Miscellaneous - This Day That Age   

dated August 24, 1956: Electoral system

The Government has no proposal to modify the electoral system to make it direct at the base and indirect from there onwards. This answer was elicited in the Lok Sabha by a question by Mr. B.C. Ghose who referred to Prime Minister Nehru's statement in June last to the effect that the present electoral system should be modified by making it direct at the base and indirect from there onwards and wanted to know if the Government had any such proposal under consideration. Mr. Nehru said he had stated that he was of opinion, even before the Constitution of India was framed, that our elections might take place partly indirectly. This would save time and expense. The elections at the base, of course, should be direct but, at some later stage, they might be indirect. However, the Constitution was drafted according to the views of the great majority of the people. There was no question of trying to alter the Constitution and the Government had no such proposal under consideration. Mr. C.C. Biswas, Minister for Law, told the House in reply to another question that the Election Commission had under consideration the question of introducing a new system of voting called the "marking system" in the next general elections. Under the system the ballot paper would bear the names and, if possible, symbols of all candidates. The elector would secretly place a mark against the name of the candidate of his choice, then fold the ballot paper and insert it into the ballot box, which would be kept in full view of the presiding officer.

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