Election and Representation
Election and Representation
Election and Representation
Introduction :
• The outcome of the election depends on the rules we have
adopted .
We need some machinery to conduct the elections in an impartial
manner .
Since these two decisions need to be taken before the game of
electoral politics can begin , these cannot be left to any government
.
That is why these basic decisions about elections are written down
in the constitution of a democratic country .
Elections and Democracy :
Can we have democracy without holding elections ?
This question reminds us of the necessity of representation in a
large democracy .
All citizens cannot take direct part in making every decision .
Therefore , representatives are elected by the people .
This is how elections become important .
Direct Democracy :
A direct democracy is one where the citizens directly participate In the day-to-day
decision making and in the running of The government .
The ancient city-states in Greece were considered examples of Direct democracy .
Many would consider local governments , especially gram Sabhas , to Be the closest
examples of direct democracy .
BUT THIS KIND OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY CANNOT BE PRACTICED
WHEN A DECISION HAS TO BE TAKEN BY L AKHS AND CRORES OF
PEOPLE .
Indirect Democracy :
In densely populated countries , citizens choose their representatives who, in turn , are
actively involved in governing and administering the country .
The method followed to choose these representatives is referred to as an election .
Thus the citizens have a limited role in taking major decisions and in running the
administration .
They are not very actively involved in making of the policies .
This is where constitution comes in. The constitution of a democratic country lays down some
basic rules about elections .
The details are usually left to be worked out by laws passed by the Legislature .
The basic rules mentioned in constitution :
Who is eligible to vote ?
Who is eligible to contest ?
Who is to supervise elections ?
How do the voters choose their representatives ?
How are the votes to be counted and representatives elected ?
Example : The Congress party won greater share of seats than its share of votes because in many
of the Constituencies in which its candidates won , they secured Less than 50% of the votes .
If there are several candidates , The winning candidate often gets Much less than 50% of
the votes .
The votes that go to all the losing candidates go ‘Waste.’
Example :
Suppose a party gets only 25% of the votes in every constituency , But everyone else gets
even less votes .
In that case , the party could win all the seats with only 25% votes or even less.
2. Proportional Representation:
Whole country as The country is divided into:
Whole country as a single constituency
The country is divided into several multi – Members constituencies
In this system :