(a) Composition : The Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the president of India. But once appointed, the Chief Election Commissioner is not answerable to the president, or the government. It is virtually impossible for the government to remove the CEC. (b) Powers of the Election Commission:Read more
(a) Composition : The Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the president of
India. But once appointed, the Chief Election Commissioner is not answerable to the president, or the government. It is virtually impossible for the government to remove the CEC.
(b) Powers of the Election Commission: The Election Commission has wide-ranging
powers as mentioned below :
(i) EC takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections.
(ii) lt implements the Code of Conduct and punishes any candidates or party that violates it.
(iii) 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.
(iv) When on election duty-, government officers work under the control of the EC and not the government.
(c) Estimate: (i) The Election Commission has been given wide-ranging powers so that it may conduct the elections in a fair and free manner and no political party not even the ruling party may influence its working.
(ii) It is good for democracy to make Election Commission powerful so that it may work independently.
(iii) The experience of last fifty years or so has proved that the Election Commission has worked successfully. It has reprimanded the government on many occasions and ordered repoll too. The ruling party sometimes do not like the decisions of the commission but they have no choice but to obey the decisions due to independence of the commission.
The aim, time and methods of election campaign in India are as mentioned below: (i) Aim of election campaign: The aim of the election campaign is to give people a chance to know about different candidates and political parties, their policies and to decide which one party or parties will form a bettRead more
The aim, time and methods of election campaign in India are as mentioned below:
(i) Aim of election campaign: The aim of the election campaign is to give people a
chance to know about different candidates and political parties, their policies and to decide which one party or parties will form a better government.
(ii) Time of election campaign: In India, a two-week period between the announcement of the final list of candidates and the date of polling is given for election campaign.
(iii) Methods of election campaign: (A) The following methods are used. for election campaign:
(a) Candidates contact the voters.
(b) Election meetings are held. These are addressed by political leaders and candidates.
(c) Political parties mobilise their supporters.
(d) Advertisements and debates etc. are published in the newspapers.
(e) Slogans on big issues are used to attract the voters.
(B) Some of the successful slogans given by different political parties in various elections are mentioned below : (i) The Congress party led by Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao (Remove Poverty) in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971.
(ii) Save democracy was the slogan given by Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections held in 1977.
(iii) Land to the Tiller in the West Bengal Assembly elections held in 1977.
(iv) ‘Protect the self-respect of the Telugus’ was the slogan used by N.T” Rama Rao, the leader of Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections In 1983.
(a) The day when the voters cast or 'poll' their vote is called the election day. (b) Polling is done in the following way: (i) A voter whose name has been included in the voters' list goes to a nearby polling booth in a school or a government office. (ii) On entering the booth, the election officiaRead more
(a) The day when the voters cast or ‘poll’ their vote is called the election day.
(b) Polling is done in the following way:
(i) A voter whose name has been included in the voters’ list goes to a nearby polling booth in a school or a government office.
(ii) On entering the booth, the election officials identify him/her, put a mark on his/her finger and allow him/her to cast his/her vote.
(iii) Agents of the candidates are present in the polling booth to ensure that polling takes place in a fair way.
(c) Use of EVMs : Earlier the voters used to indicate who they wanted to vote by putting a stamp against the name of the candidate on the ballot paper. Now Electronic Voting Machines (E\Ms) are used to record their votes. The machine shows the names and symbols of the candidates. A voter can cast his vote by pressing the button against the candidate of his choice.
(d) Counting of votes : (i) On a fix day, votes secured by each candidate are counted by opening EVMs in the presence of the agents of all candidates.
(ii) The candidate who secures the highest number of votes in the constituency is declared elected.
(iii) In a general election, usually counting of votes in all the constituencies takes place at the same time, on the same day. T.V. channels, radio and newspapers report this event. Within a few hours of counting, all the results are declared and it becomes clear as to which party or coalition of parties or alliance will form the government.
(a) Generally in a democracy it is best to leave political parties and candidates free to conduct their election campaigns the way they want to. However at the same time it is necessary to regulate election campaign to ensure that every political party and candidate gets a fair and equal chance to cRead more
(a) Generally in a democracy it is best to leave political parties and candidates free to conduct their election campaigns the way they want to. However at the same time it is necessary to regulate election campaign to ensure that every political party and candidate gets a fair and equal chance to compete in the elections.
