CBSE Class 9 Political Science Notes Chapter 3 – Electoral Politics

CBSE Class 9 Political Science Notes Chapter 3 – Electoral Politics

Democratic Process
Published on By Amresh Academy

 

📚 Why Do We Need Elections? (चुनाव क्यों आवश्यक हैं?)

🗳️ Elections in Democracy
Elections take place regularly in any democracy. 🌍 More than 100 countries hold elections to choose people’s representatives. The system that allows citizens to select their representatives at regular intervals and replace them is called an election (चुनाव).

🔹 Choices Voters Make in an Election:

  • Who will make laws for them 📜

  • Who will form the government and take major decisions 🏛️

  • Which party’s policies will guide the government and law-making ⚖️

🧐 What Makes an Election Democratic? (डेमोक्रेटिक चुनाव के लिए क्या आवश्यक है?)

The minimum conditions of a democratic election include:
✅ Everyone should be able to choose their representative 👥
✅ Parties and candidates should be free to contest elections and provide a real choice ✨
✅ Elections must be held regularly every few years ⏱️
✅ The candidate preferred by the people should get elected 🏆
✅ Elections must be free and fair so people can choose as they wish 🗳️

🤝 Is Political Competition Good? (राजनीतिक प्रतिस्पर्धा क्यों जरूरी है?)

Elections are all about political competition. This can happen at different levels, especially at the constituency level with multiple candidates competing.

Benefits of Political Competition:

  1. 🔹 Provides incentives to political parties and leaders to perform well

  2. 🔹 Encourages parties to raise issues that matter to people 📣

  3. 🔹 Forces parties to serve the public, even if they are motivated by the desire to be in power 🏛️



📚 What Is Our System of Election? (हमारा चुनावी प्रणाली क्या है?)

🗳️ Regular Elections in India
Elections are held in India for the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) regularly every five years ⏳. After five years, the term of all elected representatives comes to an end.

🔹 Types of Elections:

  • General Elections 🌐 – Held in all constituencies at the same time, either on the same day or within a few days

  • By-Elections 🔄 – Held for one constituency only, to fill a vacancy caused by death or resignation of a member

📍 Electoral Constituency (चुनावी क्षेत्र)

India is divided into areas called electoral constituencies for elections. Each constituency elects one representative.

  • Lok Sabha Elections 🏛️:

    • India = 543 constituencies

    • Elected representative = Member of Parliament (MP) 👤

  • State Assembly Elections 🏢:

    • Each state = specific number of Assembly constituencies

    • Elected representative = Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) 👤

    • Each Parliamentary constituency contains several assembly constituencies

  • Local Elections 🌆🌾:

    • Panchayat & Municipal elections follow the same principle

    • Villages/towns divided into wards (like constituencies)

    • Each ward elects one member

    • Constituencies = also called seats in the assembly 🪑

🛡️ Reserved Constituencies (आरक्षित क्षेत्र)

Some constituencies are reserved to ensure representation for marginalized communities:

  • Scheduled Castes (SC): 84 seats in Lok Sabha

  • Scheduled Tribes (ST): 47 seats in Lok Sabha

  • Rules:

    • Only SC candidates can contest in SC-reserved constituencies

    • Only ST candidates can contest in ST-reserved constituencies

  • Additional Reservations ✨

    • Many states now reserve seats in Panchayat and Municipal elections for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and women 👩


📚 Voters’ List & Nomination of Candidates (मतदाता सूची और उम्मीदवार का नामांकन)

🗳️ Voters’ List (मतदाता सूची)
In a democratic election, a list of all eligible voters is prepared well before the election ✅. This list is officially called the Electoral Roll and commonly known as the Voters’ List 📃.

  • Government responsibility: Ensure all eligible voters are included

  • Voters must carry ID while voting 🆔

    • Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is the main ID

    • Other accepted proofs: Ration Card, Driving Licence 🚗, etc.

