Electoral Politics CLASS 9 CIVICS

Electoral Politics

Q.1. Which party ruled the Haryana state since 1982?

Ans:

Congress Party ruled the Haryana state since 1982.

Q.2. Which movement was led by Chaudhary Devi Lal?

Ans:

Chaudhary Devi Lal, the opposition leader, led a movement called ‘Nyaya Yudh’ (Struggle for

Justice) and formed a new party, Lok Dal.

Q.3. Why elections are necessary in any democracy?

Ans:

A rule of the people is possible without any elections if all the people can sit together everyday and take all the decisions. This is not possible in any large community nor is it possible for everyone to have the time and knowledge to take decisions on all matters. Therefore in most democracies people rule through their representatives. Thus elections are necessary in any democracy to ensure efficient administration.

Q.4. What are elections?

Ans:

A mechanism by which people can choose their representatives at regular intervals and change them if they wish to do so, this mechanism is called election.

Q.5. What kind of choice is made by voters during an election?

Ans:

In an election the voters make many choices:

·         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.

Q.6. What are minimum conditions required for a democratic election?

Ans:

·         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, elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner where people can choose as they really wish.

Q.7. Elections are thus all about political competition. Explain the statement.

Ans:

Elections are thus all about political competition. This competition takes various forms. The most obvious form is the competition among political parties. At the constituency level, it takes the form of competition among several candidates. If there is no competition, elections will become pointless.

Q.8. What are demerits of electoral competition.

Ans:

An electoral competition has many demerits. It creates a sense of disunity and ‘factionalism’ in every locality. Different political parties and leaders often level allegations against one another. Parties and candidates often use dirty tricks to win elections. Some people say that this pressure to win electoral fights does not allow sensible long-term policies to be formulated. Some good people who may wish to serve the country do not enter this arena. They do not like the idea of being dragged into unhealthy competition.

Q.9. What is the advantage of regular electoral competition?

Ans:

Regular electoral competition provides 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.

Q.10. How does political competition help to force political parties and leaders to serve the people?

Ans:

Political competition may cause divisions and some ugliness, but it finally helps to force political parties and leaders to serve the people.

Q.11. When is Loksabha and Vidhansabha elections held?

Ans:

Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) elections are held regularly after every five years. After five years the term of all the elected representatives comes to an end. The Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha stands ‘dissolved’.

Q.12. What are general elections?

Ans:

Elections are held in all constituencies at the same time, either on the same day or within a few days. This is called a general election.

Q.13. What is a by-election?

Ans:

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.

Q.14. What are electoral constituencies?

Ans:

In our country we follow an area based system of representation. The country is divided into different areas for purposes of elections. These areas are called electoral constitutencies. The voters who live in an area elect one representative.

Q.15. How many constituencies Lok sabha has?

Ans:

For Lok Sabha elections, the country is divided into 543 constituencies.

Q.16. What is meant by Member of Parliament?

Ans:

The representative elected from each constituency is called a Member of Parliament or an MP.

Q.17. What is meant by Member of Legislative Assembly?

Ans:

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.

Q.18. How is municipal or town election conducted?

Ans:

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.

Q.19. Why India has special system of reserved constituencies for the weaker sections?

Ans:

The makers of our Constitution thought of a special system of reserved constituencies for the weaker sections. Some constituencies are reserved for people who belong to the Scheduled Castes [SC] and Scheduled Tribes [ST]. In a SC reserved constituency only someone who belongs to the Scheduled Castes can stand for election. Similarly only those belonging to the

Scheduled Tribes can contest an election from a constituency reserved for ST.

Q.20. How many seats are reserved in Lok Sabha for weaker sections?

Ans:

Currently, in the Lok Sabha, 79 seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 41 for the Scheduled Tribes. This number is in proportion to their share in the total population.

Q.21. How has the system of reservation extended to other weaker sections at the district and local level?

Ans:
The system of reservation was extended later to other weaker sections at the district and local level. In many states, seats in rural (panchayat) and urban (municipalities and corporations) local bodies are now reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBC) as well. However, the proportion of seats reserved varies from state to state. Similarly, one-third of the seats are reserved in rural and urban local bodies for women candidates.

Q.22. What is meant by Electoral Roll?

Ans:

Once the constituencies are decided the next step is to decide who can and who cannot vote. This decision cannot be left to anyone till the last day. In a democratic election, the list of those who are eligible to vote is prepared much before the election and given to everyone. This list is officially called the Electoral Roll and is commonly known as the Voters’ List.

Q.23. Which conditions have to be fulfilled for becoming eligible for voting?

Ans:

All the citizens aged 18 years and above can vote in an election. Every citizen has the right to vote, regardless of his or her caste, religion or gender. Some criminals and persons with unsound mind can be denied the right to vote, but only in rare situations.

Q.24. Whose responsibility it is to get the names of all the eligible voters put on the voters’ list?

