Numbers and Statistics Compendium
Free study material · concepts, shortcuts & solved questions
Every Critical Number in Indian Polity, Consolidated for Rapid Memorization
Why This Chapter Exists
UPSC Prelims disproportionately tests precise numbers — ages, time limits, majorities, member counts. Scattered across 24 chapters, these are easy to mix up under exam pressure. This chapter consolidates every number that matters into single-purpose tables.
Ages (Minimum Age Requirements)
| Position | Minimum Age |
|---|---|
| President | 35 |
| Vice-President | 35 |
| Governor | 35 |
| Lok Sabha member | 25 |
| Rajya Sabha member | 30 |
| State Legislative Assembly member | 25 |
| State Legislative Council member | 30 |
| Voting (universal adult suffrage) | 18 |
Retirement Ages
| Position | Retirement Age |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court judge | 65 |
| High Court judge | 62 |
| UPSC member | 65 (or 6-year term, whichever earlier) |
| State PSC member | 62 (or 6-year term, whichever earlier) |
Terms of Office
| Position/Body | Term |
|---|---|
| President | 5 years |
| Vice-President | 5 years |
| Governor | 5 years (subject to President's pleasure) |
| Lok Sabha | 5 years (dissolvable) |
| Rajya Sabha | Permanent (1/3rd retire every 2 years; individual term effectively 6 years) |
| State Legislative Assembly | 5 years |
| State Legislative Council | Permanent (1/3rd retire every 2 years) |
| Panchayats/Municipalities | 5 years |
| Finance Commission | Constituted every 5 years |
| Autonomous District Council (Sixth Schedule) | 5 years |
Time Limits and Deadlines
| Action | Time Limit |
|---|---|
| Ordinance approval after Parliament reassembles | 6 weeks |
| National Emergency — Parliamentary approval | Within 1 month |
| President's Rule — Parliamentary approval | Within 2 months |
| Financial Emergency — Parliamentary approval | Within 2 months |
| President's Rule — maximum duration | 3 years (with conditions after 1 year) |
| Rajya Sabha's recommendation window on Money Bills | 14 days |
| Vacancy in President's office — fresh election | Within 6 months |
| Minister not in either House — must join within | 6 months |
| GST Council — constitution after 101st Amendment | Within 60 days |
| Election petition period for defection complaints under 15-day condonation | 15 days (whip violation condonation) |
Membership/Size Numbers
| Body | Size |
|---|---|
| Lok Sabha (current effective) | 543 |
| Lok Sabha (max under Art. 81, post-104th Amendment) | 550 |
| Rajya Sabha (current) | 245 (233 elected + 12 nominated) |
| Rajya Sabha (max under Art. 80) | 250 |
| Supreme Court (sanctioned strength, per 2026 ordinance) | 38 (including CJI) |
| Finance Commission | Chairman + 4 members = 5 |
| Election Commission (current) | CEC + 2 ECs = 3 |
| CVC | Chairperson + max. 2 Vigilance Commissioners = max. 3 |
| Public Accounts Committee | 22 (15 Lok Sabha + 7 Rajya Sabha) |
| Committee on Public Undertakings | 22 (15 Lok Sabha + 7 Rajya Sabha) |
| Estimates Committee | 30 (Lok Sabha only) |
| State Legislative Council (minimum) | 40 |
| State Legislative Council (maximum, as fraction of Assembly) | 1/3rd of Assembly strength |
| State Legislative Assembly (minimum) | 60 |
| State Legislative Assembly (maximum) | 500 |
| Goa Legislative Assembly (special minimum, Art. 371I) | 30 |
| Autonomous District Council (Sixth Schedule, max) | 30 |
| SC seats reserved in Lok Sabha | 84 |
| ST seats reserved in Lok Sabha | 47 |
Percentages and Fractions
| Context | Figure |
|---|---|
| Council of Ministers cap (Union/State), of House strength | 15% |
| Minimum ministers in a state Council of Ministers | 12 |