  • Purpose: Prevent proxy voting (someone voting for another person)

👤 Nomination of Candidates (उम्मीदवार का नामांकन)

  • Anyone who can vote can also become a candidate ✍️

  • Minimum age: 25 years 🎂

  • Steps to contest:

    1. Fill out a Nomination Form 📝

    2. Deposit security money 💰

    3. Make a legal declaration including:

      • Serious criminal cases pending ⚖️

      • Assets and liabilities of the candidate and family 💵

      • Educational qualifications 🎓

  • Public access: All this information is made available to voters so they can make an informed choice 🧐✅


📚 Election Campaign & Voting Process (चुनावी अभियान और मतदान प्रक्रिया)

🎯 Election Campaign (चुनावी अभियान)

  • Purpose: Free & open discussion on who will be a better representative and which party will form a better government 🗳️

  • Duration in India: 2 weeks between the final list of candidates and polling day 📅

  • Activities during campaign:

    • Candidates contact voters 📞

    • Political leaders address election meetings 🎤

    • Parties mobilise supporters 🙌

💡 Famous Slogans in Indian Elections:

  • “Save Democracy” 🛡️

  • “Land to the Tiller” 🌾

  • “Protect the Self-Respect of the Telugus” ✊

⚖️ Election Laws – Do’s & Don’ts:

  • No bribing or threatening voters ❌💵

  • No appeals based on caste or religion 🚫🕌

  • No use of government resources for campaigns 🚗✈️

  • Spending limits:

    • Lok Sabha: ₹25 lakh max 💰

    • Assembly: ₹10 lakh max 💰

  • Violation → Election can be rejected by court ⚖️

📜 Model Code of Conduct (MCC):

  • No places of worship for propaganda ⛪🚫

  • No use of government vehicles, aircraft, or officials 🚌✈️

  • Ministers cannot lay foundation stones, make big policy decisions, or promise public facilities once elections are announced 🏗️

🗳️ Polling and Counting of Votes (मतदान और मतगणना)

  • Election Day: Day when voters cast their vote 🗓️

  • Voting process:

    • Go to nearest polling booth 🏫

    • Election officials identify voter & mark her finger ✅

    • Vote cast in secret by the voter ✍️

    • Agent of each candidate sits inside booth to ensure fair voting 👀

  • Voting tools:

    • Earlier: Ballot Paper 📄

    • Now: Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) 💻

      • Shows candidate names & party symbols 🏷️

      • Press button to cast vote ✅

  • After polling:

    • EVMs sealed & stored securely 🔒

    • Votes counted later 🧮

    • Candidate with highest votes is declared elected 🏆



📚 What Makes Elections in India Democratic? (भारत में लोकतांत्रिक चुनाव क्यों हैं?)

1️⃣ Independent Election Commission (स्वतंत्र चुनाव आयोग)

  • Elections in India are conducted by the Election Commission (EC) 🏛️

  • Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is appointed by the President of India 🇮🇳

  • Powers of EC include:

    • Decisions on all aspects of elections, from announcement to declaration of results 🗳️

    • Implement Code of Conduct & punish violators ⚖️

    • Direct the government to follow guidelines during elections to prevent misuse of power 🚫

    • Government officers on election duty report to EC, not to government 🛑

2️⃣ Popular Participation (जनभागीदारी)

  • Quality of elections measured by voter turnout 📊

  • In India, poor, illiterate, and underprivileged people vote in larger proportion than rich/privileged 🌾👩‍🏫💼

  • Common people feel elections allow them to pressurize political parties for favorable policies ✊

  • Interest in elections has been increasing over the years 📈

3️⃣ Acceptance of Election Outcome (चुनाव परिणाम की स्वीकृति)

  • Ruling parties routinely lose elections at both national and state levels 🔄

  • About half of sitting MPs or MLAs lose their seats each time 💺❌

  • Candidates who buy votes or have criminal connections often lose elections ⚠️

  • Electoral outcomes are usually accepted as people’s verdict by the defeated party ✅

⚠️ Challenges to Free & Fair Elections (चुनाव की चुनौतियाँ)

  • Candidates with lots of money enjoy unfair advantage 💰

  • Candidates with criminal connections push others out and secure party tickets 🕵️‍♂️

  • Tickets distributed to relatives within families 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

  • Major parties often similar, giving little choice to voters 🤷‍♂️

  • Smaller parties & independents face huge disadvantages compared to bigger parties 📉
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