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1 1
ELECTION COMMISSION
Unit Structure
1.0 Objective
1.1 Introduction
1.2 History of the Election of India
1.3 Formation of the Election of India
1.4 Role of the Eci
1.5 Functions of Election Commission
1.6 Importance of Election Commission for India
1.7 Conclusion
1.0 OBJECTIVE
The aim of this chapter to develop understanding of the Election
Commission of the India. In the end of the chapter you will able to find out
these are questions.
• Role of the Election commission
• What is a power of an election commission?
• How its ensuring free and fair election?
• How its maintain Law, Order and Security?
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Election commission is the one of the permanent body of the India
constitution. This is the autonomous and quasi -judicial constitutional body
under the Article 324 in part 15 of the constitution. This commission is the
grand body and vested in powers of supervision, control and direction over
all factors of electoral gover nance in the country.
In 1950 it was established with the primary goal of managing and
controlling and responsible for conducting free and fair
elections of parliament, state legislature, the office of president of India and
the office of vice -president of India.
1.2 HISTORY OF THE ELECT ION OF INDIA
If you understand any topic, you should know the background or its history
of the topic. History clear the picture of the topic. So look at the historical
background of the ECI. General elections were held in In dia between 25
October 1951 and 21 February 1952. They were the first elections to the
Lok Sabha after independence in August 1947. It was conducted under the munotes.in
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2 Electoral Politics in India
2 provisions of the Indian Constitution, which was adopted on 26 November
1949 by the Election Comm ission of India. It was established under Article
324 of the Indian constitution. Here the timeline of ECI, In 1989, the
election commission was a single -member body consisting of only the Chief
Election Commissioner when two more election commissioners we re
appointed functioning as a multi -member body. Then again between 1990
and 1993 the election commission was a single -member body. The ECI had
released the Model Code of Conduct for the first time in 1971, at the time
of the fifth general elections in India. Since then the MCC has been revised
several times to lay the guidelines as to how political parties and leaders
should behave and conduct themselves ahead of the elections.
1.3 FORMATION OF THE ELE CTION OF INDIA
The commission is assisted by deputy election commissioners and at the
state level assisted by the chief electoral officer appointed by the
commission with tenure system .
It further states that when any other Election Commissioner is so appointed
the Chief Election Commissioner shall act as the Chairman of the Election
Commission. The CEC cannot be removed from the office except under the
orders of the President and any other Election Commissioner or a Regional
Commissioner shall not be removed from office except on the
recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner. Presently the
structure body of the ECI .
Fig 1
Chief Election Commissioner
Election Commissioners Election
Commissioners
Check your Progress Exercise 1
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer.
1. What is the history of EC?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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2. Who elects t he members of the election commission?
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_____________________________________ _______________________
____________________________________________________________
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3 Election Commission 1.4 ROLE OF THE ELECTION OF INDIA
• Role of Administrative
• Role of Quasi -Judicial
• Role of Advisory
Article 324 is the only article whose tell the role, function and direction of
the EC. Under this article 324 its composition and protect the right of
independent and equitable or honest working of the ECI
Article 324
Role of administrative
Superintendence Direction control of the preparation conduct
of elections vest of the electoral chart
Role of Administrative
This role is very importance because in this role EC have to Specifying
territorial areas of electoral constituencies based on the delimitation
commission act. It prepares and revise electoral chart whom are eligible and
whom are not and to register all eligible voters. It grants recognition to
political parties and allot election symbols to political parties. Notify the
dates and schedules of elections and investigate nomination papers.
Supervise machinery of elections EVM throughout the county to ensure free
and fair elections. It determines the Code of Conduct and cancels polls in
the e vent of booth capturing and other conspiracy.
Role of Quasi -Judicial
Role Under the quasi -judicial of the ECI has the power to settle disputes
related to recognition granted to political parties. It is entitled to act as a
court for matters relating to di sputes arising out of the election symbol to
political parties. It also has the power to disqualify a contender who failed
to lodge an account of his election expenses within a given time.
