Elections

Class 09 Social Science

Elections are one of the most important processes for exercising democratic rights. Regular and periodic elections lie at the core of democracy.

Representatives to public offices can be chosen through either direct or indirect elections. In India, members of the Lok Sabha at the central level, members of the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) at the state level, and members of local bodies (like Panchayats, municipal corporations, etc.) are elected through direct elections every five years. In contrast, the President, Vice President, and members of the Rajya Sabha are elected through indirect elections.

Electoral System

The first step towards successfully conducting elections is deciding on the method of converting the votes cast into seats in the legislature. The way an electoral system allocates seats is what distinguishes it from other systems. The framers of our Constitution discussed the two most common electoral systems and ultimately chose the plurality system, also known as the ‘First-Past-The-Post’ (FPTP) system.

The Vidhan Sabhas are directly elected bodies that make laws for their respective States and some Union Territories. Elections to the Vidhan Sabha are conducted in the same manner as those to the Lok Sabha, using the FPTP electoral system. In six states—Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh - the legislature has a bicameral structure. This means it has two houses - the Upper House, known as the Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council), and the Lower House, known as the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly).

Laws

The Representation of the People Act, 1950 deals mainly with the allocation of seats and delimitation of constituencies, the preparation and revision of electoral rolls, and ensuring that every citizen above 18 years of age has the right to vote without discrimination.

The Representation of the People Act, 1951 deals with all the other aspects of the conduct of elections and post-election disputes. It lays down rules for nomination of candidates, election campaigns, voting procedures, and resolution of disputes.

Delimitation Commission

The boundaries of the constituencies change over time depending on shifts in the population density. Without delimitation, one Member of Parliament (MP) might represent five lakh people, while another might represent twenty-five lakh, defeating the objective of equal representation.

Delimitation is the process of determining the number of seats and fixing the territorial boundaries in each state for elections to the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha. It aims to ensure that the ratio of seats to population is as close to equal as possible across all constituencies.

Election Commission of India (ECI)

The Constitution of India has vested in the Election Commission of India (ECI) the superintendence, direction, and control of the entire process for the conduct of elections.

At the State level, election work is supervised by the Chief Electoral Officer of the State, who is appointed by the ECI from among the civil servants in consultation with the concerned State Government.

ECI creates the electoral roll: The ECI sends official enumerators to every household to collect data about the eligible electors.

ECI decides the schedule and date for the election: When the constitutionally mandated term of the Legislature ends, which is five years or when the Legislature is dissolved before the completion of its term, the ECI activates the machinery needed to conduct an election. While deciding the election schedule for a country as large and diverse as India, the ECI must consider several factors, such as weather conditions, agricultural cycle, school and university examination schedules, festivals, etc.

ECI registers political parties and allocates symbols: Only political parties registered with the ECI can contest elections. Apart from the candidates affiliated to the political parties, independent candidates (who are not affiliated to any political party) can also contest elections.

Ensuring free and fair elections: For elections to be meaningful, the entire process must be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. If fairness is not ensured, public confidence in electoral institutions may gradually weaken.

Political Parties

India has a multi-party system, which means that many political parties exist and compete in elections. This system reflects the country’s rich diversity of languages, cultures, religions, and regions.