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The race for Rashtrapati Bhavan
has begun for the world's largest democracy. I am sure the common
man has started thinking about his role in electing the
representative of over one billion people. He will have questions
like…Do I have a say in electing the President? Or can I elect the
President who will represent me?
Let us first see how the Indian
President is elected.
The President of India is elected
by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both
Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the state
legislative Assemblies. The total number of votes cast by Members of
Parliament equals the total number of votes cast by state
legislators. While the value of votes of each MP is the same, the
strength of a vote of an MLA is determined by way of proportional
representation. The MPs, too, have a specific value for each vote
that is determined by dividing the total value of votes of all the
states by the total number of elected Members of Parliament.
The actual calculation for votes cast by a
particular state is calculated by dividing the state's population by
1,000, which is divided again by the number of legislators from the
state voting in the Electoral College. This number is the number of
votes per legislator in a given state.
What are ways in which a President can be
elected?
Parliamentary system
Origin
The parliamentary system originated because of
King George I's inability to speak English. This forced him to
delegate the responsibility for chairing the Cabinet to the leading
minister, literally the Prime Minister.
In a parliamentary system, multi-party form of
government, the executive is formally dependent on the legislature.
He/she is elected also by the legislature.
In most parliamentary systems like India the Head
of State is primarily a ceremonial position, often a monarch or
President, retaining duties without much political relevance, such
as civil service appointments.
Presidential system
In a presidential system the President shall be
nation's Head of State and active chief executive authority. It is
often associated with the congressional system of government.
In a presidential system, the central principle
is that the legislative and executive branches of government should
be separate. This leads to separate election by the electorate or an
electoral college of the President.
Comparison
Both methods have merits and demerits. Both
systems finally depend on the men who man it. The constitutional
presidential system of government has proved rather unsuccessful in
many countries. There have been frequent tensions and conflicts
between Parliament and the Executive. Therefore, we can only adopt a
method to elect the President, which avoids conflicts and
facilitates cooperation and is in tune with the aspirations of the
people and the requirements of a democratic government.
In the Indian context, the philosophy of a nation
is reflected in its Constitution. We cannot adopt a presidential
system (where the President is elected directly) because it goes
against the basic structure of the Constitution. Even by a
constitutional amendment, Parliament has no power to amend the
Constitution in a way that can take away the basic principles. A
review of the Constitution can only be done by invoking a fresh
constituent assembly, which alone will have the power to recast the
Constitution.
We have, of course, witnessed some confusions and
dramas in the race for the Rashtrapati Bhavan. But the remedy should
not be worse than the disease.
Vinod Kuriakose,
Chennai. Phone: 09444148889
E-mail-
vinodkuriakose@gmail.com
Website- http://vinodsite.b0x.com
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