111Notes: Ch.
Electoral Politics
Qn 1. What is an ‘election’? Why is it considered essential in the democracy?
A: Election is a mechanism by which people can choose their representatives at regular intervals
and change them if they wish to do so.
Elctions are considered essential for any representative democracy.
a) They can choose who will make laws for them.
b) They can choose who will form the government and take major decisions
c) They can choose the party whose policies will guide the government and law making
Qn 2. Why do we need elections ?
A: i) A rule of the people is possible without any elections if all the people can sit together every
day and take all the decisions. This is not possible in any large community nor it is not possible
for everyone to have the time and knowledge to take decisions on all matters. Therefore in most
democracies people rule through their representatives.
Qn 3. What are the conditions which make an election democratic?
A: i) Everyone should be able to choose. This means that everyone should have one vote and
every vote should have equal value.
ii) There should be something to choose from. Parties e and candidates should be free to contest
elections and should offer some real choice to the voters.
iii) The choice should be offered a at regular intervals. Elections must be held regularly after
every few years.
iv) The candidate preferred by the people should get elected.
v) Elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner where people can choose as they
really wish.
Q4. Why are election campaigns needed?
Ans. The main purpose of elections is to give people a chance to choose the representatives, the
government and the policies they prefer. Therefore, it is necessary to have a free and open
discussion about who is a better representative, which party will make a better government of
what is a good policy. It is possible during election campaigns.
Q5. What is the 'Voters' List'?
Ans. i) In a democratic election, the list of those who are eligible to vote is prepared much
before the election and is available to everyone.
(ii) This list is officially called the Electoral Roll and is commonly known as the Voters' List.
(iii) This is an important step as it is linked to the first condition of a democratic election.
Q6. How do general elections differ from by-elections?
Ans. When elections are held in all the constituencies at the same time, either on the same day or
within few days, this is called general elections.
Sometimes, election is held only for one constituency to fill the vacancy caused by death or
resignation of a member. This is called a by-election.
Q7. How are constituencies for Lok Sabha decided by the Election Commission?
Ans.) i)For Lok Sabha elections, the country is divided into 543 constituencies.
ii) The representative elected from each constituency is called a Member of Parliament or an MP
(iii) One of the features of a democratic election is that every vote should have equal value.
That is why, our constitution requires that each constituency should have a roughly equal
population living within it.
Q8. What are the minimum conditions for a democratic election?
OR
Do people have real choice in a democratic election?
Ans. Minimum conditions for democratic elections are as follows:
i) Everyone should be able to choose. This means that everyone should have one vote
and every vote should have equal value.
ii) Parties and candidates should be free to contest elections and should offer some real
choice to the voters.
iii) The choice should be offered at regular intervals. Elections must be held every few years.
iv)The candidates preferred by the people should get elected.
v) Elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner, where people can choose as they
wish.
Q9. 2. What are the merits and demerits of an electoral competition?
A: Merits:
i) In an ideal world, all political leaders know what is good for the people and are
motivated only by a desire to serve them.
ii) Our constitution makers opted for free competition in elections as the way to select
our future leaders, because this system works better in the long run.
iii) Political leaders are motivated by a desire to advance in their political careers. They
want to remain in power or get power and position for themselves for which, they can
compete with other political parties.
Demerits:
i) An electoral competition creates a sense of disunity and factionalism in every
locality.
ii) Different political parties and leaders often level allegations against one another.
iii) Parties and candidates often use dirty tricks to win elections.
Q 10. How was the system of 'reserved constituencies' introduced for the SCs and ST?
Ans. i) Some constituencies are reserved for the people who belong to the Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes.
ii) In an SC-reserved constituency, only someone who belongs to the scheduled caste can
stand for elections.
iii)Similarly, only those belonging to a scheduled tribe can contest elections from a
constituency reserved for STs.
iv) Currently, 84 seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 47 for the Scheduled Tribes in
the Lok Sabha 2019.
v)This number is in proportion to their share in the total population; thus the reserved seats for
SCs and STs do not take away the legitimate share of any other social group.
Q11. How is campaigning done for elections held in India?
Ans. i) In India, election campaigns take place for a two-week, period between the
announcement of the final list of candidates and the date of polling.
ii)During this period, the candidates contact their voters.
iii) Political leaders address election meetings and political parties mobilize their
supporters
iv) This is also the period when newspapers and the television news broadcasting
channel are full of election-related stories and debates.
v) During election campaigns, political parties try to focus the public attention on some
big issues.
vi) They want the public to vote for their party on that basis.
Q 12. Write some of the successful slogans given by different political parties in various
elections.
i) Garibi Hatao: was the slogan of the Congress party, led by Indira Gandhi in the
Lok Sabha election of 1971.The party promised to prepare all policies to remove
poverty from the country.
ii) Save Democracy was the slogan of the Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections of
1977. The party promised to undo the excesses committed during the Emergency and
restore civil liberties.
iii) Land to the Tiller was the slogan used by the Left Front in the West Bengal
Assembly elections held in 1977.
iv) Protect the Self-respect of the Telugus' was the slogan used by N.T. Rama Rao, the
leader of the Telugu Desam Party in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections in 1983.
Q 13. How are 'polls' conducted in India?
A: i) The final stage of an election is the day when the voters cast their votes in a polling
booth.That day is usually called the Election Day.
ii) Every person whose name is on the voters' list can go to a nearby "polling booth', situated
usually in a local school or a government office.
iii)Once the voter goes inside the booth, the election officials identify him or her by putting a
mark on his or her finger and allow him or her to cast the vote.
iv)An agent of each candidate is allowed to sit inside the polling booth and ensure that the
voting takes place in a fair way.
v) A ballot paper is placed in which the names of the contesting candidates along with
their party name and symbols are listed.
vi) Nowadays, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are used to record votes.The
machine shows the names of the candidates and party symbols.
vii) Each voter has to press the button against the name of the candidate she or he wants
to vote for.
Q14. What are the challenges to free and fair elections in India?
-Challenges to free and fair elections in India are as follows:
i) Candidates and parties with a lot of money may not be sure of their victory but they do
enjoy a big and unfair advantage over smaller parties and independents.
(ii) In some parts of the country, candidates with criminal connection have been able to
secure a 'ticket' from major parties.
(i) Some families tend to dominate the political parties; tickets are distributed to relatives
from these families.
(iv) Very often, elections offer little choice to ordinary citizens as both the major parties are
similar to each other in their policies and practices.
(v) Smaller parties and independent candidates suffer a huge disadvantage as compared to
the bigger parties.
Q15. Mention the different steps of election in India.
A a) Electoral Constituencies
b) Reserved constituencies
c) Voter’s list
d) Nomination of Candidates
e) Election Campaign
f) Polling & Counting of Votes
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