In a legislative assembly of 250 members, political parties A, B, C, D and E got 100, 70, 48, 15, 7 seats, respectively, while 10 seats were won by the independents. If parties A, B and C decide not to support each other, what is the minimum number of political parties required to join hands to form a majority government?

Correct option is C

Solution:

Total members = 250
Majority required = More than half = 126 seats (because 250 ÷ 2 = 125, so majority >125).
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Given seat distribution:
Party A = 100
Party B = 70
Party C = 48
Party D = 15
Party E = 7
Independents = 10

Important condition: Parties A, B, and C will not support each other.

Thus, to form a government, alliances must be formed without combining A with B, or A with C, or B with C.
Now, check possibilities:
Party A alone: 100 seats < 126 Not enough.
Party B alone: 70 seats Not enough.
Party C alone: 48 seats Not enough.
So, Party A needs allies.
Who are left? Party D (15 seats), Party E (7 seats), Independents (10 seats).
Now, adding to Party A:
Party A + D = 100 + 15 = 115
Party A + D + E = 100 + 15 + 7 = 122
Party A + D + E + Independents = 100 + 15 + 7 + 10 = 132 More than 126 
Thus, Party A needs to join hands with D, E, and Independents.
Total number of alliances = 3 (D, E, Independents).
Thus, minimum three groups need to join (besides Party A).
Hence, minimum three political groups are needed to form majority.

Correct Answer: (c) Three

Trick to Remember:
If main parties are not supporting each other, always try to club smaller parties and independents with bigger party to cross majority.

Information Booster:
Majority in assemblies is always more than half the total strength.
Independents often play a crucial role in such coalition governments.