| EWS reservation ceiling | 10% |
| Total reservation ceiling (Indra Sawhney, with exceptions) | 50% |
| Women's reservation (73rd/74th, and 106th Amendments) | Not less than 1/3rd |
| Legislative Council max size relative to Assembly | 1/3rd |
| GST Council — Centre's voting weight | 1/3rd |
| GST Council — States' combined voting weight | 2/3rd |
| GST Council — decision threshold | 3/4th of weighted votes |
| Anti-Defection "merger" exception threshold | 2/3rd of legislative party |
| Quorum in Parliament | 1/10th of total membership |
| No-Confidence Motion — minimum support to admit | 50 members |
| Impeachment resolution — minimum signatories to initiate (President) | 1/4th of House membership |
Schedule and Subject Counts
| Item | Count |
|---|---|
| Total Schedules (current) | 12 |
| Original Schedules (1950) | 8 |
| Eighth Schedule — languages | 22 |
| Eleventh Schedule — Panchayat subjects | 29 |
| Twelfth Schedule — Municipality subjects | 18 |
| Union List — subjects (approx.) | ~100 |
| State List — subjects (approx.) | ~61 |
| Concurrent List — subjects (approx.) | ~52 |
| Fundamental Rights — categories | 6 (originally 7) |
| Fundamental Duties | 11 (originally 10) |
| DPSP — Articles span | 36–51 |
| Total Articles (original, 1950) | 395 |
| Total Parts (original, 1950) | 22 |
Key Years
| Event | Year |
|---|---|
| Constitution adopted | 1949 (26 November) |
| Constitution enforced | 1950 (26 January) |
| First Amendment | 1951 |
| Anti-Defection Law (52nd Amendment) | 1985 |
| Panchayati Raj/Municipalities constitutional status (73rd/74th) | 1992 |
| Voting age reduced to 18 (61st Amendment) | 1989 |
| Right to Education inserted (86th Amendment) | 2002 |
| Council of Ministers cap (91st Amendment) | 2003 |
| CVC statutory status | 2003 |
| NJAC struck down | 2015 |
| NITI Aayog established | 2015 |
| GST introduced (101st Amendment) | 2016 |
| NCBC constitutional status (102nd Amendment) | 2018 |
| EWS reservation (103rd Amendment) | 2019 |
| Anglo-Indian nomination abolished (104th Amendment) | 2019/2020 |
| Women's reservation enacted (106th Amendment) | 2023 |
| Electoral Bonds struck down | 2024 |
| Supreme Court strength raised to 38 | 2026 |
Solved Example (UPSC Prelims-Format MCQ)
Q1. Which of the following numbers is correctly paired? (a) Minimum age for Rajya Sabha — 25 years (b) Maximum Legislative Council size — 1/2 of Assembly strength (c) GST Council decision threshold — 3/4th of weighted votes (d) Anti-Defection merger exception — 1/2 of legislative party Answer: (c)
Practice Set (Exam-Format MCQs)
Q1. The quorum required to conduct business in either House of Parliament is: (a) 1/10th of total membership (b) 1/4th of total membership (c) 1/2 of total membership (d) 2/3rd of total membership Answer: (a)
Q2. The minimum number of members required to admit a No-Confidence Motion in the Lok Sabha is: (a) 25 (b) 50 (c) 100 (d) 545 Answer: (b)
Q3. The maximum ceiling on total reservations, per Indra Sawhney, subject to exceptions, is: (a) 33% (b) 40% (c) 50% (d) 60% Answer: (c)
Q4. The minimum number of Supreme Court judges required to form a Constitution Bench is: (a) 3 (b) 5 (c) 7 (d) 9 Answer: (b)
Q5. An impeachment resolution against the President must be signed by at least what fraction of a House's total membership to be initiated? (a) 1/10th (b) 1/4th (c) 1/3rd (d) 1/2 Answer: (b)
Chapter 25 Quick Revision Sheet
Treat this chapter as your final "numbers flashcard deck" — the single highest-yield, lowest-effort revision activity in the final week before Prelims is re-reading this chapter's tables until every figure is automatic recall.