Joint electorate

Joint electorate

An electorate is a body of people in a country or region, who have the right of voting to elect a representative to the government, like an M.P. etc.

A joint electorate is one where the entire voting population of a country or region is part of a single electorate, and the entire electorate votes for the candidates who contest elections.

In the case of separate electorates, the voting population of a country or region is divided into different electorates, based on certain factors like religion, caste, occupation etc. Here, members of each electorate votes only to elect representatives for their electorate. Separate electorates are usually demanded by minorities who feel it will difficult for them to get fair representation in government, in a joint electorate.

Example

For example, in India’s pre-independence era, when the Muslims in India demanded fair representation in power-sharing with the British government along with the Hindus, the British government provided for a separate electorate system for the Muslims. As a result, of the total 250 seats of the Bengal Legislative Assembly, 117 seats were kept reserved for the Muslims. Accordingly, the general elections of 1937 were held on the basis of the extended separate electorates, where only the Muslims voted for the 117 seats, in Bengal. Again, in the Round Table Conferences in 1930-32, the concept of separate electorates for the Untouchables (also called Dalits) was raised by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, as a way to ensure sufficient representation for the minority Dalits, in government. This provision was strongly opposed by Mahatma Gandhi on the grounds that the move would disintegrate Hindu society. If the Dalits were given a separate electorate, then certain constituencies would have been reserved for them, and only the Dalits would have been able to vote for the candidates contesting those seats, thus alienating the rest of the Hindus. Finally, a compromise was reached where there were certain constituencies reserved for the Dalits, where the Dalits could elect 4 candidates per constituency who would then be candidates for election by the joint electorate.

References

* http://randomdefinitions.blogspot.com/2007/06/joint-electorate-and-separate.html
* http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/S_0208.htm
* http://www.indhistory.com/round-table-conference-3.html


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Joint Sitting of the Australian Parliament of 1974 — A joint sitting of the Australian parliament was convened in 1974, in which members of the Senate and House of Representatives sat together as a single legislative body. The joint sitting was held on 6 and 7 August 1974, following the double… …   Wikipedia

  • Separate electorate — Definition An electorate is a body of people in a country or region, who have the right of voting to elect a representative to the government, like an M.P. etc.A joint electorate is one where the entire voting population of a country or region is …   Wikipedia

  • Master Tara Singh — Malhotra (24 June, 1885, Rawalpindi, Punjab 22 November, 1967, Chandigarh) was a prominent Sikh political and religious leader in the first half of the 20th century. He was instrumental in organizing the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee,… …   Wikipedia

  • Tara Singh Malhotra — Master Tara Singh Malhotra (24 June 1885, Rawalpindi, Punjab 22 November 1967, Chandigarh) was a prominent Sikh political and religious leader in the first half of the 20th century. He was instrumental in organizing the Shiromani Gurdwara… …   Wikipedia

  • List of politics topics — NOTOC TopicTOC Politics This is a list of political topics, including political science terms, political philosophies, political issues, etc. Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. Although the term is generally applied …   Wikipedia

  • Universal suffrage — Part of the Politics series Elections Allotment (sortition) …   Wikipedia

  • Fourteen Points of Jinnah — The Fourteen Points of Jinnah were proposed by Muhammad Ali Jinnah as a constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights of Muslims in a self governing India. The report was given in a meeting of the council of the All India Muslim… …   Wikipedia

  • Dalit — For the type of poetry, see Dalit (poem). Dalit …   Wikipedia

  • Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy — Infobox Prime Minister name = Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy imagesize = 131px birth date = 8 September 1892 birth place =Midnapore, West Bengal death date = death date and age|1963|12|05|1892|09|08 death place = Beirut, Lebanon office = 5th Prime… …   Wikipedia

  • Bengali nationalism — is the political expression of ethno national consciousness of the Bengali people, who inhabit the ethno linguistic region of Bengal. The region s territory is divided between Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. Arising in the 19th… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”