President APJ Abdul Kalam has rightly shown his preference for two party system in the largest democracy like India. Multi party system though treated as plus point of democracy but in our country unfortunately it has become a cancerous disease. All big national parties have broken into several small pieces. Every individual with little popularity in small segment of the country likes to form his own party. As a result at state as also national level numerous parties put their candidates in election and give rise to multi-cornered contest in every constituency. Due to this an individual with 10 to 20 percent of votes polled or with support of even 5 percent of total electorate manage victory in his favour. In such position voters more often than not feel cheated and mostly person of no repute is elected. This is because majority of voters casted their precious votes against the winner. It is only due to split of vote into several segments that a person of little popularity and even criminal record gets victory in election. Such multi-cornered contest makes mockery of democracy. To add fuel to fire even victorious candidates do not work for entire constituency but devotes his most of the available energy to please his own group or caste of voters who helped him win the election. It is not very much abnormal or undesirable too because after all each candidates treats the election as a profession and he is bound to make strategy to win the election by hook or crook and then earn through this business and save enough money for future election. The more he invests in his election business the more is his possibility of retaining the seat in the next election. Election is not a simple democratic process but it is an opportunity to get franchisee of a reputed brand of a product. AS such irregularity and deficiency of democracy become visible in each constituency. There are very few constituencies where a real performer is elected through our prevalent election process. When we make a sum total of such results at state or national level we find that numerous small parties and individual groups win the election and give rise to coalition government. Each individual and each small group becomes ambitious to join the coalition group which can afford formation of government. This results in compromise with theories and principles. Individual indulges in blackmailing and tries to sale his victory at price as high as possible depending upon the circumstances. He forgets his all promises made before voters before election. His main target is to become minister or even Chief Minister. We have example of Madhu Koda with no reputation in the state becoming Chief Minister in Jharkhand. We have seen how Mr. Chandra Sekhar became Prime Minister of the country. We have seen government falling in few months only because MLA/MP switching over to another group for his own vested interest at the cost of votes who gave him victory. Similarly each small parties indulges in large scale bargaining or you may say wholesale business of sale and purchase of MLAs/MPs. Such parties try to join the coalition group which can form the government and give opportunity to earn more and more money by becoming minister or head of an organization or a hot cake institute. All policies, promises and agenda of the party are sacrificed, ignored and forgotten when they come to power. Their main aim becomes to earn and accumulate more and more money for their family and for next election. Obviously multi -cornered contest and multiparty system in election process has become a curse for democracy. Therefore there must be serious and devoted debate on this issue and we must try to opt for two party system. To start with I would like to suggest that all individual who get less than 5 percent of total voters in a constituency must not be allowed to fight in next election at least for ten years. Indivual who get less than 10 to 15 percent of votes polled should be prohibited from filing nomination in the next election. Existing MLA/MP who go for second election and cannot afford votes less than 30 to 40 percent of votes polled must be punished because due to his negligible performance voters of that area suffered. Similarly all small parties who get less than 10 percent of seats must be shown the door and registration of such party must be cancelled. To fill the gap candidates of bigger party in that particular constituency be given chance and declared winner. This will definitely result in minimizing the number of parties and ultimately give rise to two party system. The biggest drawback of multi party system or coalition government visible now in the country is that parties indulges in trading of its members and consequently voters feel mostly defrauded. I therefore strongly support Mr. Kalam that we should try to minimize parties and move towards two party system without strangulating the norms and principles of democracy.
RE:Two Party system is better
by Sunil on May 12, 2007 06:18 AM Permalink
I appreciate your thoughts on the real rperesentation of people. I have one suggestion that the parlementarians need to think of a system of eliminating the bogus candidates. There should be a second set of run of elections between top two finishers when there is no candidate with more than 50% of the polled vote. Thus the fragmented votes will clearly select a true candidate and can solve some of the problems you mentioned. THis system of election is followed in many developed democracies. I do not support the two party democracy because of the diverse nature of our demecracy.
