1967–71) with 44 seats."
Why this source?
  • Specifies the exact Lok Sabha and years: 'fourth Lok Sabha (1967–71)', tying the 'single-largest opposition' label to 1967–71.
  • Provides the seat total (44) confirming the magnitude of its position at that time.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"the 1967 General Elections was even more impressive. Of the 175 candidates to Parliament, 44 were elected. Securing almost 9.6% of the votes polled, the Swatantra Party emerged as the single largest party in the opposition in the Lok Sabha."
Why this source?
  • Connects the party's 'single largest party in the opposition in the Lok Sabha' status to the 1967 General Elections.
  • Reinforces that the milestone occurred in 1967, implying it was not in the First Lok Sabha (1952–57).

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 92: World Constitutions > 2018 TEST PAPER > p. 754
Strength: 4/5
“9. Consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/ are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (e) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither I nor 2 ]0. Consider the fol1owing statements: • 1. In the first 10k Sabha, the single largest party in the opposition was the Swatantra Party. • 2. In the Lok Sabha, a "Leader of the Opposition" was recognized for the first time in 1969. • 3. In the Lok Sabha, if a party does not have a minimum of 75 members, its leader cannot be recognized as the Leader of the Opposition.”
Why relevant

This snippet explicitly records the claim as a test item (statement 1) about the Swatantra Party being the single largest opposition in the First Lok Sabha, indicating the question is contested in standard textbooks.

How to extend

A student could take this as a prompt to check primary data (party formation date and 1952 seat tallies) to verify the claim.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 84: Coalition Government > FORMATION > p. 594
Strength: 4/5
“~FORMATION In the first four Lok Sabha elections (1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967). the Congress party secured the required majority to form the government at the Centre. Even though there was a split in the Congress party in 1969, the minority government of Indira Gandhi managed to continue with the outside support of the CPI, the DMK and other parties. Again, the Congress party won the 1971 elections and formed a single-party government. However, the dominant Congress party was badly defeated in the 1977 elections. Since then, there have been a number of coalition governments at the Centre. The details are mentioned in Table 84.”
Why relevant

States that in the first four Lok Sabha elections (1952, 1957, 1962, 1967) the Congress secured the required majority, implying opposition parties had limited seats in 1952–57.

How to extend

A student could use this general rule to infer that the single largest opposition would have been a relatively small party and therefore check which opposition parties existed and their seat counts in 1952.

Politics in India since Independence, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Era of One-party Dominance > Emergence of opposition parties > p. 40
Strength: 4/5
“Some of these had come into being even before the first general election of 1952. Some of these parties played an important part in the politics of the country in the 'sixties and 'seventies. The roots of almost all the non-Congress parties of today can be traced to one or the other of the opposition parties of the 1950s. All these opposition parties succeeded in gaining only a token representation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies during this period. Yet their presence played a crucial role in maintaining the democratic character of the system. These parties offered a sustained and often principled criticism of the policies and practices of the Congress party.”
Why relevant

Explains that opposition parties in the 1950s had only 'token representation' in the Lok Sabha, a pattern relevant to evaluating any claim about a 'single largest' opposition party in that period.

How to extend

Use this pattern to focus investigation on which opposition parties had non-negligible seat counts in 1952 (e.g., CPI, PSP, Jana Sangh) and compare them.

Politics in India since Independence, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Era of One-party Dominance > Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) > p. 39
Strength: 5/5
“The party was a consistent advocate of India developing nuclear weapons especially after China carried out its atomic tests in 1964. In the 1950s Jana Sangh remained on the margins of the electoral politics and was able to secure only 3 Lok Sabha seats in 1952 elections and 4 seats in 1957 general elections to Lok Sabha. In the early years its support came mainly from the urban areas in the Hindi speaking states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The party's leaders included Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and Balraj Madhok. The Bharatiya Janata Party traces its roots to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.”
Why relevant

Gives a concrete example: Bharatiya Jana Sangh secured only 3 Lok Sabha seats in 1952, illustrating how small some non-Congress parties were.

How to extend

A student can compare such specific 1952 seat numbers (here for Jana Sangh) with seat counts of other opposition parties to see which was largest.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 38: Developments under Nehru’s Leadership (1947-64) > Political Developments > p. 643
Strength: 4/5
“Rajagopalachari in 1967, proved detrimental to the Swatantra Party. Most of the party leaders joined the Bharatiya Lok Dal in 1974, while a small group led by Masani tried to survive the party.”
Why relevant

Notes the Swatantra Party's political fortunes in the 1960s and 1970s, implying its relevance is later than the immediate post-1952 period.

How to extend

A student could combine this with basic external facts (formation date / first election contested) to judge whether Swatantra existed or was electorally relevant in 1952.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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