CIVICS ELECTORAL POLITICS
Electoral Politics
Elections in a Democracy
People cannot govern themselves directly in any democratic setup. Thus, elections
are held in a democracy in which people elect their own representatives.
Why are Elections Needed?
Elections are needed because of the following reasons:
It is not possible for people in large countries to hold meetings and take decisions
regarding the working of the Government. Not all people are educated enough to
take major decisions. Thus, in democratic countries, elections are held where
people elect their own representatives who make laws for the country.
Representatives cannot be selected on the basis of age and experience. Such
representatives may not rule according to the wishes of the people. It is only
through elections that people can elect their own representatives.
Therefore, elections are needed in any democracy. During elections, voters choose
the people who could make laws for them. They also choose a specific party which
may govern the country according to its principles. Thus, voters decide the people
and the party which form the Government.
Free and Fair Elections
Sometimes elections may not be fair. For example, in China, elections are held at
regular intervals but only the members of the Communist party can contest the
elections. This is not a democratic election. Some features of free and fair elections
are
Every citizen above a certain age should have the right to vote, and every vote
should have one value.
There should be more than one party, and parties and people should be free to
contest elections.
Elections should be conducted at regular intervals.
A candidate preferred by the people should be elected.
More importantly, elections should be held in a free and fair manner and people
should have the right to choose their own candidates.
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CIVICS ELECTORAL POLITICS
In a democracy, political competency is always preferred even though it has some
limitations. It is claimed that political competency encourages factionalism, petty
party politics and dirty tricks employed by the parties to ensure the victory of their
candidates.
Our Constitution however has opted for free electoral politics despite short
comings. Political competition is necessary in the world. To eliminate dirty tricks
used by political leaders, efforts should be made to improve the knowledge and
character of political leaders. Besides, if a leader is not fulfilling his promise, he
may be rejected by the voters in the next election. Thus, even if a political party is
driven by the motive to be in power, it will still be forced to serve the people.
Electoral System in India
In India, the Lok Sabha elections are held at the national level, while the State
Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) elections are held at the state level. The election for
the members of both Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha are held regularly after every
five years.
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CIVICS ELECTORAL POLITICS
When elections are held after five years to the Lok Sabha and the Assembly, they
are called general elections. When elections take place for one constituency only
to fill the vacancy created by the death or the resignation of the member, it is
called a by-election.
India is divided into several areas known as electoral constituencies for the
purpose of voting. People living in one constituency elect one representative
from their area.
For example, in the Lok Sabha elections, the country is divided into 543
constituencies. One person is elected from each constituency. He/she is called a
Member of Parliament. Each constituency has roughly an equal population.
Similarly, in the State Assembly elections, the state is divided into a specific
number of constituencies. An elected member of a constituency is known as a
Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA).
The same is the case with the municipal or panchayat elections. Each village or
town is divided into a number of wards which are like constituencies.
In India, some constituencies are reserved for people belonging to scheduled
castes, scheduled tribes and other economic backward castes. This has been done
so that even the most marginal sections of society get a fair chance of
representation in the Lok Sabha, State Assembly, Municipal Corporation and
Panchayat. In municipal corporations and gram panchayats, one-third of the
seats are reserved for women.
Voter’s List parties select
In a democracy, the list of persons who can vote is prepared their candidates
well before the elections. Officially, this list is called an for contesting
Electoral Roll and is commonly known as the Voters’ List. elections and
In India, every adult above the age of eighteen years is give them a
eligible to vote irrespective of caste, religion and gender. ‘ticket’ to
The voters’ list is revised after every five years. Of late, an contest the
Election Photo Identity Card has been introduced, although it elections.
is not compulsory to show this card. A person
contesting the
Nomination of a Candidate elections has to
A person above 25 years can contest the elections. Political fill a nomination
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CIVICS ELECTORAL POLITICS
form and deposit an amount as a security deposit.
While contesting elections, every candidate has to give
complete details of educational qualifications, serious
criminal cases pending against them and total property value
of his/her family.
A lady showing
her voters
identity card
while voting at
the booth.
Political
campaigning by
the leaders of a
major political
party
Election Campaign and Voting
In an election campaign, political parties hold rallies to highlight many local and
national issues. They make promises to voters to correct flaws in the working of
the government machinery. Many slogans are also raised during the election
campaign. The Congress party raised the slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’ in the Lok
Sabha elections of 1971 and the Left used the slogan ‘Land to the Tiller’ in the
West Bengal Assembly elections.
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CIVICS ELECTORAL POLITICS
During the elections, no party or candidate can bribe or threaten the voters, use
government resources for campaigning and spend more than 25 lakhs
individually for the Lok Sabha elections and Rs 10 lakhs for the Assembly
elections.
During elections, in most polling booths, electronic
voting machines (EVMs) are used. A voter has to
press a button against the name or the symbol of
the candidate for whom he/she wants to vote.
All EVMs are taken to a safe place after the voting
is complete. They are opened on the day of the
beginning of the counting. Agents of all political
parties are present at the time of the counting of
votes to ensure fair counting of votes.
The participation of the people in elections is usually measured by
the figures of voter turnout. In India, the turnout Electronic Voting
Machine
has either remained stable or has gone up.
In India, poor, illiterate and underprivileged people vote in large numbers as
compared to the rich and the privileged sections. Common people in India,
attach a lot of importance to elections.
Role of the Election Commission
In India, elections are held by an extremely powerful Election
Commission (EC). Similar to the judiciary, it is an independent body.
The Chief Election Commission (CEC) is appointed by the President of India.
CEC is not answerable to the President or to the Government of India. The
powers of the EC are
o It takes decisions on every matter related to the elections. It announces the
date of the elections and the declaration of the results.
o It implements the Code of Conduct and takes action against candidates who
violate it.
o It gives guidelines to the Government which have to be followed during the
elections.
o When on election duty, government officials work under the supervision of
the EC and not the Government.
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Every political party has to obey the instructions and guidelines of the EC.
The results of the elections in India are respected by each political party. Free and
fair elections are held in the country. This can be ascertained by the fact that the
ruling Central Government and various State Governments routinely lose the
elections. Candidates with criminal records and those who ‘buy’ votes also often
lose the elections.
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Challenges to Free and Fair Elections in India
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