NCERT Summary: Elections & Democracy - 1 | Indian Polity for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Introduction

1. Representative Democracy:

• In a representative democracy, citizens elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf.
• Direct participation in day-to-day decision-making is not practical for large populations, leading to the need for elected representatives.
• The ancient Greek city-states were examples of direct democracy, where citizens participated directly in decision-making.

2. Direct vs. Indirect Democracy:

• Direct democracy involves citizens directly participating in decision-making.
• Indirect democracy, on the other hand, relies on elected representatives to make decisions on behalf of the citizens.
• Local governments, like gram sabhas in India, are considered examples of direct democracy on a smaller scale.

3. Role of Elections in Democracy:

• Elections are a fundamental aspect of representative democracy.
• Citizens choose their representatives through a process known as elections.
• Elected representatives actively participate in governing and administering the country.
• Elections serve as a mechanism for citizens to indirectly influence decision-making.

4. Election System in India:

• In India, the election system plays a crucial role in shaping the government.
• The example of the 1984 Lok Sabha elections is used to illustrate the impact of the election system.
• The Congress party won a significant majority of seats (80%) with only 48% of the votes, showcasing the First Past the Post (FPTP) system in action.

5. First Past the Post (FPTP) System:

• Under FPTP, the country is divided into constituencies, each electing one representative.
• The candidate with the highest number of votes in a constituency wins, irrespective of whether they have a majority.
• The winning candidate need not secure more than 50% of the votes.
• This system is also known as the Plurality System.

6. Impact of FPTP System:

• The example of the Congress party winning a majority of seats with less than a majority of votes demonstrates the FPTP system's outcomes.
• A winning candidate may secure less than 50% of the votes if there are multiple candidates in a constituency.
• Votes for losing candidates are considered "wasted" as they do not contribute to winning seats.

7. Election Results Discrepancies:

• Discrepancies between the percentage of votes and the percentage of seats won can occur due to the FPTP system.
• The example of the BJP getting 7.4% of votes but less than 1% of seats highlights such discrepancies.

8. Constitutional Mandate:

• The FPTP system is the method of election prescribed by the Indian Constitution.
• It determines the manner in which representatives are elected to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

1. Introduction to the FPTP Election System:

   • FPTP System: The First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) electoral system is a method in which the candidate with the highest number of votes in a constituency is declared the winner. This system can sometimes disadvantage smaller social groups.

   • Concerns in the Indian Context: In the Indian social context, historical issues of caste-based discrimination make the FPTP system potentially disadvantageous for smaller and oppressed social groups. It may result in dominant social groups winning consistently while leaving the marginalized groups unrepresented.

2. Historical Context: Separate Electorates and Reserved Constituencies:

   • Separate Electorates: Before independence, the British government introduced a system of "separate electorates," where only voters belonging to a particular community were eligible to vote for a representative from that community.

   • Reserved Constituencies: The Constituent Assembly debated the effectiveness of separate electorates and decided to adopt the system of reserved constituencies. In this system, all voters in a constituency can vote, but candidates must belong to a specific community or social section for which the seat is reserved.

3. Constitutional Provision for Reserved Seats:

   • Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes: The Constitution provides for the reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Initially, this provision was for ten years, but through constitutional amendments, it has been extended up to 2010, with the possibility of further extension.

   • Proportional Representation: The number of seats reserved for SCs and STs is in proportion to their share in the population of India. Currently, out of 543 elected seats in the Lok Sabha, 79 are reserved for Scheduled Castes, and 41 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

4. Decision on Reserved Constituencies:

   • Delimitation Commission: The decision on which constituency to reserve is made by an independent body called the Delimitation Commission. Appointed by the President of India, this commission works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India.

   • Criteria for Reservation: The Delimitation Commission fixes a quota of constituencies to be reserved in each state based on the proportion of SC or ST population. It then looks at the composition of population in each constituency, reserving those with the highest proportion of Scheduled Tribe population for STs. In the case of Scheduled Castes, constituencies with higher proportions are chosen, with an effort to spread them across different regions of the state.

5. Potential for Rotation:

   • Rotating Reserved Constituencies: The text mentions that these reserved constituencies can be rotated each time the Delimitation exercise is undertaken, ensuring a fair distribution over time.

6. Lack of Reservation for Other Disadvantaged Groups:

   • Demand for Women's Reservation: While the Constitution provides reservation for SCs and STs, there is a growing demand for the reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women. Despite amendments being proposed in Parliament, no such reservation has been implemented yet.

   • Existing Reservation for Women: The text notes that reservation for women exists in rural and urban local bodies, but extending it to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas would require a constitutional amendment.