Glossary A–Z.

A

Anti-defection lawThe Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, added in 1985, which allows legislators who give up their party membership or defy its whip to be disqualified. A merger backed…Anti-incumbencyVoters’ tendency to turn against the party or politician in power, often blamed when governments lose re-election.

B

By-electionAn election held to fill a seat that falls vacant between general elections, for example after a death or resignation. In India it must normally be held within six…

C

CabinetThe senior ministers who head the most important ministries and take the main decisions of government, led by the Prime Minister.Caretaker governmentA government that stays in office temporarily, usually with limited powers, until a new one is formed after an election.CensusA count of every person in a country. India’s census is normally held every ten years; the one due in 2021 was postponed, and the next has a reference date of 1 March…Chief MinisterThe head of a state government. The chief minister is appointed by the governor, must have the support of a majority in the assembly and leads the state council of…Coalition governmentA government formed by two or more parties, usually because no single party has won a majority on its own.ConstituencyAn area whose voters elect one representative. India is divided into 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, and each state into assembly constituencies.Council of MinistersThe Prime Minister and all the ministers of the Union government (or the chief minister and ministers in a state). Under the Constitution it is collectively responsible…

D

DelimitationRedrawing the boundaries of constituencies to reflect population. In India the number of Lok Sabha seats for each state has been frozen on the basis of the 1971 census…

E

Electoral CollegeThe body that formally elects the US president: 538 electors allocated among the states, with 270 needed to win.Electoral rollThe official list of people entitled to vote in a constituency. In India it is prepared and revised by the Election Commission; only people on the roll can vote.EVMElectronic voting machine, used in Indian elections since the early 2000s for all seats. A VVPAT unit attached to it prints a slip showing the voter’s choice, visible…Exit pollA survey of voters as they leave polling stations, used to predict a result before the count. In India, exit polls cannot be published until the last phase of voting is…

F

FederalismA system in which power is shared between a national government and regional governments. India’s Constitution divides powers between the Union and the states in three…FilibusterA tactic in the US Senate for delaying or blocking a vote by prolonging debate. Ending it on most legislation needs 60 of the 100 votes.First past the postAn electoral system in which the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins, even without a majority. It is used for elections to the Lok Sabha and the state…Floor testA vote in the legislature to show whether a government has majority support. Courts often order one when that support is in doubt.

G

GovernorThe constitutional head of an Indian state, appointed by the President. A governor appoints the chief minister, gives assent to state bills or reserves them for the…

H

Hung parliamentA parliament in which no party or bloc has an overall majority, so a government can only be formed by a coalition or with outside support.

J

Joint sittingA sitting of both houses of Parliament together, called by the President under Article 108 to settle a deadlock over an ordinary bill. The Speaker presides. It cannot be…

L

Leader of the OppositionThe leader of the largest opposition party in a house. By convention in the Lok Sabha, the party needs at least a tenth of the seats for the post to be recognised.Lok SabhaThe lower, directly elected house of India’s Parliament. Its 543 members are elected from single-member constituencies for up to five years, and the government must keep…

M

ManifestoA party’s published programme: what it promises to do if elected.Midterm electionsUS federal elections held halfway through a president’s four-year term. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and about a third of the 100 Senate seats are…Model Code of ConductThe Election Commission of India’s rules for parties, candidates and governments during an election. It applies from the announcement of the poll schedule until the…Money billUnder Article 110 of the Constitution, a bill that deals only with taxes, government borrowing and spending from the Consolidated Fund. It can be introduced only in the…Municipal corporationThe elected local government of a large city, headed by a mayor. The 74th Amendment to the Constitution set the framework for urban local bodies.

N

No-confidence motionA motion in the Lok Sabha (or a state assembly) that the house has no confidence in the government. If it passes, the government must resign. In the Lok Sabha it needs…NOTA“None of the above”: the last option on an Indian voting machine, for voters who want to reject every candidate. It was introduced after a Supreme Court judgment in…

O

OrdinanceA law made by the President (Article 123) or a state Governor (Article 213) when the legislature is not in session. It lapses unless the legislature approves it within…

P

Panchayati RajIndia’s system of rural local government, usually in three tiers: village, block and district. The 73rd Amendment to the Constitution gave panchayats constitutional…Parliamentary committeeA small group of members that examines bills, spending or policy in detail. Examples include the Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinises the auditor’s reports, and…President’s RuleDirect rule of a state by the central government under Article 356 of the Constitution, when the state government cannot be carried on in line with the Constitution.Private member’s billA bill introduced by a member of Parliament who is not a minister. Few become law.Proportional representationAny electoral system that gives parties or candidates seats roughly in proportion to the votes they win. In India it is used, through the single transferable vote, to…

Q

Question HourUsually the first hour of a sitting of Parliament, when members ask ministers questions and ministers must answer.

R

Rajya SabhaThe upper house of India’s Parliament, the Council of States. Most members are elected by the state and union-territory legislatures for six-year terms, a third retiring…ReferendumA direct vote by citizens on a single question, such as a constitutional change. India’s Constitution has no provision for a national referendum.Reserved constituencyA seat where only candidates from a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe can stand. Every voter in the constituency still votes.

S

Seventh ScheduleThe part of the Constitution with the three lists of subjects: the Union List (for Parliament), the State List (for the states) and the Concurrent List (for both, with…Simultaneous electionsThe idea of holding Lok Sabha and state assembly elections at the same time, often called “One Nation, One Election”. A constitutional amendment bill to enable it was…Single transferable voteA voting method in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. A candidate who reaches the required quota is elected, and surplus or eliminated votes pass to…SpeakerThe presiding officer of the Lok Sabha (or of a state assembly). The Speaker keeps order, decides whether a bill is a money bill and rules on disqualification petitions…SwingThe change in a party’s share of the vote from one election to the next, in percentage points.

T

TurnoutThe share of registered voters who actually vote.

V

VVPATVoter-verifiable paper audit trail: the printer attached to an EVM that shows each voter a paper slip with their choice before it drops into a sealed box. Slips from a…

W

WhipA party’s formal instruction to its legislators on how to vote, and the party official who enforces it. In India, defying a whip can lead to disqualification under the…

Z

Zero HourAn Indian parliamentary practice, not mentioned in the rules, in which members raise urgent matters without notice, usually right after Question Hour.