Election Process In India

Democracy is based on the principle of ‘for the people, by the people and of the people’. If this principle is to be applied in daily practice, it is necessary that all the people must be related in a decision-making process. With a country like India, where the population is too high it is not possible to do so. So, instead, it is more convenient that their representatives are sent for this decision making process. To ensure that a responsible representative is chosen, the voting takes place. The different political parties give tickets to the candidates, who then contest in elections. They go to different areas and tell the people as to why they must be chosen. India’s voting system is based on the concept of’Universal Adult Franchise’, which means everyone who has attained the age of 18 years has the right to vote in the elections. The people, after hearing all the candidates, vote for the most suited one. The candidate with the maximum number of votes wins the election.

Voting and democracy are synonymous with each other. Voting gives the people a chance to voice their sentiments, and the elected official is responsible for the well being of the people. Thus, the right to vote plays a key role in democracy.

The Election Commission of India is an independent and powerful body that supervises over the elections taking place in the country. It is an autonomous body which has the following important roles :

1. It has the supreme power to lay down the code of conduct.

2. It can also punish any political party if they do not obey the rules.

3. The officials of the government work in this commission. They are given certain guidelines which they must ensure for a fair election

4. It regulates the campaigning to the political parties.

5. It has the power to give the validity to any political party to conduct elections by thoroughly checking their accounts.

6. It manages the date and venue of elections

7. No single political party can participate in an election without the permission of the election commission

8. It controls the machinery used for electing representatives

9. It has the power to conduct re-elections if there is any malpractice observed in any area

10. It prepares the electoral polls before every election.

Thus, the Election Commission has a very pivotal role to play in India.

The Election Commission of India is an independent and powerful body that supervises over the elections taking place in the country. It was formed on the 25th January 1950. It has the following functions to perform:

1. The first function is to ensure that free and fair election system prevails in the country.

2. It announces the schedule of elections i.e, the time, date and venue of elections in an area.

3. It receives a nomination from different political parties, carefully checks each one of them and prepares the final list of contesting parties.

4. It announces the date of polling and gives proper recognition symbols to the political parties.

5. It ensures that every political party follow the code of conduct laid down by it.

6. If any political party is violating it, the Election Commission has the power to punish it.

7. It appoints the officials of government as electoral officials to overlook the polling

8. It also advises the President and the Governors on any matter related to the elections.

Thus, the Election Commission has an important role to perform in the country.

The model code of conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission in a democracy. These are laid down by the commission and every political party, who is contesting in the actions has to follow these rules. This model code of conduct has a set of norms related to the following:

1. The conduct of political parties

2. The speech

3. Polling day

4. Polling booth

5. Portfolio

6. General conduct

7. Election manifesto

8. Processions and rally

It is important for every political party to follow these. If any party is found violating it, the commission has the authority to take any severe action against it. This model comes into force on the day of announcement of elections. This is done to ensure a fair and just election system and to avoid any communal clashes and conflicts among different groups.

For examples, No political party can use loudspeakers without obtaining prior permission, any leader cannot make any negative speeches in front of the general public, the leaders should refrain from using statements that might hurt the sentiments of the people or cause conflicts.

Yes, our responsibility does not end with casting a vote. I support this statement with the following points:

1. Firstly, we must participate in the voting system and also motivate the people around us to vote. They must be told that vote is a like a powerful force that lays in our hands which can change the system of the country. We have the chance to choose our leader who can become our voice in the Parliament.

2. We must also ensure that voting takes place regardless of the caste or religion of the candidate. Such kind of biases will not do any benefit to the country.

3. If the government does not rule according to the people’s requirements and needs, the people have the right to vote for another leader in the next elections.

4. We must keep a check on the functioning of the government and the steps taken by it for the development of the country. We should report if any misdoings are observed in this process

Thus, we must be alert all the time to protect our democracy.

Yes, I have observed many malpractices in the elections of my area. For example, leaders tend to bring religions into politics. People were told to vote on the basis on their own religion or own caste. They are also given materialistic greeds to gain votes. Such kind of biases will not any benefit to the country and cause only harm to the common man.

Electoral reforms include any reform in the political or electoral area that can make the leaders more accountable for their actions in the Government of a country. The elections in India are one of the largest political event in the world with more than 800 million people participating it makes India one of the largest democratic countries of the world. With the changes in time and institutions, a change in reforms is also required. One of the most popular change was the introduction of EVM- electronic voting machine. This eliminated the practice of rigging. However, in recent times, serious claims are being made on the malpractices involved in using these machines.
Electoral reforms are extremely needed because of the instability and questionable choices made by the political parties of our country. It has now become a fragmented political system which increases the political choices and also the amount of money spent on each election cycle. The number of people who are elected representatives has a criminal charge on them.
There is a definite Avni to increase transparency and to close all the loopholes involved in campaigning the nature of campaigning also needs to be changed.