Plebiscite
Topic: Democracy: Forms of Government, Principles and Outcomes · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A plebiscite is a direct vote of the people on sovereignty or territory, meaning which country an area belongs to or what its status should be. It is a direct-democracy device used for big, one-time questions. India has held such votes even though its Constitution has no general referendum.
Example
In February 1948, a plebiscite in Junagadh confirmed its accession to India. The Goa Opinion Poll (January 1967) and the Sikkim vote (April 1975) are other Indian examples.
Don't confuse with
- Referendum: a referendum is usually a vote on a law or a constitutional change, such as Switzerland's mandatory referendums on constitutional amendments. A plebiscite is about sovereignty or territory.