India after independence adopted the First Past The Post system (FPTP). Which among the following is not the reason behind its adoption?
Proportional Representation is a complicated system which may work in a small country but difficult to work in large country like India.
Incorrect AnswerThe entire election system of FPTP is extremely simple to understand even for common voters.
Incorrect AnswerFPTP is a constituency based system and representative is responsible for one locality.
Incorrect AnswerIn FPTP Voters are often asked to choose a party and the representatives are elected on the basis of party lists.
Correct AnswerExplanation:
Under the First Past the Post (FPTP) system, a candidate who gets one vote more than other candidates is declared as the winner. In proportional representation, the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. • Proportional representation (PR) is a complicated system which may work in a small country but would be difficult to work in a sub-continental country like India. Hence option (a) is correct. • The reason for the popularity and success of the FPTP system is its simplicity. The entire election system is extremely simple to understand even for common voters who may have no specialized knowledge about politics and elections. Hence option (b) is correct. • There is also a clear choice presented to the voters at the time of elections. Voters have to simply endorse a candidate or a party while voting. Depending on the nature of actual politics, voters may either give greater importance to the party or to the candidate or balance the two. • The FPTP system offers voters a choice not simply between parties but specific candidates. In other electoral systems, especially PR systems, voters are often asked to choose a party and the representatives are elected on the basis of party lists. As a result, there is no one representative who represents and is responsible for one locality. In a constituency-based system like the FPTP, the voters know who their own representative is and can hold him or her accountable. Hence option (c) is correct. • More importantly, the makers of our Constitution also felt that a PR-based election may not be suitable for giving a stable government in a parliamentary system. This system requires that the executive has a majority in the legislature. The PR system may not produce a clear majority because seats in the legislature would be divided on the basis of the share of votes. Hence option (d) is not correct.
By: Parvesh Mehta ProfileResourcesReport error