Tag: election and democracy

Many political parties participate in the elections to secure power. If they get the majority they form a government. Many a time no party gets the required majority to form the government. Such a situation is called Hung Parliament or Hung Assembly. In such a situation some of the political parties join together and make alliances to get the required majority to form the government.

The state is divided into small electoral divisions for the purpose of elections. These electoral divisions are called constituencies. Constituencies are formed on the basis of population. Constituencies are of two types. One is Lok Sabha Constituency and the other is Assembly Constituency. The members elected from Lok Sabha constituencies become the members of Lok Sabha. They are called Members of Parliament or MPs. Similarly, the members elected from Assembly Constituencies become the Members of State Legislative Assemblies and they are called Members of Legislative Assembly or MLAs.

The superintendent, direction and control of the preparation of electoral roles for and conduct of, all elections to the Gram Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat are vested in the State Election Commission consisting of a State Election Commissioner. The State Election Commissioner is appointed by the Governor of the state.

Lok Sabha comprises 543 members who are elected from the (parliamentary) constituencies and two members of the Anglo-Indian community who are nominated by the President of India. Unlike Rajya Sabha, the citizens of India directly elect the 543 members of Lok Sabha. All the Indian citizens, who are aged 18 years and above, irrespective of their gender, caste, religion or race, are eligible to vote to elect their representatives to the Parliament. Thus, the Lok Sabha is called the Lower House of the Parliament of India whereas the Rajya Sabha is called the Upper House.

The election campaign starts after the announcement of the final list of the candidates. The campaign must end forty-eight hours before the closure of election. The law states that any person who breaks this provision shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine, or with both.

The President appoints the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. They have a tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. They enjoy the same status and receive salary and perks as available to Judges of the Supreme Court of India. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through impeachment by Parliament.

Counting of votes has become easier and quicker with the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are replacing the ballot papers nowadays. The voters record their votes through EVMs. It enables the voter to cast his or her vote by pressing a button on the Balloting Unit against the candidate and symbol of his choice. Thus, it results in huge savings by way of cost of paper, printing, transportation, storage and distribution.

The power of superintendence, direction, and control of all elections to the local government bodies vest with the State Election Commissions as envisaged in Article 243K of the Constitution of India. The Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, passed in 1992 by the Narasimha Rao government, came into force on April 24, 1993. It was meant to provide constitutional sanction to establish democracy at the grassroots level as it is at the state level or national level. The State Election Commissioner has several unique powers pertaining to the elections to Local Bodies. The SEC chairs the Delimitation Commission which delimits local government constituencies and has full powers to conduct local government elections, including disciplinary powers over staff that is on election duty.

Election Commission is a constitutional body responsible for conducting free and fair elections to various posts in the country. The headquarters of Election Commission is situated in New Delhi. It operates under the authority of Constitution per Article 324 and subsequently enacted Representation of the People Act.