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Proportional representation and first-past-the-post: how electoral systems turn votes into seats

By CAShorts DeskPublished Source: The Indian Express (Explained, 28 Oct 2026); Constitution of India (Legislative Department); Law Commission of India, 170th Report (1999)

Why in news: Israel voted on 27 October 2026 for its 26th Knesset, whose 120 seats go to national party lists clearing 3.25 per cent.

Proportional representation and first-past-the-post: how electoral systems turn votes into seats
Illustration (AI-generated)

India fills the Lok Sabha by first-past-the-post (FPTP): the top vote-getter in each constituency wins, majority or not. Proportional representation (PR) instead shares seats in line with votes. India's President and the States' Rajya Sabha members are elected by its single transferable vote variant. Israel's 27 October 2026 election ran on list PR with a national threshold.

Syllabus: GS2 · Comparing Constitutions; Prelims · Polity & Governance; GS2 · Parliament & State Legislatures

Why this matters for UPSC

GS2 polity: electoral systems and comparison with other constitutions. Prelims can ask which elections use the single transferable vote (Articles 55(3), 66(1), 80(4)); Mains, whether India should adopt the Law Commission's 1999 mixed system.

In short

An electoral system turns votes into seats. India fills the Lok Sabha by first-past-the-post (FPTP), yet elects its President and the States' Rajya Sabha members by proportional representation.

How votes become seatsPlurality ruleParty-list PRThresholdMixed systemRankedpreferences

Any reform must weigh fair representation against stable majorities; a capped list tier with a firm threshold, as the Law Commission proposed, could balance both.

Why it matters

A voter who backs a losing candidate under FPTP elects nobody; the ballot counts for nothing once the result is declared. Where three or four parties split a constituency evenly, most voters can end up in that position, and a modest swing can hand one party a large block of seats. Proportional systems give those votes weight, so smaller groups find a voice in the House. The price is bargaining: governments rest on coalitions, and small partners gain leverage over policy. The choice decides whether a legislature mirrors public opinion or delivers a stable majority, the trade-off any reform of India's elections must settle.

Prelims pointers

  • Article 54: the President's electoral college is made up of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and of the State Legislative Assemblies, Delhi and Puducherry included.
  • Article 55(2): a State's population divided by its elected MLAs gives a quotient; each MLA casts one vote per whole thousand in it, one more if 500 or more remain.
  • Article 66(1): the Vice-President is elected by all members of both Houses, nominated ones included, by PR through the single transferable vote and secret ballot.
  • Article 80(1): the Rajya Sabha has 12 members nominated by the President and not more than 238 representatives of the States and Union territories.
  • Article 81(1): the Lok Sabha has not more than 530 members from the States' territorial constituencies and not more than 20 for the Union territories.
  • Article 171(4): the elected members of a State Legislative Council are also chosen by PR through the single transferable vote.
  • The Law Commission of India is non-statutory: the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, constitutes it by notification with set terms of reference.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to elections under the Constitution of India, consider the following statements:

1. Members of the Lok Sabha from the States are elected by proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

2. The election of the President is held by proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, by secret ballot.

3. Each State's representatives in the Council of States are elected by the elected members of its Legislative Assembly.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 and 2 only
  2. (b) 2 and 3 only
  3. (c) 1 and 3 only
  4. (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only. Articles 55(3) and 80(4) use the single transferable vote; Lok Sabha seats are filled by direct election.

Statement 1: incorrect. Article 81(1)(a) provides for Lok Sabha members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the States, where the top vote-getter wins.

Statement 2: correct. Article 55(3) prescribes proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote, with a secret ballot, for the President's election.

Statement 3: correct. Article 80(4) gives this task to the elected members of each State's Legislative Assembly, voting by the single transferable vote.

Eliminate: Statement 1 is wrong, as Article 81(1)(a) fixes direct election from territorial constituencies. Out: (a), (c), (d).

Trap: Wrong scope. The single transferable vote is real in Indian elections, for the President, the Vice-President, the Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Councils, but the question stretches it to the directly elected Lok Sabha.

Remember: STV for indirect elections (President, Vice-President, Rajya Sabha); FPTP for the Lok Sabha.

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