Some candidates for the Indian communal constituencies stood in the election under the National Congress of Fiji banner.

Each voter had four votes: one for 'his' communal constituency and three for the national constituencies.

Several kinds of constituencies have existed at various times, and at present there are two: communal and open constituencies.

In elections from 1972 through 1987, Fiji was divided into communal and national constituencies.

On 24 June 2005, Bogileka announced that the party would concentrate on communal constituencies reserved for ethnic Fijians.

The so-called Open electorates, unlike the communal constituencies, are elected by universal suffrage.

The final constitutional draft established 46 communal constituencies and 25 open constituencies, which are required to be substantially equal in population.

As the fundamental faultline in Fijian politics remains ethnic rather than ideological, the racially allocated communal constituencies generally follow predictable voting patterns.

This change was later written into the Constitution, and allowed Ah Koy to stand for election from an ethnic Fijian communal constituency.

The by-elections for the nine Indian communal constituencies resulted in wins for Federation Party candidates with increased majorities.