Electoral Politics Class 9 Civics NCERT Solutions & Notes

Ans:
(a) Elections enable people to judge the performance of the government. (True)
(b) People select the representative of their choice in an election. (True)
(c) Elections enable people to evaluate the performance of the judiciary. (False) - Judiciary is independent and not evaluated through elections.
(d) People can indicate which policies they prefer. (True)

Ans: Yes, Indian elections are democratic. Our system includes dividing the country into electoral constituencies, preparing an accurate Voters' List, allowing free nomination of candidates, running an open election campaign, and finally, polling and counting votes under the supervision of an independent and powerful Election Commission.

Ans: The minimum conditions for a democratic election are:
1. Everyone should be able to choose. (One person, one vote, one value).
2. There should be something to choose from. Parties and candidates should be free to contest.
3. The choice should be offered at regular intervals (elections must be held regularly).
4. The candidate preferred by the people should get elected.
5. Elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner.

Ans: The major challenges include:
1. Candidates and parties with a lot of money may not be sure of their victory but they enjoy a big and unfair advantage over smaller parties.
2. Candidates with criminal connections push others out of the electoral race and secure a 'ticket' from major parties.
3. Some families tend to dominate political parties; tickets are distributed to relatives from these families (Dynasty politics).
4. Elections often offer little choice to ordinary citizens, as major parties are quite similar in policies.

Ans: Elections are essential because in any large community, it is impossible for all people to sit together every day and take all decisions. Elections allow citizens to choose who will make laws for them, who will form the government, and whose policies will guide the government.

Ans: For the purpose of elections, the entire country is divided into different geographical areas. These areas are called electoral constituencies. For the Lok Sabha (Parliament) elections, India is currently divided into 543 constituencies.

Ans: A reserved constituency is an area where only someone who belongs to a Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) can stand for election. The makers of our Constitution introduced this system to ensure that weaker sections get fair representation in the parliament and are not pushed out by powerful and resourceful candidates.

Ans: Universal Adult Franchise means that all citizens aged 18 years and above have the right to vote in an election, regardless of their caste, religion, gender, or educational qualification. Every vote has equal value.

Ans: The list of people who are officially eligible to vote in a particular constituency is called the Voters' List or Electoral Roll. It is prepared and updated by the Election Commission of India before every election.

Ans: In India, the minimum age required to vote is 18 years. However, to contest an election and become a candidate (for Lok Sabha or State Assembly), the minimum age is 25 years.

Ans: It is a period when candidates try to persuade voters to vote for them through speeches, rallies, and advertisements. Examples of historical slogans include "Garibi Hatao" (Remove poverty) by the Congress party in 1971, and "Save Democracy" by the Janata Party in 1977.

Ans: The Model Code of Conduct is a set of rules agreed upon by all political parties. According to this, no party or candidate can use places of worship for election propaganda, use government vehicles or officials for campaigns, or announce major policy decisions once elections are announced.

Ans: EVM stands for Electronic Voting Machine. Instead of ballot papers, voters now press a button against the name and symbol of the candidate they wish to vote for. It has made voting faster, counting more accurate, and has largely eliminated the problem of invalid votes.

Ans: Elections in India are conducted by an independent and very powerful body called the Election Commission (EC). Yes, it enjoys the same kind of independence as the Judiciary. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is appointed by the President, but cannot be easily removed by the government.

Ans: 1. EC takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections from announcement to the declaration of results.
2. It implements the Model Code of Conduct and punishes any candidate or party that violates it.
3. During the election period, the EC can order the government to follow guidelines to prevent the use and misuse of governmental power for winning elections.

Ans: In India, the voter turnout (percentage of eligible voters who actually cast their vote) has either remained stable or actually gone up. Furthermore, unlike western democracies, the poor, illiterate, and underprivileged people vote in larger proportion than the rich, showing strong faith in the democratic process.

Ans: In India, ruling parties routinely lose elections both at the national and state levels. Candidates who are known to have spent a lot of money or those with criminal backgrounds often lose. Except for a few disputed constituencies, the electoral outcomes are usually accepted as the "people’s verdict" by the defeated party.

Ans: EPIC stands for Election Photo Identity Card (Voter ID Card). The government issues it to eligible voters so that no one can vote in someone else's name. However, it is not yet strictly compulsory for voting; voters can show other proofs of identity like an Aadhar card, Ration card, or Driving License.

Ans: A General Election is held in all constituencies at the same time, either on the same day or within a few days, after the five-year term of the Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha ends. A By-election is held in only one constituency to fill a vacancy caused by the death or resignation of a member.