Indian Electoral System - Assignment Example

1.What are the major features of the electoral system in your country?

What is the electoral system used? SMD, PR, mixed electoral system?

India uses the single-member district electoral system. The system embraces the common democratic principle whereby the winner takes it all regardless of the number of votes that the winning team exceeds the runners-up. The system is also called the First Past The Post, FPTP. The system has been used in the country for a long time. It does not take into consideration the plight of the minority because of the democratic principle. The system is ideal for the country because it has prevented the instability that is characterized by the proportional representation system. According to Nair, & Jain (2013), the adoption of the proportional representation electoral system has led to a collapse of the Nepal economy, hence the need for India’s continued use of the single-member district system. The electoral system is good for the Indian nation because it encourages the growth of small parties given the vast geographical coverage and populace of the expansive country. The electoral system benefits the whole nation and cares for the needs of the minority because it encourages the voice of the minority from different perspectives. For instance, there are reserved seats for the marginalized groups, especially the scheduled castes and tribes. The system considers the need for supporting the minority groups, hence prevention of instability.

What are the main parties in the country and how many seats do they have in the legislature?

According to Yadav, & Mukherjee (2014), the main parties in India include the BJP, which has a total of 282 seats, and the NDA party, which has 336 seats in the Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha. The parties are the major parties in India, and they represent the popular will of the people on various issues. The fact that the single-member district system used by India favors the major parties makes the two parties raise the bar on the politics of the country.

Is the system of government presidential, parliamentary, or semi-presidential system? Explain how the president or prime minister is chosen?

The governance system used in India is a parliamentary system of governance. The Constitution of India stipulates that the executive is responsible to the elected representatives of the people. The president is considered the head of the union made up of seven territories. The institution also provides for the existence of a council of ministers, which is headed by the prime minister. In this form of governance, the president is guided by the advice offered by the prime minister. The system of government used in India has both unitary and federal attributes (Chopra, 2014). The government is a federal having salient unitary features. The legislative power is equally divided between the state legislature and Parliament. This notwithstanding, residual powers are vested in Parliament. The Prime minister is directly appointed by the president while the president is elected by an electoral college, which constitutes of elected members of both the houses of parliament and the legislative assemblies of the state. The parliamentary system of governance is the best for India because it promotes adequate representation of the public since the president is indirectly elected by the public. The fact that the public elects the Electoral College members who elect the president means that the interest of the common man is taken into consideration. The prime minister advises the president, hence there is no likelihood of clandestine deals.

3.What are the main political divisions within the country?

Are divisions based off of ethnicity, linguistic differences, religion, something else, or a combination of all of these?

According to Nair, & Jain (2013), India constitutes of 28 states and 7 union territories, and the states Reorganization Act of 1956 directed that the states were to be reorganized on the basis of linguistics. For this reason, all the territories are divided into the states on the basis of linguistics. Although the state is further subdivided into administrative districts, the language aspect does not change. However, the issue of the minority has caused much anxiety in the country because of the confusion between recognition of minorities in terms of religion, population statistics or tribe. The perceive divisions on the ground of religion makes the Muslims the minority. However, such a divisor caused ripples in the political environment because of the need for national considerations. The territories are govern by twelve presidential nominees.

Why is the identity of the minority group salient? What is the history of the main minority group(s)? Why did conflicts based on these divisions occur?

The identity of the minority group is salient because of the prioritization of the needs of the marginalized groups subject to the Affirmative Action. The minority issue is relevant in the Indian society because India is a socialist state. The country embraces service to all and co-existence, given the huge number of subscribers making up the Indian society. The minority groups are acknowledging in all perspectives. First, the minority groups form part of the marginalized groups, which have reserved seats in the Indian Parliament. In this regard, the Indian constitution recognizes the need for addressing the various challenges facing the minority groups. The representation is a manifestation of goodwill and the significance of the social fabric of the Indian nation. The nation promotes diversity, hence the reason for representation of every state in the parliament. According to Yadav, & Mukherjee (2014), the recent cases of extremism against the muslins are an affront in the Indian nation’s cohesion pursuit. The core value of the Indian nation includes peaceful co-existence among the communities. However, the Muslim people are the minority in almost every state. For this reason, the muslins have been persecuted over time.

