Electoral Politics

Why do we need elections?

In any democratic society, rulers must be chosen by the people at regular intervals. Instead of every citizen sitting together to make every decision — which is impossible in a large country — people elect their representatives, who then form the government and run it on their behalf. An election is a mechanism by which people can choose their representatives at regular intervals and change them if they wish to. Through elections, voters can decide which party should form the government, who will make the laws, and whose policies will guide the government. Elections are therefore essential to representative democracy.

What makes an election democratic?

Not every election is a democratic election. Many non-democratic countries also hold elections. For an election to be truly democratic, certain minimum conditions must be met. First, everyone should be able to choose — this means every adult citizen should have one vote and every vote should have equal value (universal adult franchise). Second, there should be something to choose from — parties and candidates should be free to contest and should offer real alternatives 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.

Is it good to have political competition?

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 constant competition prevents the formation of good long-term policies. Yet, our Constitution makers opted for free competition in elections because 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. But if they fail to satisfy the voters, they will not be able to win again. So the pressure of being voted out keeps the politicians and parties on their toes.

What is our system of elections?

Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) elections are held regularly after every five years. After five years the term of all elected representatives comes to an end. The Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha stands dissolved, and 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 death or resignation of a member — this is called a by-election.

Electoral constituencies and reserved seats

India is divided into different areas for the purpose of elections. These areas are called electoral constituencies. The voters who live in an area elect one representative. For Lok Sabha elections, the country is divided into 543 constituencies. The representative elected from each constituency is called a Member of Parliament or an MP. Similarly, each state is divided into a specific number of Assembly constituencies, and the elected representative is called the Member of the Legislative Assembly or an MLA. Our Constitution makers were worried that in an open electoral competition, certain weaker sections may not stand a good chance to get elected. So they came up with 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). One-third of seats are reserved in rural and urban local bodies for women candidates.

Voters' list and nomination of candidates

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. It is the responsibility of the government to get the names of all the eligible voters put on the voters' list. A new system of Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) has been introduced to stop bogus voting. Every person who wishes to contest an election has to fill a nomination form and give some money as security deposit. Recently a new system of declaration has been introduced where every candidate has to make a legal declaration giving full details of their criminal cases, assets and liabilities, and educational qualifications.

Election campaign and the Model Code of Conduct

Elections are meant to give people a chance to choose representatives, government, and policies they prefer. So it is necessary to have a free and open discussion about who is a better representative, which party will make a better government, and what is a good policy. This is what happens during election campaigns. 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. According to the 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, or spend more than a fixed limit. If they do so, their election can be rejected by the court. In addition, all political parties have agreed to a Model Code of Conduct for election campaigns.

Polling and counting of votes

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' located in a local school or 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 to ensure fairness. Earlier voters used to put a stamp on the ballot paper; now electronic voting machines (EVM) are used to record votes. Once the polling is over, all the EVMs are sealed and taken to a secure place. A few days later, on a fixed date, all of them are opened and the votes secured by each candidate are counted. The candidate who secures the highest number of votes from a constituency is declared elected.

What makes elections in India democratic?

In our country elections are conducted by an independent and very powerful Election Commission of India (ECI). 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 CEC is not answerable to the President or the government. The Election Commission takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections from the announcement of elections to the declaration of results. People's participation in elections is usually measured by voter turnout — the proportion of eligible voters who actually cast their vote. In India the turnout has either remained stable or actually gone up. Common people in India attach a lot of importance to elections and feel that through elections they can bring pressure on political parties to adopt policies and programmes favourable to them.