The correct answer is Option 4 - First Past the Post (FPTP) system
Elections to the Lok Sabha are carried out using a First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system.
In the Lok Sabha elections of 1984, the Congress party came to power winning 415 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats – more than 80% of the seats. Such a victory was never achieved by any party in the Lok Sabha. The Congress party won four-fifths of the seats. Does it mean that four out of five Indian voters voted for the Congress party? Actually not.
The Congress party got 48% of the votes. This means that only 48% of those who voted, voted in favour of the candidates put up by the Congress party, but the party still managed to win more than 80% of the seats in the Lok Sabha.
Talking about the performance of other parties. The BJP got 7.4 per cent votes but less than one per cent of seats. This happened because in our country we follow a special method of elections. It is called the First Past the Post (FPTP) system.
Under the First Past the Post (FPTP) system
The entire country is divided into 543 constituencies.
Each constituency elects one representative.
The candidate who secures the highest number of votes in that constituency is declared elected.
It is important to note that in this system whoever has more votes than all other candidates, is declared elected. The winning candidate need not secure a majority of the votes. This method is called the First Past the Post (FPTP) system. In the electoral race, the candidate who is ahead of others, who crosses the winning post first of all, is the winner. This method is also called the Plurality System. This is the method of election prescribed by the Constitution. |
