3. What were the worries of the Constitution-makers about the certain weaker sections of
the country? What did they do to bring them in the mainstream of the politics?
Answers
Answer:
The Constitution makers were worried that in an open electoral competition, certain weaker sections may not stand a good chance to get elected to the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies.
They may not have the required resources, education and contacts to contest and win elections against others. Those who are influential and resourceful may prevent them from winning elections.
Therefore, the Constitution makers thought of a special system of reserved constituencies for the weaker sections. Some constituencies are reserved for people, who belong to the Scheduled Castes and Schedilled Tribes. Currently, in the Lok Sabha, 79 seats are reserved for the SCs and 41 for the STs. This number is in proportion to their share in the total population. Thus, the reserved seats of SCs and STs do not take away the legitimate share of any other social group.