RE:Two Party system is better
by Jayadev Acharya on May 12, 2007 07:24 AM Permalink
I really liked your suggestion Mr Sunil. I wish people who can implement it do so ....
RE:Two Party system is better
by Bharat on May 12, 2007 07:26 AM Permalink
Then which will be the two parties. 1: One party will be Indian National Congress and second party will be Bahujan Samaj Party. You will be happy with these two parties? Why it came in your mind now? Only beacuse one dalit leader won the election of UP and now she is going to rule one of the important state of india for 5 complete years. Why you people never accept the truth and reality and never digest the lower caste person to lead the country. Wait for that day and I am sure she will be future Prime Minister of our country.
RE:Two Party system is better
by tekas on May 12, 2007 06:39 AM Permalink
Sorry, I don't have the time to read your excellent (time invested) essay. But in principle I also second the idea of two party politics in India, which hopefully will end a major cause of corruption in politics in India...HORSETRADING...
RE:Two Party system is better
by videh kumar on May 12, 2007 10:00 AM Permalink
Two party system, if developed on its own, then there is no problem. if it is imposed from a set self certifying social leaders then it will only kill the democracy. About 20 years we had almost every where Congress and smaller parties at state level. Now why congress could not maintain their leading position is perhaps because they took their voters for ride assuming they no other choice. For this important reason, may be for many more reasons, congress continues to go down. If there is any improvement it is because voters sometimes feel that it could have been a better party as they might have learnt their lesson. but when voters feel they have not changed they are again rejected. When voters get more alternatives and their socil, political, emotional and economic satisfaction is better then the congress find itself dumped in the voting preferrence. Congress tried and benefitted for too long a period due to ignorant, uneducated voters. Now voters are not ignorant and it is not difficult to continuously fool them. SAme route BJP had been taking and they also find them dumped. this tendency will grow as process of understanding the environment will only accelerate slowly but surely and will pick up momentum and within next 5 to 7 years the scenario will dramatcally change. Now coming to advise of two party system, it is of no use for the majority where rule of majority will prevail. Even now majority is being ruled by minority and the election in UP showed majority can rule on its terms. Two party system is advocated by our president is wrong and though very respectable and having come from very humble background is by no means a politician for a complicated democracy in India. His message is not good for the democracy because will not have many takers and if he over does it, will be termed mischivious, as it is only to further the interest of haves and are capable of shout like INDIA SHINING or UP mein dum hai or Ram lala chinta mat karo hum tumhara mandir banayenge or mulayam mere ganne ki mithas hai and so on. IT is our old mind set that has converted congress into a small party despite so much petronage given by voters for very long period. Point is if you restrict the options of voters you may willy nilly be interested in old system and conserving that which was, is and will continue to harm Indian people most and democracy next if we think of real democracy where we want fearless, hungerless well informed, equitable, caring and vibrating democracy. Videh kumar
RE:Two Party system is better
by zaheen usmani on May 12, 2007 06:05 AM Permalink
APJ Kalam do not ABC of Politics thus he is supporting only captalist and facist
RE:Two Party system is better
by ahamed sharif on May 12, 2007 09:28 AM Permalink
read my earlier reply for earlier post named immaturity of muslims......
RE:Two Party system is better
by R K on May 12, 2007 06:23 AM Permalink
APJ Kalam may not know ABC of politics. Agreed. But he knows what is good for India. if not two party let there be a 3 or 4 party system so that electorate can choose from a small number of choices. this is not a super bazaar where you should have so many brands of a particular product.
Zaheen, do not forget that capitalism is the only way India can take its subjects out of poverty and not through communism, not through socialism or not through fanaticism, not through communalism. Fascists are found more today amongst communists and religious minorities.
Democracy is for people who believe in peaceful co-existence. How many in the minority communities believe in democracy. muslims does nto want to obey any law other than the good for nothing sharia, which is worse than manu's law or hammurabis code and is partial in its delivery of justice.
