Correct Option
There is no constitutional bar for a nominated member to be appointed as a Union Minister. Article 75(5) of the Constitution states that a Minister who is not a member of Parliament for any period of six consecutive months shall cease to be a Minister. This provision applies to both elected and nominated members. Therefore, a nominated member, being a member of Parliament, is eligible for appointment as a Union Minister.
Incorrect Options
- Option (1): This statement is incorrect. Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha can have nominated members. Article 80 provides for the nomination of 12 members to the Rajya Sabha by the President. Article 331 (prior to its repeal by the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019) provided for the nomination of two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha by the President.
- Option (2): This statement is incorrect. The constitutional provision for nominating two members belonging to the Anglo-Indian community was specifically for the Lok Sabha (Article 331), not the Rajya Sabha.
- Option (4): This statement is incorrect. A nominated member can vote in the Vice-Presidential election. However, nominated members are not part of the electoral college for the Presidential election, which consists only of elected members of both Houses of Parliament and elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States.