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ENHANCING REPRESENTATION, FOR A JUST ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Relevance: GS2 – Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these. 

Why in the news?

• India’s default inclination towards limited representation in democracy is under scrutiny, with calls for change.
• Critics argue that this flawed preference hinders effective governance.
• Current discussions highlight the importance of strengthening democracy through enhanced local representation, sparking a call for reform in the electoral system to ensure more inclusive and just governance.

Concerns about the Representation in Parliament

• Indian MPs represent 2.5 million citizens whereas S. House of Representatives’ ratio is approximately 700,000 citizens per member.
• In Pakistan, a National Assembly member represents around 600,000 citizens, while in Bangladesh, the ratio is about 500,000 citizens per representative.

• Quantity of Legislators: India, with a population of over a billion, has only 4,126 Members of the Legislative Assembly, 543 Lok Sabha MPs, and 245 Rajya Sabha MPs.
  • This raises questions about the adequacy of parliamentary representation given the vast population.
• Democratic Setup: The current scenario suggests a default preference for limited representation in the democratic structure. Examining the impact of such limited representation on effective governance and citizen welfare is crucial.
• Citizen Welfare Concerns: Few parliamentarians per capita raise concerns about the ability to address and cater to the diverse needs and issues of the citizens effectively. Evaluate the implications of limited representation on citizen welfare and democratic governance.
• Scope for Reform: Discuss the potential for reforms in the electoral system to ensure more proportional and adequate representation. Consider international best practices and their applicability to the Indian context.
• Policy Recommendations: Propose policy measures to enhance representation without compromising the efficiency of governance. Explore ways to strike a balance between quantity and quality of representation for optimal democratic functioning.
• Grassroots Political Presence: India boasts numerous grassroots politicians with over 1,000 municipal councils/corporations and about 2,38,000 panchayats, indicating a robust local governance structure. Despite this, there exists a deficit in their effective representation, hindering the articulation of critical issues and the legislative process.

Poor Structure in Indian Politics: 

The political system in India grapples with malapportionment (poorly divided), with legislative influence disproportionately favoring citizens of specific States. 

• Unlike the United States, where malapportionment is intentional, India faces challenges in achieving a fair distribution of political weight due to its diverse and heterogeneous political landscape.
• In the U.S. Senate, the equal representation of each state with two senators, thereby deliberately incorporating malapportionment in its political system.
  • e., This intentional imbalance can facilitate blocking legislation and empowering specific states, a feature more feasible in a homogeneous country with a two-party system.
• Implications of Malapportionment: Recognize the sensitivity of the issue, especially as political culture evolves differently in diverse regions like South and Northeast India.
• Growing Political Diversity: Acknowledge the evolving political culture in South and Northeast India, emphasizing the need for cautious consideration when addressing malapportionment.
• Caution in Addressing Political Disparities: Advocate for a careful approach in navigating the complexities of malapportionment to ensure equitable representation and avoid unintended consequences.
  • Consider policy adjustments that promote fairness and inclusivity in political representation across diverse States in India.

Delimitation Process

Delimitation, used in the past as an independent process, can restore proportionality in parliamentary representation. The Commission, set up four times, addressed redistricting concerns, freezing Lok Sabha seats during the Emergency in 1976 until 2001, citing family planning policies.

Previous Delimitaion Exercises: Delimitation commissions have been set up four times in the past-1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002

• Frozen Seats:
  • The 84th Amendment Act in February 2002 froze Lok Sabha seats until the first Census after 2026.
  • With the 2021 Census delayed, a window for early delimitation exists, potentially conducted before 2026.
• Consequences of Delimitation:
  • Delimitation could lead to consequences, evident in population shifts from 1971 to 2011 in states like Rajasthan and Kerala.
  • Disparities in voter representation, as seen in the 2019 elections, may continue with a potential increase in parliamentary seats.
• Regional Impact on Parliamentary Seats:
  • Assuming an increase to 753 seats, southern states may see a marginal rise, while northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar might experience a significant increase.
    • The historical bias towards Hindi-speaking northern populations could persist, impacting the rise of select national parties.
  • Mitigating Deleterious Consequences:
    • To minimize deleterious effects, a significant increase in parliamentary seats (around 848) is proposed to avoid any state losing seats.
    • Delimitation should consider factors beyond population, incorporating geographical determinism, economic productivity, linguistic history, and fairness.
  • Inclusive Delimitation Criteria:
    • Ensure voices from smaller states, like Sikkim, are considered alongside more populous states like Bihar.
    • Emphasize the importance of fiscal impact considerations on future transfers to states during the delimitation process.

Promoting federalism

• Electoral System Reform: Advocates for a reformed electoral system to address past centralization impacts on Centre-State relations. Urges the promotion of federalism to provide States with a stronger voice and platform for representing their interests.
• Role of Rajya Sabha: Suggests the Rajya Sabha as a potential platform for State representation. Proposes constitutional reform to allocate an equal number of Rajya Sabha MPs to each state, reducing disproportionate representation favoring larger states.
• Direct Elections: Calls for promoting direct elections for Rajya Sabha MPs. Advocates for the introduction and strict adherence to a domicile requirement to ensure genuine regional representation.
• Proportional Representation: Recommends exploring proportional representation for Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections.
  • Cites examples like Australia’s alternative preference ballot and France’s double ballot system, emphasizing the need to ensure majority support for elected candidates.
• Consideration of Alternative Voting Methods: Acknowledges the efficiency of India’s first-past-the-post system but highlights concerns about legislators representing constituencies without majority support.
  • Encourages consideration of alternative voting methods to ensure more accurate representation and a clearer mandate for elected officials.

Having more States

Advocates for an increase in the number of States in India, considering the large population of existing States. Suggests that having more and smaller-sized States could alleviate concerns about domination by North Indian or larger States.

• The States Reorganisation Commission of 1953, which created linguistic States and Union Territories.
• Proposes the establishment of a new State Reorganisation Commission after the next election to evaluate socio-economic and administrative viability for potential new States.
• Examples of Potential New States:
  • Lists examples of potential new States, including Bundelkhand, Gorkhaland, Jammu, Karu Nadu, Kongu Nadu, Mithila, Saurashtra, Tulu Nadu, and Vidarbha.
  • Emphasizes the need for administrative efficiency and democratic accountability through the redesigning or splitting of linguistic States.
• Urban Governance and Mayoral Elections: 
  • Addresses the disparity between the 8,000-plus urban settlements in India and the low number of mayors.
  • Proposes direct elections for mayors in every Census town to enhance democratic representation and improve efficiency in urban governance.
• Empowering Mayors with Decision-Making Authority:
  • Advocates for empowering mayors with decision-making authority over critical functions outlined by the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act.
  • Encourages decentralization by urging select States, such as Bihar and Rajasthan, to relinquish control over city-level authorities and functions.
• Strengthening Local Democratic Representation: Stresses that enhancing local democratic representation is crucial for strengthening India’s democracy. Expresses hope that such measures will address the concerns of citizens in various parts of India and contribute to a more just electoral system.

Source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/enhancing-representation-for-a-just-electoral-system/article67529548.ece

Mains question

Discuss the challenges of achieving just representation in Parliament. Examine the impact of electoral systems on fostering inclusive and equitable political representation. (250 marks)