Former President Pranab Mukherjee while delivering the second Atal Vihari Vajpayee memorial lecture organised by India Foundation pitched for raising the number of Lok Sabha constituencies to 1,000 from the existing 543 and also for a corresponding increase in the strength of the Rajya Sabha.
Crux of the Matter
The last time the strength of Lok Sabha was revised was in 1977 based on the 1971 census when India’s population was 55 crores.
Pranab Mukherjee argued that India has a “disproportionately large size” of the electorate for elected representatives.
He added by saying, “A numerical majority in elections gives you the right to make a stable government. The lack of popular majority forbids you from a majoritarian government. That is the message and essence of our parliamentary democracy,”
He also noted that people may have given strong majorities to different parties since 1952 but over 50 per cent of them have never voted for one party.
He reiterated that the mandate is to govern as a majority party with a stable government along with carrying others with you.
He remembered Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a consensus-builder who worked to take everyone along.
Curiopedia
Pranab Mukherjee is an Indian politician who served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until 2017. In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee has been a senior leader in the Indian National Congress and has occupied several ministerial portfolios in the Government of India. Prior to his election as President, he served as the Union Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012. He was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 2019 by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind. During the controversial Internal Emergency of 1975–77, he was accused of committing gross excesses. He was also the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1985. More Info
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