Role of Advisory
It advises the President and the Governor on matte rs relating to
disqualification of members of parliament and the state legislature. The
opinion of the commission in all such matters is binding. To Advise the
president whether the elections can be held in a state under the
President's rule to extend the period of emergency after one year.
The Commission is aided in its function by deputy election commissioners.
The deputy ECs are taken from the civil services and they are appointed by
the Commission. They have a fixed tenure. They are aided by the
secreta ries, deputy secretaries, joint secretaries and under -secretaries posted
in the commission’s secretariat. munotes.in
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4 Electoral Politics in India
4 Check your Progress Exercise 2
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer.
a. What are the role of the Election Commission in India?
________ ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
________________________ ____________________________________
1.5 FUNCTIONS OF ELE CTION COMMISSION
1. To direct and control the entire process of conducting elections to
Parliament and Legislature of every State and to the offices of
President and Vice -President of India.
2. To decide the election schedules for the conduct of periodic and
timely elections, whether general or bye -elections
3. To decide on the location of polling stations, assignment of voters to
the polling stations, location of counting centres, arrangements to b e
made in and around polling stations and counting centres and all allied
matters
4. To prepare electoral roll and issues Electronic Photo Identity Card
(EPIC)
5. To grant recognition to political parties & allot election symbols to
them along with settling disputes related to it
6. To sets limits of campaign expenditure per candidate to all the
political parties, and also monitors the same
7. To advise in the matter of post -election disqualification of sitting
members of Parliament and State Legisla tures.
8. To issue the Model Code of Conduct in the election for political
parties and candidates so that no one indulges in unfair practice or
there is no arbitrary abuse of powers by those in power.
1.6 IMPORTANCE OF EL ECTION COMMISSION FO R
INDIA
Since 1 954 the Election Commission has been playing vital role in the
national as well as state elections. it doing an active role to ensure the greater
participation of voters. If the political party failed to maintaining democracy
in the inner party, then the c ommission has made discipline among the
political parties with a threat of derecognizing. It helps the values ensured
within the Structure viz, balance, value, fair -mindedness, autonomy; and
run the show of law in superintendence, course, and control over the
constituent administration. ECI makes a difference in conducting decisions
with the most elevated standard of validity, reasonableness, munotes.in
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5 Election Commission straightforwardness, keenness, accountability, autonomy and polished skill.
Within the discretionary prepare, it gua rantees the support of all qualified
citizens in a comprehensive voter -centric and voter -friendly environment.
The Race Commission of India engages with political parties and all
partners within the intrigued of the appointive handle. It makes mindfulness
approximately the constituent handle and discretionary administration
among partners (political parties, voters, decision functionaries, candidates
and individuals at huge) to improve and fortify certainty and believe within
the constituent framework of th is nation.
Check your Progress Exercise 3
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer.
1. Explain the main importance and function of the ECI?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
________________ ____________________________________________
Check your Progress Exercise 4
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer.
1. What are the articles related to ECI?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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________________ ____________________________________________
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6 Electoral Politics in India
6 1.7 CONCLUSION
• Increased savagery and discretionary misbehaviors beneath impact of
cash have brought about in political criminalization, which ECI is
incapable to capture.
• Election Commission isn't satisfactoril y prepared to direct the
political parties. It has no control in implementing inner -party
majority rule government and direction of party accounts.
• ECI is getting to be lesser autonomous of the Official which has
affected its picture.
• Allegations of EVMs f ailing, getting hacked and not enlisting votes,
erodes the believe of the common masses in ECI
Reference
Laxmikanth, M. (2017). Indian polity for civil services examinations
Laxmikanth, M (2017). Indian Polity. McGraw Hill. p. 42.5
Shivadekar, Sanjeev (30 March 2015). "Now, photos of candidates on
EVMs to weed out 'dummies'
"Registration of political parties under section 29A of the Representation of
the People Act, 1951" (PDF). Election Commission of India. 23 March
1992. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2010. Retrieved 9
September 2017.
