EMERGENCE AND EVOLUTION OF THE IDEA OF ELECTORATES - FROM 13TH CENTURY AD TO THE MODERN DAY DEMOCRACY: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL

In the true functioning of the democracy the electorates are the key players, destined to exercise their will, with their sovereignty to elect the members of the Parliament and assemblies. Thus, they play an effective role in the indirect mode of political participation, called the elections, by their right to vote called the franchise or suffrage. The mandate they give to their representatives, in turn, becomes supreme which accords legitimacy to the rulers and to the overall power structure in the country, and all the institutions have to play a subservient role of subordination to the mandate of the people. The Article in hand highlights the emergence and evolution of the idea of electorates from 13th century AD to the modern day electoral and democratic practices.