Ans:

It is the responsibility of the government to get the names of all the eligible voters put on the voters’ list. As new persons attain voting age names are added to the voters’ list. Names of those who move out of a place or those who are dead are deleted.

Q.25. When does the revision of voters’ list takes place?

Ans:

A complete revision of the list takes place every five years. This is done to ensure that it remains up to date.

Q.26. What is the condition for contesting an election in India?

Ans:

In order to be a candidate the minimum age is 25 years, while it is only 18 years for being a voter. There are some other restrictions on criminals etc. but these apply in very extreme cases.

Q.27. What is meant by party ticket?

Ans:

Political parties nominate their candidates who get the party symbol and support. Party’s nomination is often called party ‘ticket’.

Q.28. What declaration a candidate has to make while filling nomination form?

Ans:

Recently, a new system of declaration has been introduced on direction from the Supreme Court. Every 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

·         Education qualifications of the candidate.

This information has to be made public. This provides an opportunity to the voters to make their decision on the basis of the information provided by the candidates.

Q.29. What is the main purpose of election?

Ans:

The main purpose of election is to give people a chance to choose the representatives, the government and the policies they prefer.

Q.30. What is the purpose of election campaign?

Ans:

In election campaigns, political parties try to focus public attention on some big issues. They want to attract the public to that issue and get them to vote for their party on that basis.

In our country such 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 mobilise their supporters.

Q.31. Which slogan was given by the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971?

Ans:

The Congress party led by Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao (Remove poverty) in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971. The party promised to reorient all the policies of the government to remove poverty from the country.

Q.32. Which party gave the slogan “save democracy”?

Ans:

Save Democracy was the slogan given by Janata Party in the next Lok Sabha election held in 1977. The party promised to undo the excesses committed during Emergency and restore civil liberties.

Q.33. Which slogan was used by the Left Front in West Bengal Assembly elections held in

1977?

Ans:

The Left Front used the slogan of Land to the Tiller in the West Bengal Assembly elections held in 1977.

Q.34. Why is it necessary to regulate election campaigns?

Ans:

It is sometimes necessary to regulate campaigns to ensure that every political party and candidate gets a fair and equal chance to compete. According to our 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 Rs. 25 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha election or Rs. 10 lakh in a constituency in an Assembly election.

Q.35. What is the Model Code of Conduct for election campaigns?

Ans:

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, aircrafts 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.

Q.36. Discuss the process of polling during an election.

Ans:

The final stage of an election is the day when the voters cast or ‘poll’ their vote. That day is usually called the election day. 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. 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.

Q.37. What is ballot paper?

Ans:

Earlier the voters used to indicate who they wanted to vote for by putting a stamp on the ballot paper. A ballot paper is a sheet of paper on which the names of the contesting candidates along with party name and symbols are listed.

Q.38. How does electronic voting machines (EVM) work?

Ans:

Nowadays electronic voting machines (EVM) are used to record votes. The machine shows the names of the candidates and the party symbols. Independent candidates too have their own symbols, allotted by election officials. All the voter has to do is to press the button against the name of the candidate she wants to give her vote.

Q.39. Which unfair practices are common during elections?

Ans:

·         Inclusion of false names and exclusion 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.

Q.40. Who conducts elections in India?

Ans:

In India elections are conducted by an independent and very powerful Election Commission (EC). It enjoys the same kind of independence that the judiciary enjoys.

Q.41. Who appoints Chief Election Commissioner?

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is appointed by the President of India.

Q.42. Why is it impossible for it to remove the CEC?

Ans:

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 is virtually impossible for it to remove the CEC.

Q.43. What are the powers of the Election Commission of India?

Ans:

The powers as the Election Commission of India are:

·         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.

Q.44. How is people’s participation in election measured?

Ans:

People’s participation in election is usually measured by voter turnout figures. 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.

Q.45. Why do common people in India attach lot of importance to elections?

Ans:

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. They also feel that their vote matters in the way things are run in the country.

Q.46. what makes Indian elections democratic?

Ans:

Elections in India are basically free and fair. The party that wins an election and forms government does so because people have chosen it over its rivals. This may not be true for every constituency. A few candidates may win purely on the basis of money power and unfair means. But the overall verdict of a general election still reflects popular preference.

This is what makes Indian elections democratic.

Q.47. What is booth capturing?

Ans:

It means supporters or hired musclemen of party or a candidate gain physical control of a polling booth and cast false votes by threatening everyone or by preventing genuine voters from reaching the polling booth.

Q.48. Define Code of Conduct.

Ans:

It is a set of norms and guidelines to be followed by political parties and contesting candidates during election time.

Q.49. What is meant by level playing field?

Ans:

It is a condition in which all parties and candidates contesting in an election have equal opportunities to appeal for votes and to carry out election campaign.

BY SUMIT BHADRA