Value of MPs’ vote for President Poll to go down (UPSC Current Affair)

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Why in the news?

The recent Delimitation commission of J&K and the absence of a Legislative Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir have led to the analysis that the value of the vote of an MP in the presidential polls to be held in July is likely to go down to 700.

What is the present scenario in the Presidential Election in India?

• Since the 1997 presidential election, the value of an MP's vote has been 708.
• Due to the absence of a Legislative Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, the value of an MP's vote in the presidential election is expected to fall to 700 from 708.
• The former State of J&K had 83 Assembly seats until being divided into the UTs of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir in August 2019.
• The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act establishes an Assembly for the Union Territory of J&K, whereas Ladakh would be ruled directly by the Centre.
• This has led to snatching away the representation of UT of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in the Presidential Election in India.

What is the constitutional position of the President of India?

• The President of India is regarded as the country's first citizen and the head of state.
• The President of India is a part of the Union Executive along with the Vice – president, the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister and Attorney-General of India.

How did the Election of the President take place?

• The President of India is elected indirectly by the system of proportional representation utilizing a single transferable vote system and secret ballots by the Electoral College.
• Article 54 of the Indian Constitution specifies the procedures for electing the President.
• This Constitutional provision has led to the establishment of 'The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election Act 1952'.

What are the Qualifications to become the President of India?

• a person must be an Indian citizen
• person must have completed the age of 35.
• a person must be qualified for election as a member of the House of the People.
• Person Must not hold an office of profit
• person should be eligible for election as President if he/she is holding the office of President or Vice-President.

What is the Electoral College for the presidential election?

• The presidential electoral college is made up of:
  • elected members of the both the Houses of Parliament;
  • elected members of each state's Legislative Assembly (lower house of the state legislature); and
  • elected members of each union territory possessing a Legislative assembly (i.e. Delhi and Puducherry only)
• Uniformity in the scale of representation of states

The following formula is used to preserve proportionality between the vote values

Single vote system

Each voter has only one vote during the presidential election. While the votes of MLAs may differ from state to state, the votes of MPs remain constant.

MPs and MLAs vote balance

To preserve the State and Union balance, the Total Value of the MPs' votes must equal the Total Value of the MLAs.

Quotas

The winner is the candidate who meets or exceeds the winning quota. Formula =(Winning quota total number of polls/ number of seats + 1)

Why did India choose Proportional representation?

• The Election of the President of India is through Proportional Representation using the means of the Single Transferable Vote (Article 55(3)).
• It provides an opportunity for independent candidates and minority parties to be represented.
• It allows the formation of coalitions with a large number of voters under a single government. This approach assures that candidates elected do not represent the views of the majority of the electorate.

Why is the President in India indirectly elected?

It would be extremely complicated if Presidents were elected directly:

• The direct election will result in massive political instability. As it would be a disaster because the public will not have the clarity of the president-ship or whether the candidate is suitable for the profile of a president.
• The candidate running for the president will have to campaign around the country with the aid of a political party which will be confusing for people as to who holds the real power in India.
• Administrative burden: given the vast population of India, it would be difficult and impossible for the government to hand out election machinery.
• Additional Financial Burden: This will be costly to the government and may have an impact on the economy.
• Correctly Deserving: For the First Man of India, the indirect election method is a respectable system.(rightly deserving).
• The indirect presidential election system/method also allows states to retain neutrality and decrease antagonism.

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