"Part XV of the Constitution of India - Elections - Article
324" (PDF). Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. Archived
from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2017
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7 2
ELECTORAL PROCESS
Unit Structure
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Representation of the people Act
2.2 Electoral Reforms: 61st Constitutional amendment
2.3 Proposals for reforms
2.4 Summary
2.5 Check your progress
2.6 Reference reading
2.0 INTRODUCTION: EL ECTORAL PROCESS
Government through election is privileged of every adult to choose its
representative in house of People. In Democracy, there are two most popular
forms of government - parliamentary and presidential. India adopted
parliamentary form of government because we believe in direct
representation in government. elections are held on the basis of universal
adult franchise, which means all Indians of 18 years of age and above have
the right to vote, irrespective of their caste, colour, religion, sex or place of
birth.
Election is a complex exercise. It involves schedules rules and machinery.
In these chapter deal with representation of the people act and reform in
electoral process. The Representation of Peoples act includes The House of
the People - Allocation of s eats in the House of the People, Filling of seats
in the House of the People and Parliamentary Constituencies. The State
Legislative Assemblies - Total number of seats in Legislative Assemblies
and Assembly Constituencies, Total number of seats in the Legi slative
Assembly of Sikkim and Assembly Constituencies. The Delimitation of
Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order - Consolidation of
delimitation orders, Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly
Constituencies in the States of Arunchal Pardesh, Assam, Manipur or
Nagaland, Power of Election Commission to maintain Delimitation Order
up-to-date. In addition to Electoral Reforms and Proposal for Reforms.
2.1 REPRESENTATION O F THE PEOPLE ACT
Background: The Constitution of India’s Article 324 to 329 of Part XV
provides provision of electoral System. The constitution confers upon the
parliament the power to enact laws for all matters connected with elections
to the parliament and the states legislature.
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8 Electoral Politics in India
8 The Representation of the People Act (RPA), 19 50 gives the clear idea
about Assembly constituency which means constituency provided for the
purpose of legislative assembly of State, similarly the Council Constituency
which means Legislative council of state and Parliamentary constituency
which means t he house of People. The Act also defines the role and Power
of Election Commission which appointed by President of India. There are
other provisions in the act which deals about the following objectives.
Allocations of Seats in the House of People and Legi slative Assembly: The
first schedule of act inherits the allocation of seats to the States in the House
of the People and the number of seats, if any, to be reserved for the
Scheduled Castes and for the Scheduled Tribes of each State. The seats
which are t o be filled in the house of People as allotted to the respective
states, shall be filled by persons chosen by direct election from
parliamentary constituencies in the States, those constituency shall be
Single -member constituency. Parliamentary seats to th e states are allotted
with respect to the population of the states. This act give power to Election
commission to increase or decrease the parliamentary seats allotted to
States, however the extent of all parliamentary constituencies except the
parliamenta ry constituencies in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland shall be as determined by the orders of
the Delimitation Commission made under the provisions of the Delimitation
Act, 2002 (33 of 2002) and the extent of the parl iamentary constituencies in
the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland
shall be as provided for in the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly
Constituencies Order, 2008 having regard to the provisions of sections 10A
and 10 B of the Delimitation Act, 2002.
The total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of each State
specified in the Second Schedule, to be filled by persons chosen by direct
election from Assembly Constituencies, and the number of seats, if any, to
be re served for the Scheduled Castes and for the Scheduled Tribes of the
State, shall be as shown in that Schedule:
For Example: The total number of seats allotted to the Legislative Assembly
of the State of Nagaland shall be 52. From which twelve seats are res erved
for Tuensang district and shall be filled by the person chosen by the
members of the regional council, amongst themselves in such a manner as
the Governor after consulting to the council may nominate. Remaining forty
seats shall be filled by the pers ons chosen by direct election from assembly
constituencies in the rest of the state.
2.2 ELECTORAL REFORM S: 61ST CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT
Election forms the mainstay of our Indian Democracy and most integral and
important part of politics in a democratic system of governance. True
democracy can function only when elections to the offices of power are held
in a free and fair manner. munotes.in
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9 Electoral Process Electoral reforms in India refer to the evolution and positive change in
election processes in order to promote greater democr acy, clean politics,
ideal members of legislative chambers, and equal representation, among
other things. Elections and electoral reforms are covered in Articles 324 -
329. Electoral reforms are essential to achieve goal of Egalitarian society.
Our democrati c setup bestows on us to elect the representatives of the State.
