Class 9 Civics


Electoral Politics

Elections are integral to democracy because we can elect our representative through elections and consequently a government is formed. Elections are no less than festivals in India.

In this lesson, you will learn about the need of elections. You will also learn about electoral process in India in which you will learn about electoral constituency, election commission, voter ID card and counting of votes. At the end of the lesson, you will understand the factors which make elections in India democratic and largely free and fair.

Need for Elections

Election gives following facilities to voters:

Features of a democratic election:

Every adult citizen should be able to choose. This means that every adult citizen should have one vote and each vote shall carry equal weight.

Elections should offer choices to the people. There should be various political parties and candidates to choose from.

The choice of selecting the rulers should be offered at regular intervals. In India, elections are normally held after every five years.

The most preferred candidate should get elected. In India, we follow the first past the post system, i.e. the candidate who secures the maximum number of valid votes is declared a winner.

Elections should be held in free and fair manner and people should be in a position to cast their votes without fear or favour.

Political Competition

People often complain that political competition is not good for the society as it tends to breed unhealthy attitude and corruption. Politicians try to win an election by hook or crook. But we should look at the positives also. There are many examples of a powerful politician getting defeated in an election. Many politicians lose elections in spite of putting all the money and muscle power at his disposal. Since politicians have a fear of losing the election so they have no other way but to work for people's welfare. Chances of winning in an election also work as motivational factor for a politician. Bay and large, elections are fair in India and political competition plays an important role in making it fair.