electoral politics

• Minimum conditions of a democratic election:

  • Everyone should be able to choose, meaning everyone should have one vote and every vote should have equal value
  • Parties and candidates should be free to contest elections and offer some real choice to the voters
  • The choice should be offered at regular intervals, with elections held regularly after every few years
  • The candidate preferred by the people should get elected
  • Elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner where people can choose as they really wish
• These conditions are not fulfilled in many countries
• In this chapter, the conditions of a democratic election will be applied to the elections held in the student's own country to determine if they can be considered democratic
• Unfair practices in elections are often reported in newspapers and television, including:

  • Inclusion of false names and exclusion of genuine names in the voters' list
  • Misuse of government facilities and officials by the ruling party
  • Excessive use of money by rich candidates and big parties
  • Intimidation of voters and rigging on the polling day
• Many of these reports are correct and can make people feel unhappy
• However, these unfair practices are not on such a large scale that they defeat the purpose of elections
• A key question to consider is whether a party can win an election and come to power not because of popular support but through electoral malpractices
• One way to check if elections are fair is to look at who conducts them
• Are they independent of the government?
• Can the government or ruling party influence or pressure them?
• Do they have enough powers to conduct free and fair elections?
• In our country, elections are conducted by an independent and powerful Election Commission (EC)
• The EC enjoys the same independence as the judiciary
• The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is appointed by the President of India
• Once appointed, the CEC is not answerable to the President or the government
• It is virtually impossible for the ruling party or government to remove the CEC
• The Election Commission of India has wide-ranging powers
• The Election Commission of India takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections
• From the announcement of elections to the declaration of results
• It implements the Code of Conduct and punishes any candidate or party that violates it
• During the election period, the EC can order the government to follow guidelines to prevent misuse of power
• The EC can also transfer government officials during elections
• Government officers work under the control of the EC and not the government when on election duty
• Elections in India are generally considered free and fair
• The party that wins an election and forms government does so because people have chosen it over its rivals
• A few candidates may win purely on the basis of money power and unfair means, but the overall verdict of a general election still reflects popular preference
• There have been very few exceptions to this rule in the last 60 years in India
• Indian elections are considered democratic due to the popular preference reflected in the overall verdict of general elections
• Challenges in Indian elections:

  • Candidates and parties with a lot of money have an unfair advantage over smaller parties and independents
  • Candidates with criminal connections in some parts of the country can push others out of the electoral race and secure a 'ticket' from major parties
  • Some families dominate political parties, distributing tickets to relatives
  • Major parties in India often have similar policies and practices, offering little choice to ordinary citizens
  • Smaller parties and independent candidates face a huge disadvantage compared to bigger parties
• Deeper issues in Indian elections:

  • People's preferences may not be based on real knowledge
  • Voters may not have a real choice
  • Elections may not be a level playing field for everyone
  • Ordinary citizens may find it challenging to win elections
• Reforms demanded for the electoral system:

  • Citizens, social activists, and organizations have been demanding reforms in the electoral system
• Actions for ordinary citizens to face election challenges:

  • Demand reforms in the electoral system
  • Get involved in social activism and organizations advocating for electoral reforms
• The outcome of elections reflects the free and fairness of the election process
• If elections are not free or fair, the outcome tends to favor the powerful
• Ruling parties typically do not lose elections in situations where elections are not free or fair
• In India, ruling parties routinely lose elections at both the national and state level
• In the last 25 years, in two out of three elections held, the ruling party in India lost
• In the US, incumbent or 'sitting' elected representatives rarely lose elections
• In India, about half of the sitting MPs or MLAs lose elections
• Candidates who spend a lot of money on 'buying votes' and those with known criminal connections often lose elections