Qualitative Dilution of voting power -One person, one vote, one value

Source: The post Qualitative Dilution of voting power has been created on the article “One person, one vote, one value” published in “The Hindu” on 18th December 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS paper 2 – Indian Constitution- significant provisions and basic structure.

News: The article discusses how political equality in democracies is affected by the way electoral constituencies are drawn. It explains how this can lead to unequal voting power and highlights the need for fair delimitation to ensure equal representation for all citizens.

What is political equality in democracy?

Political equality means everyone has an equal chance to participate in politics and their votes have the same value. However sometime this political equality is diluted by diluting votes.

Ways to dilutes votes are:

1) Quantitative Dilution: This occurs when constituencies have significantly different populations, resulting in unequal vote values. For instance, due to varied population growth from 1971 to 2011, the vote value varies greatly between states. In Uttar Pradesh, an MP typically represents about 2.53 million people, while in Tamil Nadu, an MP represents around 1.84 million people, illustrating a clear case of quantitative dilution.

2) Qualitative Dilution: Gerrymandering, or the strategic redrawing of electoral boundaries, can diminish the effectiveness of votes. This process often reduces the ability of certain groups, especially minorities, to elect their preferred candidates, leading to an imbalance in representation. For instance, Muslim representation in Parliament is only 4.42%, despite Muslims comprising 14.2% of the population.

Three ways of qualitative dilution are:

1. a) Cracking: Splitting minority-dominated areas into separate constituencies to dilute their influence.
2. b) Stacking: Merging minority populations into constituencies where they are outnumbered by the majority, lessening their voting impact.
3. c) Packing: Concentrating minorities into a few constituencies, weakening their representation across other areas.

Dilution of votes can lead to unequal state representation, diminished minority political influence, and imbalanced constituencies.

What are the constitutional safeguards to maintain political equality?

Population Ratio Alignment: Articles 81 and 170 of the Constitution ensure that the population ratio for Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly constituencies is as uniform as possible, aiding equal representation.

Parliament’s Role in Delimitation: Article 327 grants Parliament the authority to make laws regarding the delimitation of constituencies. This helps in legally shaping fair and equitable electoral boundaries.

Independent Delimitation Commissions: The government forms these commissions, led by retired Supreme Court judges, to redraw constituency boundaries without bias, thus preventing qualitative dilution. To date, four delimitation commissions (1952, 1962, 1972, 2002) have worked on this.

Seat Reservation: Articles 330 and 332 of the Constitution reserve seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies, ensuring representation for these groups.

For information on Delimitation Commissions read here

Way forward

To ensure fair representation, delimitation must be timely, considering both population changes and the interests of southern states. The next Delimitation Commission should address both quantitative and qualitative vote dilution for more adequate minority representation.

Question for practice:

Discuss the impact of quantitative and qualitative vote dilution on political equality in democracies, and how constitutional safeguards address these issues.