What makes election in India democratic?

Independent Election Commission

• In our country elections are conducted by an independent and very powerful Election Commission (EC). It enjoys the same kind of independence that the judiciary enjoys. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is appointed by the President of India.
• But 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.
• 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.

Popular Participation

• Another way to check the quality of the election process is to see whether people participate in it with enthusiasm.
• In India the poor, illiterate and underprivileged people vote in larger proportion as compared to the rich and privileged sections.
• 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. The interest of voters in election related activities has been increasing over the years.

Acceptance of Election Outcome

One final test of the free and fairness of election has in the outcome itself. If elections are not free or fair, the outcome always favors the powerful .The outcome of India’s elections speaks for itself:

• The ruling parties routinely lose elections in India both at the national and state level.
• In fact in every two out of the three elections held in the last 25 years, the ruling party lost 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.

Challenges to Free and Fair Election: Conclusion

There are many challenges and limitations of Indian elections that needs our attention. They are as follows:

• Candidates and parties with a lot of money may not be sure of their victory but they do enjoy a big and unfair advantage over smaller parties and independents.
• In some parts of the country, candidates with criminal connection have been able to push others out of the electoral race and to secure a ‘ticket’ from major parties. Some families tend to dominate political parties; tickets are distributed to relatives from these families.
• Very often elections offer little choice to ordinary citizens, for both the 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.

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“Electoral Politics” is a pivotal chapter in the Class 9 Civics curriculum, exploring the essence of democracy through the lens of electoral processes. This chapter delves into the fundamental principles and practices that underpin democratic governance, emphasizing the significance of elections as a cornerstone of democratic societies.

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