📝 Chapter Notes & Revision

Election and Representation

🏫 MP BoardClass 11Political Science

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Class 11 Political Science

Chapter: Election and Representation

1. Introduction to Elections and Democracy

  • Democracy: A system of government where people choose their rulers through elections. Democracy can be Direct (citizens directly participate in decision-making, rare today) or Indirect/Representative (citizens elect representatives to govern on their behalf, most common today).
  • Election: A mechanism by which people choose their representatives at regular intervals and change them if they wish to do so.

2. Why do we need Elections?

  • Elections are essential in any representative democracy because:
    • They enable voters to choose who will make laws for them.
    • They allow voters to choose who will form the government and take major policy decisions.
    • They act as a guide for the political parties and their policies.
    • Voters can hold their representatives accountable.

3. Election System in India

India has adopted a democratic election system. The provisions regarding elections are enshrined in the Indian Constitution (Part XV, Articles 324-329).

A. First Past The Post (FPTP) System / First-Past-The-Post System

  • How it works: The country is divided into small geographical units called constituencies. Each constituency elects one representative. The candidate who secures the highest number of votes in that constituency is declared elected, even if they do not have an absolute majority (50%+1) of the total votes cast.
  • Also known as: Plurality System.
  • Countries using FPTP: India, UK, Canada, USA.

B. Proportional Representation (PR) System

  • How it works: A party gets seats in the legislature in proportion to the percentage of votes it gets. There are two main variations of PR:
    1. List System: Voters vote for a party, and parties send candidates from their lists in proportion to votes won (e.g., Israel, Netherlands).
    2. Single Transferable Vote (STV) System: Multi-member constituencies where voters rank candidates in order of preference (e.g., Election of the President and Rajya Sabha in India).

4. Comparison: FPTP vs. PR System

FeatureFirst Past The Post (FPTP)Proportional Representation (PR)
ConstituencySmall geographical area; usually single-member.Large geographical area; often multi-member.
Voter's ChoiceVoter votes for a candidate.Voter votes for a party.
Winning CriteriaCandidate with the highest votes wins (majority not required).Seats won are proportional to the percentage of votes secured.
Government StabilityGenerally leads to clear-cut majorities and stable single-party governments.Often leads to coalition governments due to fragmented mandates.
ExampleIndia, UKIsrael, Netherlands

5. Why did India adopt the FPTP System?

The Constitution makers chose the FPTP system for India due to the following reasons:

  • Simplicity: It is extremely simple to understand even for common voters with low literacy rates.
  • Clear Choice: It gives voters a clear choice between competing candidates and political parties.
  • Stability: It helps in producing a stable government by giving a clear majority to one party (historically), avoiding the instability of coalitions.
  • National Unity: It discourages extreme fragmentation of the party system and encourages different social groups to come together to win elections, promoting national integration.

6. Reservation of Constituencies

  • The Problem: In an open electoral competition, weaker sections (Scheduled Castes - SCs and Scheduled Tribes - STs) may not have the required social and financial clout to win against dominant groups.
  • The Solution: The Constitution provides for reserved constituencies where only candidates belonging to the specific reserved group (SC or ST) can contest elections.
  • Delimitation Commission: An independent body appointed by the President of India to draw up the boundaries of constituencies across the country.

7. Universal Adult Franchise and Right to Contest

  • Universal Adult Franchise (सार्वभौमिक वयस्क मताधिकार): All citizens above a certain age (18 years in India) have the right to vote, without any discrimination based on caste, religion, gender, education, or wealth.
  • Right to Contest: Every citizen who has the right to vote also has the right to contest elections, subject to minimum age requirements (e.g., 25 years for Lok Sabha/Vidhan Sabha, 35 years for President/Governor).

8. Election Commission of India (ECI)

  • Constitutional Body: Established under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution.
  • Composition: Can be a single-member or multi-member body. Currently, it is a multi-member body consisting of one Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commissioners (ECs), appointed by the President.
  • Independence:
    • CEC is protected from arbitrary removal (can be removed only by impeachment by Parliament).
    • Other commissioners can be removed by the President on the recommendation of the CEC.
  • Key Functions of ECI:
    1. Superintending, directing, and controlling free and fair elections.
    2. Preparing and revising the electoral rolls (voter list).
    3. Delimiting constituencies and determining dates/schedules for elections.
    4. Recognizing political parties and allotting election symbols.
    5. Imposing the Model Code of Conduct (आदर्श आचार संहिता) to ensure a level playing field.
    6. Ordering repolls or countermanding elections in case of rigging or violence.

9. Electoral Reforms in India

To make the electoral system more free, fair, and representative, several reforms have been suggested or implemented over time:

  1. State Funding of Elections: The government should bear the election expenses of parties/candidates to reduce the influence of black money.
  2. Regulation of Political Parties: Strict internal democracy and auditing of party accounts.
  3. Disqualification of Criminals: Banning candidates with serious criminal cases against them.
  4. Ban on Caste/Religious Appeals: Strict penalties for seeking votes on communal or caste lines.
  5. Shifting to a Mixed System: Combining elements of FPTP and PR to ensure proportionality.
  6. Use of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) and VVPAT: Introduced to prevent rigging, booth capturing, and voting fraud.