According to Chopra (2014), Masjid mosque was demolished by extremist Hindus who were worry of the conversion mission of the Muslims. The minority groups are trustworthy compared to their majority counterparts. This assumption has always led to the unconditional support of the minority groups by the government regardless of the democratic dispensation. The minority people receive adequate recognition from their fellow minorities and the majorities in senior positions. This explains the strong social bond between the minorities and community. Trust is a crucial virtue in society, and the minority groups have naturally earned it out of their suffering and vulnerability. The concept of minority cut across the board because religious minorities such as the Muslims adopt different behaviors with their fellow minors. The sympathy favors that accrued to the minority groups are important and the Indian scenario is not an exception. The Muslim minority in Indian has a rich history. There is a place called Ayutthaya, which used to be the bathing place, Rama. The Sangh family for the youth, student, and women is an organization, which is recognized and regarded by the Hindus, the Ajodhya. The fundamentalist Hindus have got only one temple in India and adjacent to the temple is a mosque. The mosque has been the problem for a long time now. In addition, there used to be interreligious structures in various parts of India. These include a Buddhist shrine. The shrine was later forcefully occupied by the Hindus in which they erected a Shiva statue on the shrine. The Hindus did the same to the Mosque whereby they placed the Rama statue on it, and later formed a conflict out of it. The Hindus have since been agitating for their reclamation of their Holy city through the movement of the reclamation of the birthplace of Rama. This politics has led to serious conflicts and scathing attacks between the Muslims and the Hindus over many decades.

How has this group suffered due to their minority status?

The Muslim minority in India has suffered because of their status. There are many cases of Muslims mistreated and beaten up just because of the decades-long conflicts with the Hindus. A case in point, a young Muslim man, and Hindu woman were mercilessly beaten on account of interfaith love, and the man was beaten up while the incident was being videotaped as evidence against the man for obscenity (Nair, & Jain, 2013). The Hindu youth brigade has always wreaked havoc in India for their Muslim counterparts. The fact that the majority of the populace is Hindus puts the Muslims in a precarious situation. The government effort in quelling the fears and reality of religious discrimination and intolerance has not born any fruit for a long time since the Bharatiya Janata Party is a Hindu nationalist party. The cows are highly regarded in Hindu religion, hence two Muslim were beaten to death by Hindu vigilantes who waylaid them because they were from cattle fair. The discrimination against the Muslims is underscored in Abhishek Manu’s sentiments that the ruling party is at the forefront of imposing a single uniform ethics in almost all spheres of Indian life, dress, culture, food or thinking. Moreover, the government has always downplayed any reports of Muslim undermining and mistreatment. The other case revealing the animosity against the Muslim minority is when a Muslim youth was tied to an Indian army jeep bumper to serve as a human shield against Kashmir stone-pelters.

Currently, is this minority group treated differently or similarly, compared to other minority groups, by the state?

The minority group is currently being treated well compared to the past time because Narendra Modi has established special groups to apprehend the anti-Muslim groups. The government has also ensured that the minority groups, especially the Muslims receive an equal level of infrastructural development and socio-economic developmental, which reduce the level of animosity against them. The government gesture is good because it promotes better treatment and regard of the minority groups. The trend will translate into greater minority assimilation in the future. Consequently, there will be a cohesive Indian society in the future.

Are their civil rights and liberties respected?

The Affirmative action is one of the civil rights that protect the minority groups. However, the rights and liberties are not respected because of the conspiracies involved in the execution of the vigilante groups. The various incidences of Muslim assault are a manifestation of the intolerance and aviation of the human rights, the Affirmative Act rights and the liberties of the minority groups (Yadav, & Mukherjee, 2014). However, the government has an obligation to stop the malpractice to achieve cohesion and sustainable growth and development through the involvement of all citizens regardless of tribe, religion, race, political affiliation or social class.

