Electoral Politics

 Answer the following :

1. What makes an election democratic?

Ans: There are certain conditions that make an election

democratic.

 The election must be held regularly every 5

years.

 Every eligible voter must have one vote

with equal value.

 There should be more than 1 party so

that voters can get some real choice.

 Elections should be conducted in a free

and fair manner and people should

have felt the freedom to vote for any

candidate they like

2. What is the purpose of an election photo identity card ( EPIC )?

Ans: the main purpose of election photo identity card (EPIC) is

to ensure that no votes are in place of someone else.

3. Who used the slogan “ protect the self-respect of Telugus”?

Ans: “ Protect the self-respect of Telugus” was the slogan

used by N.T. Rama, the leader of the Telugu Desam Party.

4. Write any 5 demerits of electoral competitions.

Ans: the demerits of electoral competitions are:-

 An electoral competition creates a sense of

‘descent & ‘factionalism’ in every locality.

 The pressure of winning electoral fights

does not allow sensible long term politics to

be formulated.

 Some good people who wish to serve the

the country does not enter the arena as they do

not like the unhealthy competition in

politics.

 Candidates who ask to vote for communal

and caste line destroy the basic idea of

democracy.

 Different political parties and candidates

often use dirty tricks ( like distributing

liquor, money among the poor sections of

voters ) to win the elections.

5. What is the model code of conduct for the election campaign?

Ans: a set of norms and guidelines to be followed by political

and contesting candidates during election time is known as

the model code of conduct. according to this no party and

candidate can:

 Use any place of worship of election propaganda.

 Use government vehicles of officials or elections.

 Once elections are announced, ministers shall not

lay foundation stones of any projects, or take any

big policy decisions or make any promises of

providing public facilities.

6. How does electoral competition help the political parties

and leaders to win elections?

Ans :

 Regular electoral competitions provide

incentives to political parties and leaders.

 They know that if they raise issues that

people want to be raised, their

popularity and chances of victory will

increase in the next elections.

 But if they fail to satisfy the voters with

their work, they will not be able to win

again.

7. How does the principle of ‘ universal adult franchise’ work

in the Indian democracy?

Ans: universal adult franchise means that everyone has 1

vote and each vote should have equal value. no one should

be denied the right to vote without good reasons. In India, all

citizens aged 18 years and above can vote in elections. every

citizen has the right to vote, regardless of caste, religion, and

gender. some criminals and people with unsound minds can be

denied the right to vote, but also in rare situations. Every 5

years complete revision of the voter’s list takes place so that

the names of the new voters who have attained the voting

age are included and names of those who have moved to

some other place or are dead can be deleted.

8. Why were ‘reserved constituencies devised for the weaker

sections by remarks of the Indian constitution?

Ans:

 the constitution-makers are worried that in an

open electoral competition, certain weaker

sections may not stand a good chance to get

elected to the Lok Sabha and to the state

legislature assemblies.

 they may not have the required resources

education and contacts to contests and win

elections against others.

 Those who are influential and resourceful may

present them from winning the elections.

 If that happens our parliament and assemblies

will be deprived of the voice of a significant

section of the population.

9. How does a party fill a nomination for its candidate?

Ans :

 In order to be a candidate, the minimum age

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 who wishes to contest an

election has to fill a ‘nomination form’ and

give some money as a ‘security deposit’. If the

information is not correct, the nomination

can be canceled and the security deposit is

returned.

10. How is campaigning done for elections held in India?

Ans :

 In India, election campaigns take place for a 2-

week period between the announcement of

the final list of candidates and the date of

polling.

 During the period, the candidates contact their

voters.

 Political leaders address election meetings and

political parties mobilize their supporters.

 This is also the period when the newspapers

and television news broadcasting channels are

full of election-related stories and debates.

 During elections campaigns, political parties

try to focus the public attention on some big

issues.

 They want the public to vote for their parties

on that basis.

11. Write some of the successful slogans given by different

political parties in various elections.

Ans :

 GARIBI HATAO: was the slogan of the

Congress party, led by Indira Gandhi in the Lok

Sabha elections of 1971. The party promised to

prepare all politics to remove property from

the country.

 SAVE DEMOCRACY: was the slogan of the Janta

Party in the Lok Sabha elections of 1977. The

party promised to undo the excess committed

during the emergency and restore civil rights.

 LAND TO TILLER: was the slogan used by the

left front in West Bengal assembly elections

held in 1977.

 PROTECT THE SELF RESPECT OF TELEGUS: was

the slogan used by N.T. Ram Rao, the leader

of the Telegu Desam Party in the Andhra Pradesh

assembly elections in 1983.

12. How are ‘polls’ conducted in India?

Ans:

 The final stage of an election is when

voters cast their vote in the polling

booth . that day is usually called the

election day

 Every person whose name is on the

voters list can go to the nearby polling

booth situated usually in a local school

or government office.

 Once the voter goes inside the polling

booth the election officials identify

him/her by putting a mark on his or her

finger and allow him/her to cast their

vote.

 An agent of each candidate is allowed

to sit inside the polling booth and

ensure that the voting takes place in a

fair manner.

 A ballot paper is placed in which the

names of contesting candidates along

with their party name and symbols are

listed.

 Nowadays electronic voting machine

(EVM) are used to record voice.

 The machine shows the names of the

candidates and parts symbols

independent, allotted by the election

officials.

 Each voter has to press the button

against the name of the candidate,

he/she wants to vote for.

13. What powers are exercised by the election commission of

India?

Ans:

 The election commission (EC) controls the

election right from the announcement of the

elections till the results of the election.

 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 focus some guidelines to prevent

the use and misuse of government power enhance

its chances to win the elections or transfer some

government officials.

 If the EC comes to know that the polling was not

fair in some booths or even an entire

constituency, they order repolling.

14. What does a voter turn out during an election in India

signify?

Ans:

 Peoples participation in elections is usually

measured by the voter's turnout figure.

Turnout indicates the percent of eligible

voters who can actually cast their votes.

 In India poor, illiterate and the

underprivileged people vote in larger

proportions as compared to the rich and

privileged section.

 Common people in India attach a lot of

importance to the election. they fell that

through elections, they can bing pressure

and political parties to adopt policies and

programs favorable for them.

 The interest of voters, in election-related

activities have been increasing over the

years.

15. what are the challenges to free and fair elections in India?

Ans :

 Candidates and parties with a lot of money may

not be sure of their victory but they enjoy a big

and unfair advantage over smaller parties and

independents.

 In some parts of the country, candidates with

criminal connections have been able to secure a

‘ticket from major parties.

 Some families tend to dominate the political

parties, tickets are distributed to relatives from

these families.

 Very often elections offer little choice to ordinary

citizens as both the major parties are similar to

each other in their policies and practices.

 Smaller parties and independent candidates

suffer a huge disadvantage as compared to bigger

parties.

16. Examine the need for the reserved constituency in India.

Ans:

 The constitution-makers were worried that in

an open electoral competition, certain

weaker sections may not stand a chance to

get elected o the Lok sabha and the states

legislative assembly.

 They may not have the required resources,

education and contacts to contest and win

elections against others.

 Those who are influential and resourceful,

may prevent them from winning elections.

 If that happens, our parliament and

assemblies would be deprived of the voice if

a significant section of our population.

 That would make our democracy less

representative and less democratic .so, the

makers of our constitution in the thought of a

special system of reserved constituencies for

the weaker sections.

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