Senior leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist CPI (M) Sitaram Yechury, MP, has advocated proportional representation instead of the first-past-the post voting system to prevent criminalisation of politics and fielding candidates on caste lines in elections.
Speaking at the 21st State conference organised by the party here on Sunday, Mr. Yechury said the proportional representation enables voters to cast their franchise for political parties and not individual candidates. “Electoral reforms are need of the hour to contain money power,” he said.
The introduction of the first-past-the post voting system since the first general elections helped political parties to form the government without securing majority of votes cast during the elections. Though the BJP had secured 31 per cent of votes cast in 2014 elections, it secured 282 seats and came to power at the Centre. The BJP seats could have secured 168 seats only if the country had opted for proportional representation, he said.
The former Prime Minister and JD (S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda said the Opposition had no numbers in Parliament to introduce electoral reforms now and sought the support of the Left parties for the formation of the third front. B.L. Shankar of the Congress also spoke.