(b) (i) According to our election law, no party or candidate can do the followings:
I. Bribe or threaten voters;
II. Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion;
III Use government resources for election campaign; and
IV. Spend more than ₹ 25 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha election or ₹10 lakh in a constituency in an Assembly election. In case any candidate violates the above rules, his election can be rejected by the court.
(ii) In addition to above law, the political parties have also agreed to a Model Code of
Conduct for election campaigns. According to this, no party or candidate can:
I Use any place of worship for election propaganda;
II Use government vehicles, aircrafts and officials for elections; and
III 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.
The main features of the procedure for nomination of candidates for elections in India are as given below: (i) In India anyone who is a voter can contest election provided he has attained the age of 25 years. Criminals and persons with unsound mind can, however, be debarred from contesting electionsRead more
The main features of the procedure for nomination of candidates for elections in India are as given below:
(i) In India anyone who is a voter can contest election provided he has attained the age of 25 years. Criminals and persons with unsound mind can, however, be debarred from contesting elections.
(ii) Political parties nominate their candidates who get the party symbol and support.
(iii) Candidates who are contesting elections, have to fill a ‘nomination form’ and give some money as ‘security deposit’.
(iv) Now, as per direction of the Supreme Court, every candidate has to make a legal declaration giving following information which should be made public:
(a) Serious criminal cases pending against the candidate.
(b) Details of the assets and liabilities of the candidate and his or her family.
(c) Educational qualifications of the candidate.
This information is made public so that the voters may make their decision on the basis of the information provided by the candidates. It may also be mentioned that there is no educational qualification for candidates seeking election because that would go against the spirit of democracy as it would deprive majority of the country’s citizens the right to contest election due to illiteracy in the country. For example if a graduate degree was compulsory for candidates, more than 90 per cent of citizens wilt become ineligible to contest elections.
“Election commission is an independent and powerful body.’’ In the light of this statement explain the composition and powers of the Election Commission.
(a) Composition : The Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the president of India. But once appointed, the Chief Election Commissioner is not answerable to the president, or the government. It is virtually impossible for the government to remove the CEC. (b) Powers of the Election Commission:Read more
(a) Composition : The Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the president of
See lessIndia. But once appointed, the Chief Election Commissioner is not answerable to the president, or the government. It is virtually impossible for the government to remove the CEC.
(b) Powers of the Election Commission: The Election Commission has wide-ranging
powers as mentioned below :
(i) EC takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections.
(ii) lt implements the Code of Conduct and punishes any candidates or party that violates it.
(iii) 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.
(iv) When on election duty-, government officers work under the control of the EC and not the government.
(c) Estimate: (i) The Election Commission has been given wide-ranging powers so that it may conduct the elections in a fair and free manner and no political party not even the ruling party may influence its working.
(ii) It is good for democracy to make Election Commission powerful so that it may work independently.
(iii) The experience of last fifty years or so has proved that the Election Commission has worked successfully. It has reprimanded the government on many occasions and ordered repoll too. The ruling party sometimes do not like the decisions of the commission but they have no choice but to obey the decisions due to independence of the commission.
Describe aim, time and methods of election campaign in India.
The aim, time and methods of election campaign in India are as mentioned below: (i) Aim of election campaign: The aim of the election campaign is to give people a chance to know about different candidates and political parties, their policies and to decide which one party or parties will form a bettRead more
The aim, time and methods of election campaign in India are as mentioned below:
See less(i) Aim of election campaign: The aim of the election campaign is to give people a
chance to know about different candidates and political parties, their policies and to decide which one party or parties will form a better government.
(ii) Time of election campaign: In India, a two-week period between the announcement of the final list of candidates and the date of polling is given for election campaign.
(iii) Methods of election campaign: (A) The following methods are used. for election campaign:
(a) Candidates contact the voters.
(b) Election meetings are held. These are addressed by political leaders and candidates.
(c) Political parties mobilise their supporters.
(d) Advertisements and debates etc. are published in the newspapers.
(e) Slogans on big issues are used to attract the voters.
(B) Some of the successful slogans given by different political parties in various elections are mentioned below : (i) The Congress party led by Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao (Remove Poverty) in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971.
