CLASS: IX

DEMOCRATIC POLITICS
ELECTORAL POLITICS: PART I
Saudamini Dei

ELECTION A mechanism by which people can choose their representatives at regular

intervals and change if they want to do so.

1 WHY DO WE NEED ELECTION?

In an election, voters make many choices.
ˆ Voters can choose who will make laws for them.

ˆ They can choose who will form the government and take all major decisions.

ˆ They can choose the party whose policies will guide the government and law making.

2 WHAT MAKES AN ELECTION DEMOCRATIC?

ˆ Every adult citizen should be able to choose. That means every voter should have one
vote and every vote should have equal value.

ˆ Parties and candidates should be free to contest elections and should offer some real
choice to the voters.

ˆ The choice to vote should be given to the voters at regular intervals. Elections must
be held regularly after every few years.

ˆ Candidates preferred by the people should get elected.

ˆ Elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner where people can choose as
they really wish.

3 IS IT GOOD TO HAVE POLITICAL COMPETI-

TION?
ˆ Political Competition may lead to disruption of unity and division of society into fac-
tions.

ˆ It also leads to the use of illegal means in order to secure votes.

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 ˆ The competitors indulge in mud-slinging in order to tarnish each other’s reputation.

ˆ The focus of Parties Shifts from creating effective policies to winning election.

ˆ Constitution makers were aware of these problems, yet they offered for free competition
in elections to select our leaders.

ˆ Political leaders all over the world are motivated by a desire to advance their Political
careers. They want to remain in power.

ˆ It is necessary to develop a system where political leaders are rewarded for serving the
people and punished for not doing so.

ˆ Regular electoral competition provides incentives to political parties and leaders. If

they raise issues that people want to be raised, their popularity and chances of victory
will increase in next elections.

ˆ If the political leaders fail to satisfy the voters with their work, they will not be able
to win again. If a political party is motivated by the desire to be in power, it will be
forced to serve people.

4 ELECTORAL CONSTITUENCIES
ˆ Voters in a geographical area who elect a representative to legislative bodies.

ˆ For Lok Sabha elections, the country is divided into 543 Constituencies. The represen-
tative elected from each constituency is called a member of parliament or MP.

ˆ There are 147 electoral constituencies in Odisha. Each elected representative from a
constituency is called Member of Legislative Assembly or an MLA.