Which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. A registered voter in India can contest an election to Lok Sabha from any constituency in India. 2. As per the Representation of the People Act 1951, if a person is convicted of any offence and sentenced to an imprisonment of 2 years or more, this will be disqualification to contest election. Select the correct answer using the code given below : .

Statement 1 is incorrect: The statement is flawed on two major grounds:

• Age Criterion: The minimum age to be a registered voter is 18 years (Article 326 of the Constitution), but to contest Lok Sabha elections, a person must be at least 25 years old (Article 84). Thus, an 18-year-old registered voter is not eligible to contest.
• Constituency Restrictions: According to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a candidate cannot contest from any constituency. For example, to contest a seat in Sikkim, Lakshadweep, or the autonomous districts of Assam, the candidate must be registered as an elector in those specific regions. Additionally, a general category voter cannot contest from seats reserved for SCs or STs.

Statement 2 is correct: Under Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, any person convicted of an offence and sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more is disqualified from contesting elections. The disqualification begins on the date of conviction and remains in effect for a further period of six years after their release.

Therefore, only Statement 2 is correct.