The scandals and controversies that marked the 14th Lok Sabha and the recent events after the general elections in India were announced, where smaller and regional parties have held bigger parties to ransom over various issues like that of seat-sharing, have once again highlighted the urgent need of electoral reforms in India. Some of the recommendations given below have been widely discussed in various forums and have found acceptability among various policy-making organizations including the Election Commission of India. It is high time that they are implemented in the earnest.

Abolish the first-past-the-post system: This has been amongst the most widely discussed electoral reforms in India. Multi-cornered contests have become a norm in India rather than an exception due to the increase in the number of smaller and regional parties. There have been cases in the state assembly elections where a candidate has been declared winner with the victory margin of less than 100 votes. Apart from this anomaly, in most cases, a candidate wins the election by securing just 30-35 per cent of the total number of votes polled. Hence he or she cannot be deemed to be a choice of majority of the electorate. To overcome this limitation, the first-past-the-post system should be replaced with a two-stage electoral process. In this, a second round of election will be held if none of the candidates in the fray is able to get 50 per cent of the total number of votes polled in the first round. The two candidates who have obtained the maximum number of votes in the first round will fight in the second round. Whoever between the two gets more than 51 per cent of the total votes polled in the second round is declared the winner.

Simultaneous elections for Union and state legislatures: Currently 3-4 states in India go for elections every year. This undermines the working of the union government as the regime in power cannot take tough decisions due to the fear of a backlash in the next round of assembly election. Hence simultaneous elections will not only ensure that governments at the centre and the states carry out their responsibilities in a smooth manner but also curtail unnecessary election expenditure. The arrangement of simultaneous elections can be extended to the elections for the municipal corporations and other Panchayati Raj institutions.

Fixed tenure of elected legislative bodies with no-confidence motion followed by a confidence motion: This is another move that will curtail the unnecessary election expenditure and at the same time ensure stable governments at the centre and in the states. In case none of the parties or coalition is able to form a government on its own, the members of the house should together elect an executive head among themselves and form a cabinet that has representation from members of all political parties on the basis of the number of seats they have secured in the elections.

Decrease number of registered parties: This move is necessary because the smaller parties are far more vulnerable to "ideological shifts" and in this era of fractured mandates, hold the bigger parties to ransom for their narrow political gains. The election commission should be given powers to de-recognise smaller political parties on the basis of their performance. Another move to achieve this goal would be to increase the minimum number of primary members that are needed to form a political party.

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