BALLB Semester II Political Science: Units 3 to 6 Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering BALLB Semester II Political Science: Elections and the Electoral System, Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Comparative Constitutional Law (UK, USA, and India).

Electorate

The body of persons legally entitled to participate in elections by exercising their right to vote.

Election

A formal process through which citizens choose their representatives to occupy public offices at union, state, or local levels.

Universal Adult Franchise

The constitutional principle under Article 326 granting every citizen who meets prescribed age and legal criteria the right to vote, reduced from 21 years to 18 years by the 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988.

Electoral Roll

A list, commonly called a voter list, containing the registered names of individuals legally qualified and entitled to vote in a specific constituency.

Constituency

A defined geographical territory from which eligible voters elect a representative to a legislative body such as the Lok Sabha or a State Legislative Assembly.

General Electorate

An electoral system operating on a common electoral roll wherein all eligible citizens vote together without separate divisions based on religion, caste, or community.

Direct Election

An electoral method in which voters directly choose candidates to represent them, such as in Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assembly, and municipal or panchayat elections.

Indirect Election

An electoral method where voters do not directly elect the final office-holder; instead, intermediate elected representatives form an electoral body to make the selection, such as for the President, Vice-President, and Rajya Sabha.

First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) System

A simple plurality electoral system where the candidate securing the highest number of votes in a single-member constituency wins, even without securing an absolute majority (over 50%).

Proportional Representation (PR)

An electoral system in which seats are allocated according to proportional preference or relative vote strength, typically utilizing methods such as the Single Transferable Vote (STV).

Article 324

The constitutional provision establishing the Election Commission of India (ECI) and vesting it with the superintendence, direction, and control of elections.

Article 325

The constitutional provision stating there shall be one general electoral roll per territorial constituency and barring the exclusion or inclusion of persons based only on religion, race, caste, or sex.

Article 326

The constitutional provision establishing that elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies must be conducted on the basis of adult suffrage.

Article 329

The constitutional provision that places a bar on certain judicial interferences in electoral matters during the ongoing electoral process.

Political Representation

The practice of elected officials acting and speaking on behalf of citizens within governmental institutions by making laws, debating policies, and scrutinizing executive power.

Political Party

An organized association of individuals sharing common political principles and objectives who seek to acquire and exercise governmental power through democratic elections.

Edmund Burke's Definition of a Political Party

A body of men united for promoting the national interest upon some particular principle on which they are all agreed.

R. M. MacIver's Definition of a Political Party

An association organized for the purpose of securing control of government through electoral means.

Party System

The broader pattern of regular interaction, competition, alliance, and cooperation occurring among political parties within a given political framework.

Multi-Party System

A political structure wherein several national and regional parties compete for political power, as observed in India.

Coalition Government

An alliance government formed jointly by two or more political parties when no single party secures a clear legislative majority on its own.

Opposition

The non-governing political parties in a legislature whose role is to question ministers, examine legislation, criticize defective policies, and hold the government accountable.

Party Manifesto

A formal public declaration issued by a political party before elections detailing its ideology, proposed policies, plans, and promises to voters.

Anti-Defection Law

The legal mechanism incorporated under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution to check elected representatives from opportunistically switching political parties.

Political Socialization

The ongoing process through which individuals absorb, develop, and transmit political values, attitudes, and orientations toward the political system.

Interest Group

An organized collective of individuals sharing common interests who attempt to influence public policy and administrative decisions without contesting elections to form the government.

Pressure Group

An organized group that applies advocacy, lobbying, and civic pressure on public authorities to shape policy outcomes, emphasizing its method of influence.

Lobbying

The act of directly communicating with and attempting to persuade lawmakers, ministers, or civil servants regarding specific legislative measures or public policies.

Public Interest Litigation (PIL)

A legal procedure allowing individuals or public interest groups to seek judicial intervention on behalf of wider community welfare or public interest causes.

Constitution

The fundamental and supreme legal framework of a State that determines the distribution of political power, creates governmental organs, and defines the relationship between the State and citizens.

Constitutional Law

The fundamental law of a State that establishes state structures, distributes powers, and holds superior legal authority over all ordinary statutes.

Ordinary Law

Statutes enacted by legislatures under constitutional authority to regulate specific conduct, which must strictly conform to constitutional law to remain valid.

Uncodified Constitution

A constitutional system not set down in a single master document, but derived from statutes, conventions, common law, and historical charters, such as in the United Kingdom.

Flexible Constitution

A constitution that can be altered or amended by the legislature through standard legislative processes without requiring special majority procedures.

Rigid Constitution

A constitution requiring a specialized, complex legal procedure for amendment that distinguishes constitutional revisions from ordinary legislative enactments.

Parliamentary Sovereignty

The foundational principle of the British constitution providing that Parliament possesses absolute legislative supremacy and its Acts cannot be struck down by courts as unconstitutional.

Constitutional Conventions

Established political customs and unwritten rules followed by constitutional actors that carry binding practical weight without being enforceable in a court of law.

Rule of Law (A. V. Dicey)

The constitutional principle emphasizing the supremacy of regular law over arbitrary power, equal subjection of all classes to the ordinary law, and protection of individual rights.

Separation of Powers

The constitutional doctrine dividing governmental functions strictly among three distinct branches: Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary, to prevent power concentration.

Judicial Review

The power of courts to examine legislative acts and executive orders and declare them invalid if found contrary to constitutional provisions.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

The landmark United States Supreme Court decision that firmly established the doctrine and authority of judicial review over federal legislation.

Bill of Rights (USA)

The collective term for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution guaranteeing fundamental individual liberties, including freedom of speech, assembly, and due process.