CBSE Notes Class 9 Political Science Chapter 3 - Electoral Politics
1.Why do we Need an Election ?
2. What is our System of Election?
3. What makes Elections in India. Democratic?
4. Challenges to Free and Fair election
1. Why do we need an election?
Election :- It is the process in which people choose the representative by voting at regular interval.
Q. Why representatives are required ?
➡️ All people do not have time and knowledge to sit together and take decision on all matters .
Q. Why election ?
➡️ The leaders cannot be elected on the basis of age, education or experience because it is not easy to judges it .
#Problem with this approach
➡️ Even if we select someone on this basis , how can we know if people like them or not.
➡️ How to make sure that this ruler will rule as per the wishes of the people.
➡️ How to make sure that those who the people don't like don't remain in the power.
Features of Democratic election
i) one person, one vote and one value.
ii) Parties and Candidates should be free to contest election and should offer some real choice to the voters.
iii) The choice should be offered at regular intervals.
iv) The candidate preferred by the people should get elected.
v) Election should be conducted in free and fair manner.
*Political Competition
Demerits
➡️ It creates a sense of disunity among people.
➡️ Parties uses dirty tricks to win the election .
➡️Some good people do not enter into this area due to unhealthy competition.
Merits
➡️ It is a more realistic way to ensure that the leaders are rewarded for serving the people and punished for not doing so .
➡️ It forces the party to do good for the people even if they don't want to , otherwise people may move to other options.
2. What is our system of election ?
✔️ Types of Election
✔️ Electoral Constituency
✔️ Reserved Constituency
✔️ Voters' List
✔️ Nomination of Candidates
✔️ Election Campaign
✔️ Polling and counting of votes
i) Types of Election
a) General Election :--
The election which is held in all the
constituencies at the same time, either on
the same day or within a few days .This is
called a general election..
b) By-election :--
The election which is held to fill the vacancy caused by death or resignation of a member. This is called by-election.
ii) Electoral Constituencies
The country is divided into different areas for the purpose of elections. These areas are called electoral constituencies .
e. g:-
➡️For Lok Sabha -
The country is divided into 543 constituencies and representative from each constituency is called MP.
➡️ For Vidhan Sabha --
Each state is divided into a number of constituencies.
The elected representative is called the MLA.
➡️ In Panchayat and municipality --
Each village or town is divided into several wards. Each ward elects one member of the village or urban local body.
Note -- Sometimes this constituencies are counted as seats.
iii)Reserved constituencies
The constituencies which are reserved for people belonging to weaker section of the society.
But why ?
They may not have required resources, education and influences to win election.
In such a case a large section of our population would be unable to hold post in Parliament and assemblies.
e.g:-
➡️ in Lok Sabha -- 84 seats are reserved for SC and 47 for ST.
➡️ Some seats are also reserved for OBC and at least one third for women in local government bodies.
iv) Voters' list
➡️ The list of eligible voters in any area is called voter list.
➡️ It is also known as electoral roll .
➡️ This list is prepared before the election
and given to everyone.
#Updation in Voters' List
➡️ Complete revision of the list takes place every 5 years .
➡️ New names are added and the name of those who moved out of a place or are dead are deleted.
Note --- In the last few years a new system of election photo identity card has been introduced. It helps officers to match the person.
v) Nomination of candidate
➡️Anyone who can be a voter can also become a candidate in elections .
➡️ The minimum age is required to to become a candidate is 25 years.
➡️ Political parties nominate their candidates who get the party symbol and support .Party's nomination is often called party ticket.
➡️ Every person wishing to contest election has to fulfill a nomination form and give some money as security deposit.
➡️ They also have to submit the following informations :
a) Educational Qualifications
b) Serious criminal cases pending against them
c) Details of the Assets and the liabilities of the candidate and his or her family.
Note -- This helps the voters to make right choices
vi) Election campaign
➡️ The process of getting attention of public towards their own sides by political parties are called election campaigns.
➡️️It helps people decide which party is best for them.
➡️ It takes place for two week period between the announcement of the final list of candidates and the date of polling.
Examples of successful slogans
a) Garibi Hatao in 1971 Indira Gandhi
b) Save Democracy by Janata Party
Regulation on election campaigns
➡️ No party or candidate can use any place of worship for election propaganda.
➡️ No party can use government vehicles and officials for elections.