Besides, the elected people have the power to decide on the pinnacle of the
State. The Election Commission of India is the apex body that conducts
elections in India. Both the general and Sta te Elections are held as per the
principles prescribed by the Commission. This Commission consists of
high-ranking brass and is constituted in step with the provisions of the
Indian Constitution.
Reform means to improve by alteration, correction of error, or removal of
defects put into a better form or condition.
Some of the Electoral reforms that have occupied the Election Process
includes EVMs that’s, Electronic, a mechanical device which ends up in
additional transparency and creditability of elections, Universal Adult
Franchise started by 61st Amendment, 1988 which has lowered the age of
voters from 21 years to 18 years and Anti - Defection Law.
-Why do we need reform? How does reforming helps to evolve Democratic
process of election?
Let’s discuss by taking example
Historically, adult franchise has been slow in making itself a universal law.
In fact, one of the major demands in the long -drawn struggle for democracy
in the world has been the Acceptance of the principle of universal adu lt
franchise, as the basis of ascertaining the Wishes of people. Till the second
decade of the twentieth century, not all the countries Were practising
universal adult franchise. Many democratic systems had restricted to male
Franchise only, based on prope rty, education and other qualifications.
In India 61st Amendment Act, 1988 was introduced in the Lok Sabha as the
Constitution (62nd Amendment) Bill, 1988 on December 13, 1988, by B.
Shankaranand, the then -Minister of Water Resources. The bill attempted to
modify Article 326 of the Indian Constitution, which governs Lok Sabha
and Assemblies elections.
Article 326 of the Constitution provides that the elections to the House of
the People and to the Legislative Assembly of every State shall be based on
adult suffrage a person should not be less than 21 years of age.
Universal adult franchise (also known as universal suffrage, common
suffrage, and general suffrage of the common man) grants the right to vote
to all adult citizens, irrespective of their gender, race, social status, wealth,
political stance, or any such criteria, with a few exceptions.
The voting age varies from country to country. In Denmark and Japan, a
person, man or Woman, is entitled to vote after attaining the age of 25 years. munotes.in
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10 Electoral Politics in India
10 In Norway, the age limit is 23, in Great Britain, the United States, Russia
and Turkey it is 18. In Switzerland, it is 20 Years.
At present youths are literate and enlightened and the lowering of the voting
age would provide to the unrepresented youth of the country an opportunity
to give vent to their feelings and help them become a part of the political
process. The present -day youth are very much politically conscious. It is,
therefore, proposed to reduce the voting age from 21 years to 18 years.
Some o f the key facts about Indian Adult Suffrage and 61st constitutional
Amendment -
• About 52 lakh voters in India are 18 years old now, and they have a
significant role in the outcome of elections in the country.
• Elections to the Houses and State Legislative As semblies based on
universal adult suffrage are governed under Article 326 of the Indian
Constitution.
• On December 15, 1988, the lower house considered and passed it. The
bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on December 20th.
• The bill required the approval of more than half of the state
legislatures, which was properly gained.
• States which did not ratify: Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Nagaland,
Tamil Nadu, and Tripura.
• The bill received presidential assent on March 28, 1989. As a result,
the act came into effe ct on March 28, 1989, and any citizen who is
otherwise qualified could participate in India’s democratic processes
from the age of 18 onwards.
Elections are, in fact, the bedrock of democracy and express the sovereign
will of the people through the exercis e of their Free and equal vote. Here
we have learnt that universal adult franchise is foundation of Representative
democracy which states that each man and woman after attaining prescribed
age can vote to choose their own representative.
Lowering of the voting age provided to the unrepresented youth of the
country an opportunity to express their feelings and help them to become a
part of the political process. The present -day youth are very m uch politically
conscious. It was, therefore, proposed to reduce the voting age from 21
years to 18 years.
