Class 9 Civics Chapter 3 Electoral

Politics
Q.1. Why do we need elections?
Ans.
(i) Modern representative democracies are so large that it is not possible for everyone to
sit together to take decisions on all the matters.
(ii) Most of the people have neither time nor knowledge to take decisions on all matters.
(iii) By elections people get a chance to choose their representatives at regular intervals
and change them if they wish to do so.
(iv) At elections voters make the following choices :
(a) People 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.
Thus, elections are necessary in a representative democracy.

Q.2. What makes an election democratic?

Ans. Elections are held in non-democratic countries like Pakistan and China also. Such
elections, however, cannot be called democratic. There are certain conditions which
make an election democratic. These are as mentioned below :
(i) 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) 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.

Q.3. What is political competition? What are its merits and demerits?
Ans.
(a) Political competition means competition among political parties at the time of
elections. At the constituency level, there is competition among several candidates. The
competition makes the elections interesting and useful. If there is no competition,
elections will become pointless.
(b) Merits :
(i) Political competition enables the people to reward political leaders for serving them
and to punish for not doing so.
(ii) The leaders may wish to serve the people as well.
(iii) Regular electoral competition provides incentives to political parties and leaders. If
they raise issues of public interest, their chances of victory increase in the next
elections. But if they are not able to satisfy the voters with their work, they will loose in
the next elections.

Demerits of electoral competition are:

1) It creates disunity and factionalism in every locality
2) Different political Parties and leaders often level allegations against one
another. Parties and candidates often used dirty tricks to win elections.
3) parties and candidates always use dirty tricks to win election.
4) Some good people do wish to serve the country but do not like to do so
because of being dragged into the unhealthy competition.

Q.4 Why is it necessary to regulate election campaign in a

democracy ? Describe various rules and regulations regarding
election campaign in India.

Ans. (a) It is necessary to regulate election campaign to ensure that every

political party and candidate gets a fair and equal chance to compete in the
elections.

(b) (i) According to our election law, no party or candidate can do the
followings :

I. Bribe or threaten voters;

II. Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion;
III. Use government resources for election campaign; and
IV. Spend more than ₹ 70 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha election or ₹
28 lakh in a constituency in an assembly election.

In case any candidate violates the above rules, his election can be rejected
by the court.

Q.5 Describe aim, time and methods of election campaign in

India.Ans. The aim, time and methods of election campaign in India
are as mentioned below :
(i) Aim of election campaign : The aim of the election campaign is to give
people a chance to know about different candidates and political parties,
their policies and to decide which one party or parties will form a better
government.

(ii) Time of election campaign : In India, a two-week period between the

announcement of the final list of candidates and the date of polling is given
for election campaign.

(iii) Methods of election campaign : (A) The following methods are

used for election campaign :

(a) Candidates contact the voters.

(b) Election meetings are held. These are addressed by political leaders and
candidates.
(c) Political parties mobilise their supporters.
(d) Advertisements and debates etc. are published in the newspapers.
(e) Slogans like ‘Save Democracy’ on big issues are used to attract the
voters.

Q.6 "Election Commission is an independent and powerful body." In

the light of this statement explain the composition and powers of
the Election Commission.
Ans. (a) Composition : The Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the
President of India. But once appointed, the Chief Election Commissioner is
not answerable to the President or the government. It is virtually impossible
for the government to remove the CEC.

(b) Powers of the Election Commission : The Election Commission has wide-
ranging powers as mentioned below :

(i) EC takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections.

(ii) It implements the Code of Conduct and punishes any candidate or party
that violates it.
(iii) During the election period, the EC can order the government to follow
some guidelines to prevent use and misuse of governmental power to
enhance its chances to win elections, or to transfer some government
officials.
(iv) When on election duty, government officers work under the control of
the EC and not the government.
(c) Position of the Election Commission : (i) The Election Commission enjoys
powers independently.
(ii) It has reprimanded the government and the administration for their
lapses.
(iii) It has ordered a repoll in many constituencies.

The ruling party sometimes does not like the decisions of the Commission
but they have no choice but to obey the decisions due to independence of
the Commission.
Q.7 Describe the challenges to free and fair elections in India
.Ans. The challenges to free and fair elections in India are given
below :
(i) Use of money power : Elections in India has become a very costly
affair. Generally, a candidate in the Lok Sabha election spends
about ₹ 50 lakh to one crore. They do not abide by the ceiling
prescribed under the law. Rich candidates generally enjoy a big and
unfair advantage over smaller parties and poor candidates
(ii) (ii) Use of muscle power : Muscle power is used to force the
voters to vote for particular candidate or not allowing the voters to
vote, and for capturing the booth and casting bogus votes.
(iii) (iii) Criminalisation of politics : Many candidates contesting the
elections have criminal connections. According to former Election
Commissioner, G.V.G. Krishnamurthy, in 1990, Lok Sabha elections,
1,500 out of 13,952 candidates for the Lok Sabha had criminal
record.
(iv) (iv) Dominance of families : Sometimes tickets are distributed to
relatives from some families which dominate political parties.
Ordinary members are generally ignored due to one reason or the
other
(v) (v) No choice to ordinary voters/citizens : Very often elections
offer little choice to ordinary citizens because the major parties are
quite similar to each other both in policies and practice.
(vi) (vi) Disadvantages to smaller parties and independent
candidates : The smaller parties do not enjoy man power and
money in comparison to big parties. They cannot compete with
them.
(vii) (iv) Dominance of families : Sometimes tickets are distributed to
relatives from some families which dominate political parties.
Ordinary members are generally ignored due to one reason or the
other.
Extra Questions
1. When does the by-election occur?
Answer: When any vacancy occurs due to death or resignation of a
candidate, election becomes necessary and it is known as by-
election.
2.What are Electoral Constituencies?
Answer: The country is divided into different areas for purposes of
elections. These areas are called electoral constituencies.
3.What is a ballot paper?
Answer: A ballot paper is a sheet of paper on which the names of
the contesting candidates along with party name and symbols are
issued.
4.What is a Voters’ List?
Answer: In a democratic election the list of those who are eligible
to vote is prepared much before the elections and given to
everyone. This list is officially called the ‘Electoral Roll’ and is
commonly known as ‘Voters’ List’.
5. What is the principle of universal adult Franchise?
Answer: In practice it means that everyone should have one vote
and each vote should have equal value. All the citizens aged 18
years and above have got the right to vote.
6. What is Election Manifesto?
Answer: (a) The booklet or pamphlet issued by a political party that
tells people about their policies and programmes is known as
Election Manifesto.