Electoral Politics
Reserved Constituencies
Some constituencies are reserved for people who belong to the
Scheduled Castes [SC] and Scheduled Tribes [ST].
In the Lok Sabha, 84 seats are reserved for the SC and 47 for the ST.
In SC reserved constituency, only someone who belongs to the
Scheduled Caste can stand for election.
Only those belonging to the Scheduled Tribes can contest an
election from a constituency reserved for ST.
In many states, seats in rural (panchayat) and urban (municipalities and
corporations) local bodies are now reserved for Other Backward Classes
(OBC) and women candidates as well.
Voters’ List
In a democratic election, the list of those who are eligible to vote is
prepared much before the election and given to everyone, which is
officially called the Electoral Roll and is commonly known as
the Voters’ List.
It is the responsibility of the government to get the names of all the
eligible voters put on the voters’ list.
The voters are required to carry Election Photo Identity Card [EPIC]
when they go out to vote, so that no one can vote for someone else.
But the card is not yet compulsory for voting as voters can show many
other proofs of identity, like the ration card or the driving license.
Nomination of Candidates
Anyone who can be a voter can also become a candidate in elections.
The candidate should be a minimum of 25 years age.
Every person who wishes to contest an election has to fill out a
‘nomination form’ and give some money as ‘security deposit’.
The candidate has to make a legal declaration, giving full details of:
1. Serious criminal cases pending against the candidate
2. Details of the assets and liabilities of the candidate and his or her
family
3. Educational qualifications of the candidate
This information is made available to the public so that voters can make
their decision on the basis of the information provided by the candidates.
Election Campaign
The election campaigns are conducted to have a free and open
discussion about who is a better representative and in turn, which party
will make a better government.
In India, Election Campaigns take place for a two-week period between
the announcement of the final list of candidates and the date of polling.
During this period the candidates contact their voters, political leaders
address election meetings and political parties mobilise their supporters.
Some of the successful slogans given by different political parties in
various elections:
Save Democracy
Land to the Tiller
Protect the Self-Respect of the Telugus
According to India’s election law, no party or candidate can:
1. Bribe or threaten voters
2. Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion
3. Use government resources for election campaign
4. Spend more than 25 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha
election or 10 lakh in a constituency in an Assembly election
If any Political Party does so, their election can be rejected by the court.
In addition to the laws, all the political parties in our country have
agreed to a Model Code of Conduct for election campaigns.
According to this, no party or candidate can:
Use any place of worship for election propaganda;
Use government vehicles, aircraft and officials for elections
Once elections are announced, Ministers shall not lay foundation
stones of any projects, take any big policy decisions or make any
promises of providing public facilities
Polling and Counting of Votes
The day when the voters cast or ‘poll’ their vote is called the election
day. The voting is done in the following manner.
1. Every person whose name is on the voters’ list can go to a nearby
‘polling booth’.
2. Once the voter goes inside the booth, the election officials identify
her, put a mark on her finger and allow her to cast her vote.
3. An agent of each candidate is allowed to sit inside the polling
booth and ensure that the voting takes place in a fair way
A ballot paper is a sheet of paper on which the names of the contesting
candidates along with party names and symbols are listed.
The ballot paper was used earlier. Nowadays, electronic voting
machines (EVM) are used to record votes.
The machine shows the names of the candidates and the party
symbols.
The voter has to just press the button against the name of the
candidate she wants to give her vote to.
Once the polling is over, all the EVMs are sealed and taken to a
secure place.
A few days later, all the EVMs are opened and the votes secured
by each candidate are counted.
The candidate who secures the highest number of votes from a
constituency is declared elected.