W o W - Week of Words - April 2009

This section covers the certain words related to Politics.

The “W o W” word Gerrymander (jer-i-man-der) (Noun) The dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible. Gerrymandering is a form of redistribution in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are deliberately modified for electoral advantage. Gerrymandering may be used to help or hinder particular constituents, such as members of a political, racial, linguistic, and religious or class group. The term gerrymandering is derived from Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), the governor of Massachusetts from 1810 to 1812. It is a portmanteau of Gerry and salamander; the districts drawn in this case were shaped like a salamander.[1] The term first appeared in the Boston Gazette on March 26, 1812 . In 1812, Governor Gerry signed a bill into law that redistricted his state to benefit his Democratic-Republican party.
The “W o W” word General Elections (Noun)
The most important political event in any democracy. They are held once in every five year in India, unless the Central government is dissolved beforehand. The members to the House of the People or the Lok Sabha are elected through the General elections. These members are chosen from the parliamentary constituencies which vary by the size and the population of the state. The executive along with the Council of Ministers is chosen from among the members of the winning party or the ruling coalition, as the case may be. It involves a number of step-by-step processes from announcement of election dates by the Election Commission of India, which brings into force the 'model code of conduct' for the political parties, to the announcement of results and submission of the list of successful candidates to the executive head of the state or the centre. The submission of results marks the end of the election process, thereby paving way for the formation of the new government.

The “W o W” word Referendum (ref-uh-REN-duhm) noun: The submission of a proposed public measure or actual statute to a direct popular vote. A referendum, ballot question, or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. The referendum or plebiscite is a form of direct democracy ideally favouring the majority.

The “W o W” word Delimitation (de-lim-it-ta-tion) noun: The act or process of fixing limits or boundaries; limitation. Under Article 82 of the Constitution, the Parliament by law enacts a Delimitation Act after every census. After coming into force commencement of the Act, the Central Government constitutes a Delimitation Commission. This Delimitation Commission demarcates the boundaries of the Parliamentary Constituencies as per provisions of the Delimitation Act. The present delimitation of constituencies is based on the census data of 2001.