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Unit 12: Politics of Representation and Participation

majority, or until one candidate remains in the field after elimination of others having votes Notes
less than those of him. Here again, the minorities may have a political bargain with a particular
candidate and thus reap the dividends of their floating votes.
3. Limited Vote System: It requires that there should be at least three seats in a multi-member
constituency and the voter be given votes less than the number of seats; they should also not be
allowed to cast more than one vote for a candidate. We may, for instance, say that a voter be
given two votes in a three-member constituency. In this situation the position of the minorities
is improved a little and they may have a chance of capturing one seat if they are fairly large,
united and well organised.
4. Single Vote System: It prevails in a multi-member constituency with one vote of each voter.
The candidates are elected on the basis of the majority of votes. The position of the minorities is
much improved in this system inasmuch as they may cast their votes for their own candidate,
while the votes of the persons in majority are sure to be divided among different candidates.
5. Proxy System: Under it, a voter may cast, his vote for one candidate in a multi-member
constituency. A minimum number of votes is fixed and a candidate securing that point is declared
elected. It is also provided that those who vote for a candidate who fails to be sucessful, may
vote again for others so that the unfilled posts may be filled up. Obviously, this would require
either a preferential ballot or one which is most secret.
6. Cumulative Vote System: Under this system, each voter has as many votes as there are seats
and he is allowed to cast his votes either for different candidates, or he may give all votes to a
particular candidate. It is obvious that the persons in minority may cast their all votes in favour
of their own candidate. It is also known as plumping vote system.
7. Weightage: It means that the persons in minority may be given some extra benefits. That is,
they may be entitled for more votes than those given to the persons in majority. For instance, in
India the Muslims and Christians in pre-independence period were given two votes—one for
the elections in general constituencies and one for the election of a candidate of their own
community.
8. Reservations: There may be the system of reservation of seats or nominations by the head of
the state. We may see that in our country seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes at the time of elections, while some Anglo-Indians may be nominated as
members in the Union and State legislatures.
Though we may not refute the wisdom of a great democrat like Mill who said that the minorities
should be given adequate representation and some special arrangement should be made for this
purpose so that some seats be shared by them, it should also be borne in mind that nothing should be
done for the sake of appeasing them. It should also be carefully noted that the special benefits or
favours given to them are not converted into vested interests harmful to the interests of the nation as
a whole. Let the minorities have the right to preserve and protect their religion, language, race, culture,
etc. and let the state afford them special safeguards for this purpose. However, let it also be carefully
noted that these privileges are not misused for purely selfish purposes. What the Indian Supreme
Court has ruled in the Gujarat University Case of 1974 (that the state cannot interfere with the
management of educational institutions established and run by a minority community), for instance,
opens the way for the perpetration and perpetuation of exploitation particularly in the academic
field. If such a situation ever arises, suitable steps should be taken, including an amendment of the
provisions of the fundamental law of the land, so that the minorities are not allowed to make mischief
in the name of privileges given to them.
Functional Representation: The system of functional representation has been suggested by a good
number of social and political theorists as a better and more efficacious alternative to the system of
territorial representation. It desires that the basis of representation should not be the territorial

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