Correct answer: (b) 2 only
Explanation
- A
1 only
Statement 1 says the minimum age for membership of a Panchayat is 25 years. Article 243F read with the 73rd Amendment sets the minimum age at 21 years, not 25 (25 is the Lok Sabha floor). 1 only is therefore wrong.
- B
2 only
Statement 2 is correct: a Panchayat reconstituted after premature dissolution continues only for the remainder of the original five-year term, not for a fresh five years (Article 243E). Statement 1 is false. Hence 2 only is the official key.
- C
Both 1 and 2
Both would require the 25-year age to be true. It is not, so both is not the key.
- D
Neither 1 nor 2
Neither would deny the remainder-term rule after premature dissolution, which is constitutional. This option is wrong.
Summary. Official key is (b) 2 only. Part IX fixes a five-year term for Panchayats; if the body is dissolved early, the successor sits only for what is left of that term, provided at least six months remained. The minimum age to be chosen a member is 21, not 25. Confusing Panchayat age with Lok Sabha age is the standard trap. Statement 1 fails; statement 2 stands.
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.