Why do we need elections?

• We can choose who will make laws for them
• We can choose who will form the government and take major decisions
• We can choose the party whose policies will guide the government and law-making

Elections are an integral part of democracy because it is through elections that people choose their representatives so that the government is formed and the rest of the work is done Elections in India are no less than a festival

 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

Sometimes an election is held only for one constituency to fill the vacancy caused by the death or resignation of a member This is called a by-election

• In a democracy political leaders know what is good for the people. It motivates them to serve the people
• Regular electoral competition provides an initiative to political parties and leaders
• Leaders realize that if they work for people they would become popular and their chance to win would increase

• It creates a sense of disunity and ‘factionalism’ in every locality
• Political parties and leaders often level allegations against one another
• Parties and candidates often use dirty tricks to win elections
• Pressure to win electoral fights does not allow sensible long-term policies to be formulated
• In respect of the above demerits or unhealthy competition, some good people who may wish to serve the country do not enter this arena

• Regular electoral competition provides incentives to political parties and leaders
• If they can satisfy voters with their work, they will be able to win again
• Even if a political party is motivated only by the desire to be in power, it will be compelled to serve the people
• This shows the real intention of the political parties
• It gives the option to the voters to choose from the best

• Everyone should have one vote with equal weightage
• Parties should offer some real choices to the voters
• Elections must be held regularly
• The candidate preferred by the people should get elected
• Elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner

• Election announcement
• selection of candidates
• filing nomination form
• allotment of election symbols
• Issuance of election manifesto by political parties
• election campaign
• vote
• Counting of votes
• Declaration of Results

• In India, Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) elections are held regularly after every five years
• Elections are held regularly after every five years for Lok Sabha or Lower house of the Parliament and Vidhan Sabha (State Assembly), Panchayats, municipalities, etc

• Formation of constituencies
• Preparation of Voters’ list
• Declaration of date of Polling
• Filling of Nominations
• Scrutiny of Nominations
• Withdrawal of Nominations
• Election Campaign
• Polling (Election Day)
• Re – Polling (If required)
• Counting of Votes and Declaration of Results

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

• The country is divided into different areas for purposes of elections These areas are called electoral constituencies
• E.g. our country is divided into 543 Lok Sabha constituencies The same principle applies to State Legislative Assemblies, Panchayats, and Municipalities

• There are some seats where only people of certain communities castes can contest for elections. These are called reserved constituencies
• For example- 84 seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and 47 for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Lok Sabha

This is a list of those who are eligible to vote. It is prepared much before the election. This is officially called the Electoral Roll and is commonly known as the Voters’ List

Political parties nominate their candidates who get the party symbol and support. Every person who wishes to contest an election has to fill out a ‘nomination form’ and give some money as a ‘security deposit’

• The main purpose of the election is to give people a chance to choose their representatives So, they need to know who is a better representative and which party will make a better government
• This is what happens during election campaigns. The candidates contact their voters, political leaders address election meetings and political parties mobilize their supporters

• 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. Nowadays Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) is used to record votes
• In a general election, usually the counting of votes in all the constituencies takes place at the same time, on the same day Within a few hours of counting, all the results are declared and it becomes clear who will form the next government

In our country, elections are conducted by an independent and very powerful Election Commission (EC) The Chief Election Commissioner 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 Election Commission 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 Election Commission and not the government

• Candidates and parties with a lot of money enjoy a big advantage over smaller parties
• Sometimes candidates with criminal connections get a chance to contest elections
• Some families tend to dominate political parties
• Citizens get very little choice
• Smaller parties and independents suffer a huge disadvantage

• 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

• All the candidates and their parties follow the Model Code of Conduct for election campaigns
• According to this, Once elections are announced no party or candidate can
• Use any place of worship for election propaganda
• Use government vehicles, aircraft, and officials for elections; and
• Ministers shall not lay foundation stones for any projects, take any big policy decisions or make any promises of providing public facilities

Slogans are very important during election campaigns. Political Parties try to attract the attention of people through slogans

• Some of the successful slogans given by different political parties in various elections are
• Indira Gandhi – Garibi Hatao (Remove Poverty)
• Jayaprakash Narayan – Save Democracy
• Left Front – Land to the Tiller
• N. T. Rama Rao – Protect the Self-Respect of the Telugus