India, the biggest democracy in the world, is a mosaic of languages, cultures, and religions. Its first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system, however, has frequently widened rifts across communities, encouraged hate speech, and allowed political parties to take advantage of social divisions for electoral advantage. A preferential voting system might be a game-changer for promoting inclusivity and harmony, making sure that electoral politics bring people together rather than drive them apart.
Candidates can win elections under the existing FPTP system by receiving only a plurality of votes, which is frequently as little as 25–30%. As parties try to unite particular vote banks, often at the expense of social cohesion, this encourages divisive discourse. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for example, has come under fire for its divisive advertisements, which some claim contain anti-Muslim themes. Such tactics stifle minority voices, widen social gaps, and strengthen intercommunal hostility by focussing on a Hindu majority voter base.
One effective remedy for these polarising behaviours is a preferential voting method, such ranked-choice voting (RCV). Voters rate candidates according to their preferences under RCV. The candidate with the fewest votes is removed and their votes are redistributed according to second preferences if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round. Until a contender receives a majority, this procedure keeps going. Preferential voting encourages politicians to appeal to a larger audience, including minorities and marginalised groups, by requiring broad-based support to succeed, which promotes tolerance and moderation.
The success of preferential voting systems provides important lessons for the world at large. Federal elections in Australia are conducted via ranked-choice voting. More inclusive policies result from the system's pressure on candidates to foster agreement among various voter groups. By promoting intercommunal interaction, Ireland's single transferable vote (STV) system has assisted in lowering sectarian tensions between Catholics and Protestants. Similar to this, preferential voting helped Fiji overcome ethnic divides between Indo-Fijians and Indigenous Fijians, necessitating cross-ethnic support for candidates.
Adopting a preferential voting system could have enormous advantages for India. A system that places more emphasis on reaching a consensus than achieving majoritarianism can lessen the polarising discourse that characterises elections. A system where second and third preferences are crucial would render hate speech useless, which is frequently used to mobilise homogeneous vote banks. Political campaigns would promote a more unified national narrative by reorienting the focus from communal identities to common objectives.
One major obstacle, according to critics, is the practical difficulty of instituting preferential voting in a large and diverse nation like India. These obstacles can be overcome, though, with the help of a strong Election Commission and technological developments. Since many firmly established political interests profit from the status quo, the bigger obstacle is finding the political will to implement such a transformation.
In India, the preferential voting method provides a route to a democracy that is more inclusive and peaceful. The nation's social fabric may be strengthened and its constitutional commitment to secularism upheld by reducing the incentives for hate speech and sectarian polarisation. Consensus-focused voting systems have the power to unite divided nations into robust democracies, as demonstrated by examples from around the world. Adopting this reform will benefit India greatly, given its enormous diversity.
Written By: Saphal Harpreet Singh