2. About Assembly Election in Haryana
About Mr. Devi Lal
The leader of this party is Mr. Devi Lal, he is the chief of the Haryana
Sangharsh Samiti, who was to address a meeting in Karnal on Thursday
night.
He is 76-year-old, he is a very busy man in these days .
His day starts at 8 a.m. and ends after 11 p.m.
He is already addressed nine election meeting since morning.
Chaudhary Devi Lal, then an opposition leader, leds movement called
‘Nyaya Yudh’ {struggle for Justice} are formed new party, also called Lok
Dal.
3. About Devi Lal promise
Devi Lal said that if his party won the elections, his government would waive the loans of
farms and small businessmen.
He promised that this would be the first action of his government.
The people were unhappy with the existing government. They were also attracted by Devi
Lal’s promise.
So, when elections were held, they voted overwhelmingly in favour of Lok Dal and its allies.
Lok Dal and its partners won 76 out of 90 seats in the State Assembly. Lok Dal alone won 60
seats and thus had a clear majority in Assembly.
The Congress win only 5 seats.
4. Why do we need elections?
What is mechanism?
By which people can choose their representatives at regular intervals and
change them if they wish to do so. This is called mechanism.
They can choose who will make laws for them.
They can choose who will form the government and take major decisions.
They can choose the party whose policies will guide the government and
law making.
5. What makes an election democratic?
First, everyone should be able to choose. This means that everyone should have one vote
and every vote should have equal value.
Second, there should be something to choose from. Parties and candidates should be free to
contest elections and should offer some real choice to the voters.
Third, the choice should be offered at regular intervals. Elections must be held regularly
after every few years.
Fourth, the candidate preferred by the people should get elected.
Fifth, election should be conducted in a free and fair manner where people can choose as
they really wish.
6. Is it good to have political competition?
(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.
(b) Merits : It is good to have political competition on the following grounds:
(i) Political competition enables the people to reward political leaders for serving them and to punish for
not doing so.
(ii) Regular electoral competition provides incentives to political parties and leaders because 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 : Political competition has following disadvantages or demerits:
(i) It creates a sense of disunity and factionalism in every locality. People get divided on the basis of their
loyalty towards a political part.
(ii) Different political parties and leaders start leveling allegations against each other.
(iii) Dirty tricks are used by the candidates and parties to win elections.
(iv) Sometimes the pressure to win elections does not allow sensible long-term policies to be formulated.
(v) Eminent people such as scientists, educationists do not join politics due to political competition. They do
not like this unhealthy competition.
But in spite of these disadvantages or demerits, the system of free political competition works better in the
long run because political leaders too want, to advance their careers. they can do so only by serving the
people. Thus, the political competition forces the leaders to serve the people and win their support.
7. Do most leaders fulfill their election
promises?
Usually, during the election, the leaders make big promises to get attractive
masses in their favor.
However, these are just fake promises that are never heard of after the
election.
There are few leaders that actually work for the masses that actually fulfill
their promises while others don’t.
But it is difficult to distinguish between them.
8. Why democracies need to have elections. But
why do rulers is non-democratic countries
need to hold elections?
Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected
by the people. Even the rulers in non-democratic countries need to
hold elections because they want to show the world that they are
not unpopular and they have the support of the people of the
country which will improve their image in the eyes of the world. In
China elections are regularly held after every five years for electing
the country’s Parliament. Before contesting the elections, a
candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party. The
government is always formed here by the Communist Party. Robert
Mugabe has been ruling Zimbabwe since its independence. He is
popular but uses unfair practices in elections. All of these rulers
want to show that their government and position have been
achieved legally and according to the constitutional provisions.
9. Why are the candidates required to give
a detailed statement of their property?
Candidates are required to give detailed statement of their property before
nomination because of the following:
So that the Election Commission can prevent him from misusing his power of
money in elections.
It helps to keep a check on the person in acquiring property later by unfair
means.
10. Why does the election commission have so
much powers? is this good for democracy?
Election commission have so much power is this power good for democracy
The Election Commission in India is extremely dominant so that it can
correctly execute its duties and efficiently.
Yes, this is good for democracy. Because hardly a strong and autonomous
Election Commission can guarantee clear and satisfactory elections by
restricting misbehavior's and illegal medians in the elections.
Election Commission determines each perspective of regulation and
administration of elections from the notice of elections to the announcement
of decisions.
Election Commission in India is holding a fourth significant institutional
design.
11. Chapter 3: Electoral Politics
What is an ‘Electoral system’?
An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how
elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are
determined.
What are the functions of a legislature?
The most important function of the legislature is law-making. The state
legislature has the power to make laws on all items on which Parliament
cannot legislate.
What are reserved constituencies?
Reserved constituencies are constituencies in which seats are reserved for
Scheduled Castes and Tribes based on the size of their population.
12. What is Our System of Election?
Elections are held in India in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) regularly after every 5
years. After 5 years, the term of all the elected representatives comes to an end.
Elections held in all constituencies at the same time, either on the same day or within a few
days is called a General Election. Sometimes elections are held only for one constituency to
fill the vacancy caused by the death or resignation of a member. This is called a By-Election.
Electoral Constituency
India is divided into different areas for the purpose of elections. These areas are
called electoral constituencies. The voters living in an area elect one representative.
For Lok Sabha elections, India is divided into 543 constituencies. The representative
elected from each constituency is called a Member of Parliament or an MP.
Each state is divided into a specific number of Assembly constituencies. In this case, the
elected representative is called the Member of Legislative Assembly or an MLA. Each
Parliamentary constituency has within it several assembly constituencies.
The same principle applies for Panchayat and Municipal elections. Each village or town is
divided into several ‘wards’ that are like constituencies. Each ward elects one member of
the village or the urban local body. Sometimes these constituencies are counted as ‘seats’,
for each constituency represents one seat in the assembly.
