Q10 of 10 Page 75

“Indian democracy is now ready to shift from crude First past the Post system to a system of Proportional Representation”. Do you agree with this statement? Give your reasons for or against this statement.

Yes I agree with the statement that Indian democracy is now fully ready to shift from a rude first past the post system to a system of proportional representation. Following are the reasons for this statement:


1. The system of Indian elections would ensure that the political parties get seats as far as possible in proportion to the votes they receive during the process of elections.


2. India is a country with multi-party system. There are some national parties and regional parties in power and function, while majority of the political parties are regional thus to provide the shape to all political parties the propotional representation system is healthier.


3. the process of Decentralization of power and responsibilities strengthens the national unity and integrity of the country. If a political party or a group of leaders are given responsibilities they would perform them and behave in a better form- with more responsibility and sincerity.


4. In countries where representation democracy is practices, elections and the representative character of those elections are vital factors in making democracy effective and reliable in the success of India’s election.


More from this chapter

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6

Which of the following statements are incorrect? Identify and correct them by substituting, adding or rearranging only one word or phrase.

A. FPTP system is followed for all the elections in India.


B. Election Commission does not supervise Panchayat and Municipal elections.


C. President of India cannot remove an Election Commissioner.


D. Appointment of more than one Election Commissioners in the Election Commission is mandatory.

 7

Indian electoral system aims at ensuring representation of socially disadvantaged sections. However, we are yet to have even 10 per cent women members in our legislatures. What measures would you suggest to improve the situation?

 8

Here are some wishes expressed in a conference to discuss a constitution for a new country. Write against each of these whether FPTP or Proportional Representation system is more suited to meet each of these wishes.

A. People should clearly know who their representative is so that they can hold him or her personally accountable.


B. We have small linguistic minorities who are spread all over the country; we should ensure fair representation to them.


C. There should be no discrepancy between votes and seats for different parties.


D. People should be able to elect a good candidate even if they do not like his or her political party.

 9

A former Chief Election Commissioner joined a political party and contested elections. There are various views on this issue. One view is that a former Election Commissioner is an independent citizen and has a right to join any political party and to contest election. According to the other view, leaving this possibility open can affect the impartiality of the Election Commission. So, former Election Commissioners must not be allowed to contest any elections. Which position do you agree with and why?