IAS 1997 — Political Science Indian Polity

1997mcqmedium

Proportional representation is not necessary in a country where:

Official previous-year question

Verified 2 Aug 2026.

Options

Athere are no reserved constituencies
Ba two-party system has developed
Cthe first-past-the-post system prevails
Dthere is a fusion of presidential and parliamentary forms of government

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Solution

Correct Option (B)

Proportional representation (PR) is an electoral system designed to allocate seats in a legislature to political parties in proportion to the votes they receive. This system typically aims to ensure fair representation for all political viewpoints and often encourages a multi-party system. In a country where a two-party system has developed, the political landscape is dominated by two major parties. Electoral outcomes under such systems, even with majoritarian methods like first-past-the-post, tend to produce clear majorities or stable governments. The perceived need for PR to correct representational imbalances or to ensure the inclusion of smaller parties is significantly reduced because the two dominant parties generally capture the vast majority of votes and seats, and the system is often seen as inherently representative of the primary political divisions.

Incorrect Options

Option 1: Reserved constituencies are a mechanism for affirmative action, ensuring representation for specific social groups (e.g., Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India). This provision addresses social equity and inclusion, distinct from the principle of proportional representation which focuses on the proportionality of party vote share to seat share.

Option 3: The first-past-the-post (FPTP) system is an electoral method where the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins. While PR is often proposed as an alternative or a corrective to the disproportionality inherent in FPTP, the mere prevalence of FPTP does not make PR unnecessary. In fact, the arguments for adopting PR often arise precisely because of the perceived shortcomings of FPTP in ensuring proportional representation.

Option 4: A fusion of presidential and parliamentary forms of government refers to a constitutional arrangement concerning the structure of the executive and its relationship with the legislature. This institutional design is largely unrelated to the electoral system employed for legislative bodies and, consequently, has no direct bearing on the necessity or otherwise of proportional representation.

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