13. Reserved Constituencies
Some constituencies are reserved for people who belong to the Scheduled
Castes [SC] and Scheduled Tribes [ST]. In the Lok Sabha, 84 seats are reserved
for the SC and 47 for the ST.
In SC reserved constituency, only someone who belongs to the Scheduled
Caste can stand for election.
Only those belonging to the Scheduled Tribes can contest an election from a
constituency reserved for ST.
In many states, seats in rural (panchayat) and urban (municipalities and
corporations) local bodies are now reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBC)
and women candidates as well.
14. Reserved Constituencies
Some constituencies are reserved for people who belong to the Scheduled Castes [SC] and
Scheduled Tribes [ST]. In the Lok Sabha, 84 seats are reserved for the SC and 47 for the ST.
In SC reserved constituency, only someone who belongs to the Scheduled Caste can stand
for election.
Only those belonging to the Scheduled Tribes can contest an election from a constituency
reserved for ST.
In many states, seats in rural (panchayat) and urban (municipalities and corporations) local
bodies are now reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and women candidates as well.
Voters’ List
In a democratic election, the list of those who are eligible to vote is prepared much before
the election and given to everyone, which is officially called the Electoral Roll and is
commonly known as the Voters’ List. It is the responsibility of the government to get the
names of all the eligible voters put on the voters’ list.
The voters are required to carry Election Photo Identity Card [EPIC] when they go out to vote,
so that no one can vote for someone else. But the card is not yet compulsory for voting as
voters can show many other proofs of identity, like the ration card or the driving license.
15. Nomination of Candidates
Anyone who can be a voter can also become a candidate in elections. The
candidate should be a minimum of 25 years age. Every person who wishes to
contest an election has to fill out a ‘nomination form’ and give some money
as ‘security deposit’. The candidate has to make a legal declaration, giving
full details of:
Serious criminal cases pending against the candidate
Details of the assets and liabilities of the candidate and his or her family
Educational qualifications of the candidate
This information is made available to the public so that voters can make their
decision on the basis of the information provided by the candidates.
16. Election Campaign
The election campaigns are conducted to have a free and open discussion about
who is a better Representative and in turn, which party will make a better
government. 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.
During this period the candidates contact their voters, political leaders address
election meetings and political parties mobilize their supporters.
Some of the successful slogans given by different political parties in various
elections:
Save democracy
Land to the Tiller
Protect the Self-Respect of the Telugus
According to India’s election law, no party or candidate can:
Bribe or threaten voters
Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion
Use government resources for election campaign
Spend more than 25 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha election or 10 lakh in a
constituency in an Assembly election
17. Election Campaign
If any Political Party does so, their election can be rejected by the court. In
addition to the laws, all the political parties in our country have agreed to a
Model Code of Conduct for election campaigns. According to this, no party or
candidate can:
Use any place of worship for election propaganda
Use government vehicles, aircraft and officials for elections
Once elections are announced, Ministers shall not lay foundation stones of any
projects, take any big policy decisions or make any promises of providing
public facilities
18. Polling and Counting of Votes
The day when the voters cast or ‘poll’ their vote is called the election day. The
voting is done in the following manner.
Every person whose name is on the voters’ list can go to a nearby ‘polling booth’.
Once the voter goes inside the booth, the election officials identify her, put a mark
on her finger and allow her to cast her vote.
An agent of each candidate is allowed to sit inside the polling booth and ensure that
the voting takes place in a fair way
A ballot paper is a sheet of paper on which the names of the contesting candidates
along with party names and symbols are listed. The ballot paper was used earlier.
Nowadays, electronic voting machines (EVM) are used to record votes.
The machine shows the names of the candidates and the party symbols.
The voter has to just press the button against the name of the candidate she wants
to give her vote to.
Once the polling is over, all the EVMs are sealed and taken to a secure place. A few
days later, all the EVMs are opened and the votes secured by each candidate are
counted.
The candidate who secures the highest number of votes from a constituency is
declared elected.
19. What Makes Election in India Democratic?
1) Independent Election Commission
In India, elections are conducted by the Election Commission (EC). The
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is appointed by the President of India.
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 the 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.
20. What Makes Election in India Democratic?
Inclusion of false names and exclusions of genuine names in the voters’ list.
Misuse of government facilities and officials by the ruling party.
Excessive use of money by rich candidates and big parties.
Intimidation of voters and rigging on the polling day.
21. 2) Popular Participation
3) Acceptance of Election Outcome
The quality of the election process can also be checked by seeing the participation of people.
People’s participation in the election is measured by voter turnout figures. Turnout indicates
the per cent of eligible voters who actually cast their vote.
In India, the poor, illiterate and underprivileged people vote in larger proportion as compared to
the rich and privileged sections.
Common people in India feel that through elections they can bring pressure on political parties
to adopt policies and programmes favorable to them.
The interest of voters in election related activities has been increasing over the years.
<<<One final test of the free and fairness of the election is the outcome of the election.
The ruling parties routinely lose elections in India both at the national and state level.
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.
22. Challenges to Free and Fair Elections
Elections in India are essentially free and fair. Sometimes
this may not be true for every constituency. There are
many limitations and challenges to Indian elections. These
include:
Candidates and parties with a lot of money enjoy a big
and unfair advantage over smaller parties.
Candidates with criminal connections have been able to
push others out of the electoral race and to secure a
‘ticket’ from major parties.
Tickets are distributed to relatives from their families.
Elections offer little choice to ordinary citizens as major
parties are quite similar to each other, both in policies
and practice.
Smaller parties and independent candidates suffer a huge
disadvantage compared to bigger parties.
