Franchise and Representation

Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke, the famous English political thinker, defined a political party as 'a body of men united for promoting the national interest on some particular principles in which they are all agreed.' Disraeli defined a political party as 'a group of men banded together to pursue certain principles.' Michael Curtis acknowledged that it is difficult to define a political party accurately. Laski praised the bi-party system. Burke's definition emphasises principles and national interest as the basis of a party.

The candidate who gets the largest number of votes

In the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system, also called the plurality or majority vote system, the candidate who secures the largest number of votes is declared elected, regardless of whether they cross 50% of the total votes. For example, if A gets 450 votes, B gets 425 votes, C gets 280 votes, and D gets 120 votes out of 1275, A wins even though they don't have an absolute majority. This is the system used in India for electing members of the Lok Sabha. The main criticism is that a minority of voters can elect a winner.

Multi-member constituency with quota-based election

Proportional Representation (PR) has three key features: (i) there must be a multi-member constituency, (ii) a candidate is elected not by gaining an absolute or relative majority but by obtaining a quota (total votes divided by number of seats), and (iii) it aims for mathematically exact representation of the electorate in the legislature. This system ensures that votes are 'weighed, not counted', giving fair representation to all groups. Single-member constituency is a feature of the FPTP system, not PR.

Britain

Britain is a classic example of the Bi-Party system where power alternates between two major parties — the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. India is an example of a Multi-Party system where many parties share power, often through coalition governments. France and Germany are also examples of Multi-Party systems. In the USA, the Democratic and Republican parties dominate, making it another example of the Bi-Party system. In Britain, minor parties like the Liberals and Communists exist but have little significance in the struggle for power.