REPRESENTATION

MEANING OF REPRESENTATION Democracy has two patterns- direct and indiract. In direct democracy-the will of the state is formulated and expressed by the people themselves. The modern democracy is a indirect and representatives. The voters elect their representatives and they become members of the legislative assemblies.

Origin of representation Originated in the Middle ages as a device used by certain monastic orders and was applied to bodies called by the king for consultation. Under various names- Parliament in Britain Estates General in France Cortes in Spain diet in Germany

Types of representation Territorial Representation Functional Representation Proportional Representation Minority Representation

Territorial Representation This is the most popular method of electing representatives in most of the democratic countries. In this system all eligible voters living in a specified area vote to elect their representative. The total electorate of the country, irrespective of their profession or group is divided into territorial constituencies, which elect one or more representatives. The entire population is devided into constituencies with more or less equal number of voters.

Functional Representation Functional representation means that representatives are elected by various professional and functional groups like – industrial workers, trading functionaries, medical practitioners, lawyers, teachers, transporters, etc. According to this method separate constituencies are set up for people belonging to specific group. For example, there may be a constituency of teachers who elect their representative. The electorate is professionally or functionally categorized and each of professional categories is called upon to elect one or more representatives, irrespective of their place of residence in the country. Unlike the territorial representation the electorate is not divided on the basis of territorial constituencies but on the basis of their profession. It is a scheme of representation to various occupational groups.

Proportional Representation The system of proportional representation is an electoral device to ensure representation of all sections of the people more or less in proportion to their voting strength. Under this system any group, whether it is a political party or interest group will secure representation in proportion to the popular votes it obtains. J.S. Mill was an ardent advocate of proportional representation. He said, “In any really equal democracy every or any section would be represented not disproportionately, but proportionately. A majority of the electors would always have a majority of representatives; but a minority of electors would always have a minority of representatives.”

Proportional Representation This system ensures that the number of seats a political party gets in the legislature should be in proportion to the support of the popular votes. Sometimes in the simple majority system it is seen that a party gets more seats in the legislature even though it receives less percentage of votes or a candidate with even less than 50 percent of votes is declared elected. For instance, in India, in 1971 Lok Sabha elections, Congress polled only 46 percent votes yet it managed 351 seats out of 522. That is, even with less than 50 percent votes, Congress won 68 percent of the seats in the Lok Sabha. This limitation of the first-past-the-post system may be removed through proportional representation system. There are two methods by which proportional representation is secured.

Proportional Representation 1. The Single Transferable Vote System It is also called the Hare system or the Andrae Scheme. According to the single transferable vote system each voter can cast only one vote which can be transferred to other candidates, if necessary, according to the preference of the voter. Therefore, this system is also called the preferential system. This system works under following conditions: (a) Every constituency should be a multi-member constituency, electing three or more members. (b) A voter has only single effective vote which may be cast in order of preference – first, second, third or as many preferences as there are candidates. The voter writes 1, 2, 3 and so on against the names of the candidates of his choice. (c) But the voter cannot cast all his preferences in favour of only one candidate. (d) In order to be elected, a candidate must secure a certain quota of votes. The quota is determined by dividing the total votes cast by the number of seats in the constituency.

For instance, if the number of seats in a constituency is 3 and total number of votes cast is 20,000. The quota will be The counting of votes begins with the first preference votes. A candidate securing the prescribed quota on the basis of the first preference votes is declared elected, and his surplus votes, if any, are transferred to the candidates having second preference indicated on the ballot papers and so on. If one or more seats are left vacant because some candidates do not secure the required quota, the candidates getting least number of votes are eliminated and their votes are transferred according to the preferences of the voters. This system has been adopted in India for the election of the members of the Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Councils. This method is also followed for the election of President of India.

Proportional Representation 2. List System This is another method of proportional representation. Under this system, large multimember constituencies are formed and many candidates are elected from each constituency. Each political party submits a list of its candidates for election from a particular constituency. A voter votes not to individuals but to the lists of candidates of different political parties. These votes are indivisible. If 4 representatives are to be elected from theconstituency, the voter has no option to cast 2 votes on one list and 2 on the other list. The Democracy at Work voter has to select all the four candidates from either of the list. A quota is determined, and the candidates are declared elected according to the quota of votes secured by policital parties. A party entitled to three seats, according to the quota will declare the first three candidates on its list elected. There are two forms of list system – the ‘bound list’ and the ‘free list’. In ‘bound list’ a voter has no choice except to endorse or reject the entire list of candidates prepared by a political party. But, in a free list, the voter while selecting the list can give his or her own order of preferences for the candidates. List system is followed for elections in Switzerland.

MINORITY REPRESENTATION Cumulative Vote System: According to this system a voter has as many votes as the number of seats in the constituency. The voters has options. He or she can cast vote for all the candidates or concentrate all his or her votes for just one candidate. For example, if 5 members are to be elected, the voter may give his or her vote to only one candidate or distribute it among a few or all candidates. This system, therefore, may provide an opportunity to a well organised minority to elect its representative by cumulating all its votes in favour of its own candidate. Limited Vote Plan: This system is adopted in a multi-member constituency from where a minimum of 3 candidates are to be elected. Under this system every voter can vote for more than one candidate, but he or she cannot vote for all the candidates. That is why, it is known as the limited vote system. For example, if there are 6 seats in a constituency, every voter will have right to vote only for 4 candidates. The voter has to vote for different candidates of his or her choice, but he or she cannot vote for more than 4 candidates.