BharatNotes Proportional Representation
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
While the Lok Sabha is elected by the first-past-the-post system, the Rajya Sabha employs proportional representation with single transferable vote, ensuring that parties' strengths in state assemblies are proportionately mirrored in the upper house.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
proportion (noun), proportionate (adjective), proportionally (adverb), represent (verb), representative (noun/adjective), representation (noun)
Root
Latin proportio (symmetrical relationship) ← pro- (before, in relation to) + portio (share, portion) + repraesentationem ← re- + praesentare (to present)
Etymology
Proportional from Latin proportionalis, from proportio (a relation of parts). Representation from Medieval Latin repraesentatio (a showing). The political concept was systematised by Thomas Hare (STV, 1857) and Victor d'Hondt (list-PR, 1878), and entered constitutional law through 19th–20th-century electoral reform movements.
Memory Hook
PROPORTIONAL = in PROPORTION (what you put in, you get out). PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION: if you get 30% of votes, you get 30% of seats. Fair shares — like cutting a cake in proportion to how hungry each person is.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
An electoral principle under which seats or influence correspond to vote share rather than to winning a plurality in a district. India uses first-past-the-post for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies but employs proportional representation by single transferable vote for the Rajya Sabha and for the election of the President. Knowing which body uses which system is the examinable detail, and the standard debate is representativeness against stable single-party majorities.
Don’t Confuse It With
Proportional representation allocates in line with vote share. First-past-the-post awards the seat to whoever polls most in the constituency. Single transferable vote is the specific proportional method used in India's indirect elections. Plurality means the largest share without requiring a majority.
Hindi Meaning
आनुपातिक प्रतिनिधित्व (ānupātik pratinidhitva).
Common Questions
- What is proportional representation?
- An electoral system in which seats are allocated in proportion to the share of votes received rather than by winning individual constituencies.
- Where is proportional representation used in India?
- For elections to the Rajya Sabha and for the election of the President, by means of the single transferable vote.
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