Consider the following statements.

1. In the election for Lok Sabha or State Assembly, the winning candidate must get at least 50 percent of the votes polled, to be declared elected.

2. According to the provisions laid down in the Constitution of India, in Lok Sabha, the Speaker’s post goes to the majority party and the Deputy Speaker’s to the Opposition.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct option is Neither 1 nor 2.

Let us analyze both statements step-by-step to understand why they are incorrect:

Analysis of Statement 1:
In India, elections for the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies follow the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) voting system, also known as the simple majority system. Under this system, the candidate who secures the highest number of votes in a constituency is declared elected, regardless of whether they cross the 50 percent threshold of total votes polled. Therefore, getting at least 50 percent of the votes is not required. Thus, Statement 1 is incorrect.

Analysis of Statement 2:
While by convention and informal consensus in recent decades, the Speaker's post generally goes to the ruling party (or majority coalition) and the Deputy Speaker's post goes to the main opposition party, this is not a mandatory provision laid down in the Constitution of India.
Articles 93 and 178 of the Constitution state that the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies respectively shall choose two members to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker as often as the positions become vacant. The Constitution does not specify political party affiliations for these posts. Hence, Statement 2 is incorrect.

Since both statements are incorrect, the correct choice is Neither 1 nor 2.