First past the post is an electoral system where the candidate who receives the most votes wins the election. In a first-past-the-post electoral system, voters cast their vote for a candidate of their choice, and the candidate who receives the most votes wins even if the top candidate gets less than 50%, which can happen when there are more than two popular candidates.
As a winner-take-all method, FPTP often produces disproportional results (when electing members of an assembly, such as a parliament) because political parties do not get representation according to their share of the popular vote.
Examples of Disproportionate Outcomes
- In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received 37.36% of the vote, the highest vote share by a political party since the 1989 general election, and won nearly 303 seats, translating into 55% of the seats in Lok Sabha.
- In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) recorded the third-largest share of votes (4.2%) across the country, but didn’t win a single seat.
Benefits of First Past the Post System
- One of the primary advantages of FPTP is its simplicity. It is a straightforward system that is easy for voters to understand and for officials to administer. This makes it cost-effective and efficient.
- FPTP tends to provide a clear and decisive winner, which can help to provide stability and legitimacy to the electoral process.
- In FPTP, candidates know their representatives, unlike in the Proportional Representation system. Therefore, in FPTP, candidates can hold the representatives responsible.
- The FPTP system offers voters a choice to not only select between parties, but also specific candidates. In a PR system, voters are often asked to choose a party and the representatives are elected on the basis of party lists.
- The FTPT system encourages voters from different social groups to unite to win an election in a locality. In the Proportional Representation system, there is a possibility that each community will form its own nationwide party in a large and diverse country like India, thereby threatening the unity of India.
Disadvantages of First Past the Post System
- One of the main criticisms of the FPTP system is that it often leads to a lack of representation for minority groups. In a two-party system, for example, a party that receives only a small percentage of the votes may not win any seats at all. This can lead to a situation where a significant portion of the population is not represented in government.
- Another criticism of the FPTP system is that it can lead to strategic voting. Voters may feel pressure to vote for a candidate they do not truly support to prevent a candidate they dislike from winning the election. This can lead to a situation where voters feel like they are not truly expressing their preferences.
- Smaller parties have lesser chances of winning in the FPTP system. Moreover, smaller parties are forced to align with the interests of national parties, which beats the purpose of local self-government and federalism.
| FPTP | Proportional Representation (PR system) |
| A candidate who gets one vote more than the other candidate in a constituency is a winner in First Past the Post (FPTP) system. It is also known as the simple majority system. | Proportional representation (PR) is a political system in which the number of seats won by a political party or group should be proportionate to the number of votes received, i.e., seats are assigned as per the number of votes received. |
| In FPTP, the division of the country is done into geographical units known as constituencies. | In the PR system, the large geographical areas are said to be known as constituencies. |
| First Past the Post is used in direct elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. | Proportional representation is used to elect the President of India, Vice President, members of the Rajya Sabha, etc. |
| Votes are cast for candidates in FPTP. | Votes are cast for the party in PR system. |