➡️ Ministers shall not lay foundation stone of any project after the date of elections are announced.
vii) Polling and counting of votes
➡️ The day voters' cast their votes is called the election day .
Process of Polling
➡️ Every voters can go to a nearby Polling booth . This only takes place in a local school or government office.
➡️ inside the booth polling officer identifies a person , put a mark on her finger and allow her to call cast votes.
Note -- An agent of each candidate is allowed to sit inside the polling booth and ensure that the voting takes place in a fair way.
➡️ Earlier the voters used stamp for casting their votes in the ballot paper..
Q. What is a ballot paper?
Ans :- A ballot paper is a sheet of paper on which the names of the contesting candidate along with the party names and symbols are listed.
➡️ Nowadays EVMs are used to record the votes. It shows the names of the candidate and party symbol and the voters have to press the button against his choice..
Counting
➡️ After the polling the EVMs icsil undertaken to secure place. It is opened at fixed date to count the votes of each candidate.
➡️ the Agents of each candidate are present there to ensure the fair counting.
➡️ the candidate who secured the highest number of votes from from constituency is declared elected
3. What makes Election in India democratic?
✔️ Independent Election Commission
✔️ Popular participation
✔️ Acceptance of election outcomes
✔️ Independent Election Commission
One simple way of checking whether
elections are fair or not is to look at who conducts the elections.
How independent and powerful EC is?
➡️ It enjoys the same kind of independence that the judiciary enjoys.
➡️ The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is appointed by the President of India.
➡️ But once appointed, the Chief Election Commissioner is not answerable to the President or the government. Even if the ruling party or the government does not like what the Commission does, it s virtually impossible for it to remove the CEC.
➡️ Very few election commissions in the world have such wide-ranging powers as the Election Commission of India.
Functions of EC
➡️ EC takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections from the announcement of elections to the declaration of results.
➡️ It implements the Code of Conduct and punishes any candidate or party that violates it.
➡️ 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.
➡️ When on election duty, government officers work under the control of the EC and not the government.
Note - It is very common now for the Election Commission to reprimand the government and administration for their lapses. When election officials come to the opinion that polling was not fair in some booths or even an entire constituency, they order a repoll.
The ruling parties often do not like what the EC does. But they have to obey. This would not havehappened if the EC was not independent and powerful.
2. Popular Participation
Another way to check the quality of the election process is to see whether people participate in it with enthusiasm.
If the election process is not free or fair, people will not continue to participate in it.
➡️ Turnout Ratio
Turnout indicates the per cent of eligible voters who actually cast their vote.
Over the last fifty years, the turnout in Europe and North America has declined. In India the turnout has either remained stable or actually gone up.
➡ Increase in the Poor's participation
️ In India the poor and illiterate people vote in larger proportion as compared to the rich and privileged sections. This is opposite to western democracies.
➡️ Attachment to Elections
Common people in India attach a lot of importance to elections.
They feel that through elections they can bring pressure on political parties to adopt policies and programmes favourable to them.
➡ Closeness to the Party
️More than half of the people identified themselves as being close to one or the other political party. One out of every seven voters is a member of a political party.
3. Acceptance of election outcomes
One final test of the free and fairness of election has in the outcome itself.
If elections are not free or fair, the outcome always favours the powerful.
➡️ The ruling parties routinely lose elections in India both at the national and state level. In fact in every two out of the three elections held in the last fifteen years, the ruling party lost.
➡️ In the US, an incumbent or ‘sitting’ elected representative rarely loses an election. In India about half of the sitting MPs or MLAs lose elections.
➡️ Candidates who are known to have spent a lot of money on ‘buying votes’ and those with known criminal connections often lose elections.
➡️ Barring very few disputed elections, the electoral outcomes are usually accepted as ‘people’s verdict’ by the defeated party.
4.Challenges to free and fair elections
➡️ 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.
➡️ In some parts of the country, candidates with criminal connection have been able to push others out of the electoral race and to secure a ‘ticket’ from major parties.
➡️ Some families tend to dominate political parties; tickets are distributed to relatives from these families.
➡️ Very often elections offer little choice to ordinary citizens, for both the major parties are quite simila to each other both in policies and practice.
➡️ Smaller parties and independent candidates suffer a huge disadvantage compared to bigger parties.
~ Seminary Classes
0 Comments