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Part 2: How much does your vote count?

State-wise differences
Published on April 30, 2019 Edit article | View stats

Harshal Ruikar
APAC Health Benefits & Wellness Strategy 3 articles
@IBM

In the previous post, we saw that 'Electoral Power' - the relative power of a vote
compared to national average - varies as per state. The comparison was done between
the states.

This post goes one level deeper & evaluates these differences within the states.

The spread of electors per seat within a particular state can be compared through a measure
called 'standard deviation'. Higher values of standard deviation mean that the distribution of
electors per seats in that state is uneven- some seats may have more electoral power &
others, less.

Here are some observations supported by tables:

Punjab, Gujarat & West Bengal have the most even electoral distribution & also
have a balanced electoral power. Electors here enjoy the ideal scenario.

Andhra Pradesh, a state with electoral power closest to the national average, has quite
an unbalanced electoral distribution per seat. It would be interesting to see how the
scenario has changed after separation of Telangana & redrawing of the electoral
boundaries in 2014.

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distribution of electors per seat. This indicates that these statesMessaging
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parliamentary representation than can be logically attributed.

Rajasthan has an even distribution of electors per seat, but has lower number of seats
& less parliamentary representation than can be logically attributed.

Delhi NCT, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra & Madhya Pradesh account up to 164 Lok
Sabha seats; that's 30.2% of the total. These states have the most skewed electoral
distribution & they also have the least electoral power. This could have been done to
ensure that these big states don't dominate the national scenario & smaller states get a
voice in the matter.

Here's a list of top 20 parliamentary constituencies with the highest electoral power.
Interestingly, 13 out of the 20 LS seats in Kerala have the highest electoral power in
India. Polling percentage in these seats is also high.

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Similarly, here's the list of bottom 20 constituencies when ranked as per electoral
power. Malkajgiri in Telangana has electoral population as huge as two constituencies
in one - so voters there have the lowest electoral power. Also, all four seats from
Bengaluru feature in the bottom 20; polling percentage in these seats is relatively low.

In other democracies, specifically in the US, gerrymandering has become huge issue. Faults
in the electoral distribution & legislative loopholes have been exploited by political parties
to maximize their political gains.
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attention of the masses & hasn't received much attention inJobs
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as well. But Me
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need to be mindful of these facts, because a small change in the electoral boundaries can
lead to a huge impact on national politics & ultimately, on public policy.

Over time, an average voter in the certain regions may start feeling that his/her
vote is not valued enough & that we should we redraw the boundaries to make it
fairer.

There is an independent body called Delimitation Commission of India which has the
power to redraw the boundaries of constituencies. The current boundaries are established
based on 2001 census when India's population was 102,87,37,436. It has since increased to
over 130 crore - an increase of 27%, thus prompting a need for re-evaluation.

I am hopeful that this issue will get more exposure in near future.

Let's be mindful, engaged citizens and make

each vote count.

Data Source: Election commission of India's Lok Sabha election report 2014

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Harshal Ruikar
APAC Health Benefits & Wellness Strategy @IBM

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