(ii) Save democracy was the slogan given by Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections held in 1977.
(iii) Land to the Tiller in the West Bengal Assembly elections held in 1977.
(iv) ‘Protect the self-respect of the Telugus’ was the slogan used by N.T” Rama Rao, the leader of Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections In 1983.
What is an election day? Describe how polling and counting of votes is done in India?
(a) The day when the voters cast or 'poll' their vote is called the election day. (b) Polling is done in the following way: (i) A voter whose name has been included in the voters' list goes to a nearby polling booth in a school or a government office. (ii) On entering the booth, the election officiaRead more
(a) The day when the voters cast or ‘poll’ their vote is called the election day.
See less(b) Polling is done in the following way:
(i) A voter whose name has been included in the voters’ list goes to a nearby polling booth in a school or a government office.
(ii) On entering the booth, the election officials identify him/her, put a mark on his/her finger and allow him/her to cast his/her vote.
(iii) Agents of the candidates are present in the polling booth to ensure that polling takes place in a fair way.
(c) Use of EVMs : Earlier the voters used to indicate who they wanted to vote by putting a stamp against the name of the candidate on the ballot paper. Now Electronic Voting Machines (E\Ms) are used to record their votes. The machine shows the names and symbols of the candidates. A voter can cast his vote by pressing the button against the candidate of his choice.
(d) Counting of votes : (i) On a fix day, votes secured by each candidate are counted by opening EVMs in the presence of the agents of all candidates.
(ii) The candidate who secures the highest number of votes in the constituency is declared elected.
(iii) In a general election, usually counting of votes in all the constituencies takes place at the same time, on the same day. T.V. channels, radio and newspapers report this event. Within a few hours of counting, all the results are declared and it becomes clear as to which party or coalition of parties or alliance will form the government.
Why is it necessary to regulate election campaign in a democracy? Describe various rules and regulations regarding election campaign in India.
(a) Generally in a democracy it is best to leave political parties and candidates free to conduct their election campaigns the way they want to. However at the same time it is necessary to regulate election campaign to ensure that every political party and candidate gets a fair and equal chance to cRead more
(a) Generally in a democracy it is best to leave political parties and candidates free to conduct their election campaigns the way they want to. However at the same time it is necessary to regulate election campaign to ensure that every political party and candidate gets a fair and equal chance to compete in the elections.
See less(b) (i) According to our election law, no party or candidate can do the followings:
I. Bribe or threaten voters;
II. Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion;
III Use government resources for election campaign; and
IV. Spend more than ₹ 25 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha election or ₹10 lakh in a constituency in an Assembly election. In case any candidate violates the above rules, his election can be rejected by the court.
(ii) In addition to above law, the political parties have also agreed to a Model Code of
Conduct for election campaigns. According to this, no party or candidate can:
I Use any place of worship for election propaganda;
II Use government vehicles, aircrafts and officials for elections; and
III 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.
Describe the procedure for nomination of candidates for elections in India.
The main features of the procedure for nomination of candidates for elections in India are as given below: (i) In India anyone who is a voter can contest election provided he has attained the age of 25 years. Criminals and persons with unsound mind can, however, be debarred from contesting electionsRead more
The main features of the procedure for nomination of candidates for elections in India are as given below:
See less(i) In India anyone who is a voter can contest election provided he has attained the age of 25 years. Criminals and persons with unsound mind can, however, be debarred from contesting elections.
(ii) Political parties nominate their candidates who get the party symbol and support.
(iii) Candidates who are contesting elections, have to fill a ‘nomination form’ and give some money as ‘security deposit’.
(iv) Now, as per direction of the Supreme Court, every candidate has to make a legal declaration giving following information which should be made public:
(a) Serious criminal cases pending against the candidate.
(b) Details of the assets and liabilities of the candidate and his or her family.
(c) Educational qualifications of the candidate.
This information is made public so that the voters may make their decision on the basis of the information provided by the candidates. It may also be mentioned that there is no educational qualification for candidates seeking election because that would go against the spirit of democracy as it would deprive majority of the country’s citizens the right to contest election due to illiteracy in the country. For example if a graduate degree was compulsory for candidates, more than 90 per cent of citizens wilt become ineligible to contest elections.