With reference to the Indian Parliament and the election of constitutional posts, consider the following statements: 1. While the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is not a member of the House, the Deputy Chairman must be a member of the Rajya Sabha. 2. Nominated members of Parliament do not participate in the election of the President, but they are part of the electoral college for the Vice-President. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Explanation

Under Article 89(1), the Vice-President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and there is no requirement for them to be a member of the Rajya Sabha. However, Article 89(2) mandates that the Rajya Sabha shall choose one of its members to be the Deputy Chairman. Thus, statement 1 is correct. Under Article 54, the electoral college for the President includes only elected members of Parliament. Under Article 66(1), the Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting of all members (both elected and nominated) of both Houses of Parliament. Thus, statement 2 is also correct.