Revamping India's Electoral System: A Call for Change

S Y Quraishi advocates for a mixed electoral system in India, suggesting a two-vote system to ensure proportional representation. This proposal aims to address electoral distortions and improve representation for underrepresented voter blocks, including minorities and women. It suggests expanding parliamentary seats to better reflect vote share distribution.

Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi has proposed that India should consider adopting a mixed electoral system, providing each voter with two votes: one for an individual candidate and another for a political party.

Quraishi emphasized the necessity of this change, citing the 2014 election results as an example. Specifically, he highlighted how the Bahujan Samaj Party received 20% of the vote in Uttar Pradesh but failed to secure any parliamentary seats, demonstrating discrepancies in the first-past-the-post system.

This mixed approach, Quraishi argues, would ensure proportional representation by adding list seats to Parliament, increasing the total number of seats from 543 to over 800. Each party would receive seats proportionate to their overall vote share, which could help balance regional political representation and improve inclusion for underrepresented groups.

(With inputs from agencies.)