Explanation:

The anti-defection law punishes individual Members of Parliament (MPs)/MLAs for leaving one party for another.

• Parliament added it to the Constitution as the Tenth Schedule in 1985. Its purpose was to bring stability to governments by discouraging legislators from changing parties.

The Tenth Schedule - popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act - was included in the Constitution via the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985.

• It sets the provisions for disqualification of elected members on the grounds of defection to another political party.
• It was a response to the toppling of multiple state governments by party-hopping MLAs after the general elections of 1967.
• However, it allows a group of MP/MLAs to join (i.e., merge with) another political party without inviting the penalty for defection. And it does not penalize political parties for encouraging or accepting defecting legislators.

As per the 1985 Act, a 'defection' by one-third of the elected members of a political party was considered a 'merger'.

• But the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, changed this and now at least two-thirds of the members of a party must be in Favour of a "merger" for it to have validity in the eyes of the law.

The members disqualified under the law can stand for elections from any political party for a seat in the same House.

• The decision on questions as to disqualification on ground of defection are referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of such House, which is subject to ‘Judicial review’.
• However, the law does not provide a timeframe within which the presiding officer has to decide a defection case.

Hence only statement 1st is correct.