election. This is desirable for making the delegation of authority by the primary voters to the secondary ones real and effective. This is what is exactly done in the case of Presidential election in the United States of America. We, therefore, recommend that the selection of Presidential candidates, if at all necessary, should be made before the holding of the primary election. If, however, selection of Presidential candidates by Assembly members is done away with, but the provision for indirect election of the President through an electoral college is retained, then, for the very reasons stated above the names of validly nominated candidates should be similarly made known even if the operation of Article 167 of the Constitution is not attracted, the number of Presidential candidates being not more than three.
HOLDING OF SIMULTANEOUSELECTIONS AND
ELECTION EXPENSES
23. Feasibility of holding simultaneous elections and expenses. -If the recommendation for direct election of Assembly members and to the office of President on the basis of adult suffrage is accepted and the provision for selection of Presidential candidates by the Assembly members is omitted as suggested by us, it will be possible to hold all these elections simultaneously by the same election machinery by providing three separate booths within the same polling station- one for the Presidential election, one for election to the National Assembly and the third for the Provincial Assembly election. The holding of all these elections at the same time and place will necessarily entail less expenses. If, however, members of the Assemblies are elected by the direct votes of all adults and the President is elected indirect through an electoral college, it shall be necessary to hold three separate elections- one for electing Assembly members, the second for electing members of an electoral college and the third for the election of President through that college, for, it would be administratively impracticable to hold elections of Assembly members and of a very large number of members of an electoral college simultaneously. Obviously, the cost of holding three separate elections will be more than the cost of the elections in the direct method as explained in Appedix-V.
ELECTION OF WOMEN MEMBERS
24. Election of Women members of National Assembly from reserved seats.-The Constitution provides for indirect election of women of Legislatures by members of Provincial Assemblies. For this purpose, five seats are reserved for women in each Provincial Assembly and six in the National Assembly. Such reservation of seats for women does not, however, stand in the way of their contesting the general seats. Women are elected to the five reserved seats in a Provincial Assembly by the members of that Assembly. As regards the six reserved seats in the National Assembly, women are elected to three such seats by the members of each Provincial Assembly. On the principle of co-option, election of women to reserved seats in a Provincial Assembly by the members of that Assembly may be justified, but election of women to the National Assembly by the members of Provincial Assemblies has no such justification and is subject to valid criticism. In fairness, each Assembly should form the electorate for the seats reserved for women in that Assembly. We, therefore, recommend that those members of the National
