Unit 4 of Political Science – I (syllabus: Module IV — the concept of representation and the role of the representative; universal adult suffrage under Art. 326 and the equality of the roll under Art. 325; women’s enfranchisement and the reservation of seats under Arts. 330A, 332A and 334A compared with Arts. 243D and 243T; the four possible bases of representation — territorial, functional, minority and proportional — and India’s rejection of separate electorates in favour of reserved seats under Arts. 330 to 334; and the electoral system — the Election Commission under Art. 324, its composition and autonomy, Parliament’s power under Art. 327 and the bar on judicial interference under Art. 329). Below: what the unit covers, the provisions it turns on, and the cases an examiner expects you to name.
What this unit covers
- What is an election for, and what should a representative actually do?
- What does universal adult suffrage in India consist of, and why is there no plural voting?
- How were women enfranchised in India, and what is the state of women's representation?
- What is territorial representation, and what is wrong with the assumption it rests on?
- What is functional representation, and why have democracies refused it?
- How does India protect minority representation, and why reserved seats rather than separate electorates?
- What is proportional representation, how does the single transferable vote work, and why did India reject it for the popular chambers?
- What is the Election Commission's constitutional position, and what is the price of its autonomy?
Treat that list as a self-test: recite each topic's rule from memory before you open its cases.
Provisions
- Constitution of India, s. Articles 325 and 326
- Constitution of India, s. Articles 243D, 243T, 325, 326, 330A, 332A and 334A
- Constitution of India, s. Articles 325 and 327
- Constitution of India, s. Articles 325, 330, 331, 332 and 334
- Constitution of India, s. Articles 324, 327, 328 and 329