Do you foresee future or current challenges to democracy in the country? Why?

There are current challenges to democracy in India. First, women are underrepresented in Parliament despite the fact that they constitute 50% of the total population of India of 1.3billion people, and cases of rape, domestic violence, and child marriage are never prioritized because of less than 10% representation of women in parliament (Chopra, 2014). The tax payment patterns, especially income tax payment, are not satisfactory. Chopra (2014) adds that 1% of the entire population pays income tax while 15% of the population is liable for the tax payment. Divisive forces are on the rise, which is an indication that democracy is compromised. Additionally, black-market business is prevalent in India, hence democracy has not been fully achieved because such malpractices culminate in an inequitable distribution of wealth and inflation. In addition, most states are mismanaged and underdeveloped because of lack of proper administration and devolution of resources to the grassroots level. The justice system is also sowing in dispensing its mandate, which subjugates justice for the people. The practice of caste system, political violence and corruption are the manifestations of lack of democracy in India. Caste system is discriminative because it recognizes people on the basis of castes rather than nationalism.

3.What are the main political divisions within the country?

Are divisions based off of ethnicity, linguistic differences, religion, something else, or a combination of all of these?

According to Nair, & Jain (2013), India constitutes of 28 states and 7 union territories, and the states Reorganization Act of 1956 directed that the states were to be reorganized on the basis of linguistics. For this reason, all the territories are divided into the states on the basis of linguistics. Although the state is further subdivided into administrative districts, the language aspect does not change. However, the issue of the minority has caused much anxiety in the country because of the confusion between recognition of minorities in terms of religion, population statistics or tribe. The perceive divisions on the ground of religion makes the Muslims the minority. However, such a divisor caused ripples in the political environment because of the need for national considerations. The territories are govern by twelve presidential nominees.

Why is the identity of the minority group salient? What is the history of the main minority group(s)? Why did conflicts based on these divisions occur?

The identity of the minority group is salient because of the prioritization of the needs of the marginalized groups subject to the Affirmative Action. The minority issue is relevant in the Indian society because India is a socialist state. The country embraces service to all and co-existence, given the huge number of subscribers making up the Indian society. The minority groups are acknowledging in all perspectives. First, the minority groups form part of the marginalized groups, which have reserved seats in the Indian Parliament. In this regard, the Indian constitution recognizes the need for addressing the various challenges facing the minority groups. The representation is a manifestation of goodwill and the significance of the social fabric of the Indian nation. The nation promotes diversity, hence the reason for representation of every state in the parliament. According to Yadav, & Mukherjee (2014), the recent cases of extremism against the muslins are an affront in the Indian nation’s cohesion pursuit. The core value of the Indian nation includes peaceful co-existence among the communities. However, the Muslim people are the minority in almost every state. For this reason, the muslins have been persecuted over time.

According to Chopra (2014), Masjid mosque was demolished by extremist Hindus who were worry of the conversion mission of the Muslims. The minority groups are trustworthy compared to their majority counterparts. This assumption has always led to the unconditional support of the minority groups by the government regardless of the democratic dispensation. The minority people receive adequate recognition from their fellow minorities and the majorities in senior positions. This explains the strong social bond between the minorities and community. Trust is a crucial virtue in society, and the minority groups have naturally earned it out of their suffering and vulnerability. The concept of minority cut across the board because religious minorities such as the Muslims adopt different behaviors with their fellow minors. The sympathy favors that accrued to the minority groups are important and the Indian scenario is not an exception. The Muslim minority in Indian has a rich history. There is a place called Ayutthaya, which used to be the bathing place, Rama. The Sangh family for the youth, student, and women is an organization, which is recognized and regarded by the Hindus, the Ajodhya. The fundamentalist Hindus have got only one temple in India and adjacent to the temple is a mosque. The mosque has been the problem for a long time now. In addition, there used to be interreligious structures in various parts of India. These include a Buddhist shrine. The shrine was later forcefully occupied by the Hindus in which they erected a Shiva statue on the shrine. Read More