Proportional Representation

The Supreme Court directed the Centre on Thursday to set up a fresh delimitation commission for ensuring a proportional representation of the communities specified as Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), as mandated under the Constitution. While asking the Centre to set up the delimitation panel, the top court, however, said it cannot direct Parliament to amend or make laws for giving proper representation to other communities that form part of the STs as that would amount to "venturing into the legislative domain". "For the court to direct that in addition to the reservation made ... Parliament must legislate to enact proportional representation for all other communities forming part of Scheduled Tribes, that would be venturing into the legislative domain," it said. The directions were issued by a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra on a plea seeking a proportionate representation of the Limbu and Tamang tribal communities

Ahead of assembly elections due this year end, all major communities in the state have started calling caste-based mass meetings to show their supremacy and increase their political representation. After Jat community's mass meeting on March 5 in Jaipur where Jat leaders from ruling and opposition parties sought top political positions and representation, Brahmin community too has called its Mahapanchayat in Jaipur on March 19. Rajput community had organised meeting December last year in Jaipur. The meeting of Brahmin community is also expected to be attended by political leaders cutting across the party line. Vipra Sena Chief and organiser of Brahmin Mahapanchayat, Sunil Tiwari is all set for a show of strength. Though he called the event a social programme, Tiwari made no bones about community's demand for increase in political representation. "It is a social event where community people will gather. The community has its demands as well. Both the BJP and Congress should give ..

Proportional representation offers better representation of the entire electorate's views