Electoral Politics in India

• Why elections are central to democracy.
• How elections work in India — constituency system, voting, counting.
• Election Commission of India — independent body that conducts elections.
• Political parties and their role.
• Model Code of Conduct.
• Challenges to free and fair elections.

Why elections?

In a large democracy, citizens cannot directly make every decision — they elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf (representative democracy).

Elections allow people to:

• Choose their government.
• Hold rulers accountable (throw them out if they perform badly).
• Express preferences on policies.

India's electoral system

First-Past-the-Post (FPTP):

• India divided into constituencies (Lok Sabha: 543; each elects 1 MP).
• Candidate with most votes wins — even without majority (e.g., can win with 30% if others split votes).
• Simple but may not reflect overall preference of majority.

Voting process

Booth capturing = illegal; punishable.

Election Commission of India (ECI)

• Constitutional body — Article 324.
• Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) + two Election Commissioners.
• CEC can only be removed like a Supreme Court judge (very secure tenure).
• Powers: announces election schedule, enforces Model Code, can transfer officers, cancel elections if malpractice.

Model Code of Conduct

• Set of guidelines for parties and candidates once elections are announced.
• Government cannot: announce new schemes, transfer key officials, use government resources for campaigning.
• Parties cannot: use communal/caste appeals, bribe voters, use government vehicles.
• Enforced by ECI.

Political parties

• Groups of people who share political views; contest elections together.
• National parties (recognised by ECI): must win 6%+ votes in 4+ states (e.g., BJP, INC, BSP, CPI-M).
• State parties: recognised in specific states (e.g., DMK in TN, TMC in WB).
• Role: contest elections, form government, provide opposition, aggregate public opinion.

Challenges

Reforms

• EVMs reduced booth capturing.
• NOTA (None of the Above) — option since 2013.
• Paid News ban.
• Candidate must declare criminal record and assets.

• What is the First-Past-the-Post system? What is its main drawback?
• What is the Election Commission of India? How is the CEC's independence protected?
• What is the Model Code of Conduct? Give two things it prohibits.
• What is NOTA? When was it introduced?
• Name two challenges to free and fair elections in India.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Electoral Politics.