2.3 PROPOSALS FOR RE FORMS
India's democratic setup is a paradigm for many countries in the world due
to its remarkable success over the past six deca des. The heart of India's
democratic system witnesses regular elections with the participation of the
largest electorate in the world. In order to safeguard the core values of fair
and free elections in this dynamic scenario, it is important to have a just and
unbiased electoral process with a greater citizen participation. Therefore, to
ensure the Authenticity which comes from legislative process, the election munotes.in
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11 Electoral Process commission of India improved the process by introducing the reforms in the
Constitution of India.
Key Reforms Introduced are
Use of Common electoral roll: Like wife of husband in service gets special
voter enrolment, The Commission proposes to extend the facility of
registration in the native constituency under the said sub -section for the
husband of declared office holder (wife) and service voter also, provided
the husband is ordinarily residing with the female office holder/ service
voter at her place of posting. In order to simplify the procedure of
preparation of electoral rolls and to avoid unnece ssary expenditure, the
Election Commission regarding introduction of common electoral rolls for
Parliamentary, Assembly and local body elections.
Election Management: Making false Statement before authorities is
punishable offence, The Commission also prop osed that furnishing of false
affidavit or suspension of material information in the affidavit should also
be specified as ground for challenging the election under section 100 (1) of
The Representation of the People Act, 1951. Adjournment of poll or
count ermanding of election on the ground of bribery
Official and Logistics : To provide a ban on the transfer of officers referred
to in these sections during a period of 6 months before the expiry of the term
of the House. Section 159 of The Representation of the People Act, 1951
should be amended to empower the District Election Officer also, apart
from the Chief Election Officer to requisition of staff for election duties.
Nomination process: In case the provision needs to be retained, then there
is a need fo r an express provision in law requiring person who contests and
wins election from two seats, resulting in bye -elections from one of the two
constituencies to deposit in the government account an appropriate amount
of money being an expenditure for holding the bye -election.
De-criminalization of Politics : Persons with Criminal background,
accused of serious offences contesting election sends very negative signals
about our electoral process. Many of such persons facing charges of grave
nature end up winning election and entering our temple of democracy
name ly the Houses of Parliament and State Legislature which is highly
undesirable, and the issue needs to be addressed. Persons charged with
cognisable offences shall be de -barred from contesting in the elections, at
the stage when the charges are framed by th e competent court provided the
offence is punishable by imprisonment of at least 5 years, and the case is
led at least 6 months prior to the election in question.
The proposal was to initiate swift action against those persons who attempt
to misuse relig ious sentiments or making appeals to voters through the
mode of their piety by holding disguised religious rallies in places of
worship as political supplication, to strengthen the existing provisions in the
Codes of Conduct and other election related laws . The Commission
proposed that for giving effect to the recommendations in the Liberhan
Commission Report, the law should be amended as was proposed in the
Bills of 1990 and 1994 referred to above. munotes.in
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12 Electoral Politics in India
12 Political Parties : Many political parties get registered, but never contest
election. Such parties exist only on paper. The possibility of forming
political parties with an eye on availing the bene fit of income tax exemption
also cannot be ruled out. It would only be logical that the Commission
which has the power to register political parties is also empowered to de -
register in appropriate cases. The Election Commission of India should be
given powers to de -register a political party should be authorised to issue
necessary orders regulating registration and d e-registration of political
parties.
Provisions for exemption of Income Tax should be made applicable only to
political parties that contest elections and win seat(s) in the Parliament or
Legislative Assemblies.
2.4 SUMMARY
The Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950 gives the power to
election commission to conduct the free and fair elections in democracy.
The RPA also empowers the adult citizens to vote the representative. The
61st constitutional Amendment act brings electoral reform like Universal
adult suffrage at house and State legislature. It reduces the age criteria for
voting from 21 to 18 years, provision of two -third majority to pass certain
bills etc. The law commission have proposed some reforms to consolidate
the election process in smooth manner. There are provisions that empowers
election commission to condition the unlawful activities during or post -
election process.
2.5 CHECK YOUR PROGR ESS
1. What are the salient feature of The Representation of the People
Act?
2. Comment on, The 61st Constitutional Amendment on electoral roll?
3. Discuss the Recommendations of Law commissions of India, in a
view of Proposed reform by election commission.
4. Discuss the role of Election commission of India in Electoral
process.
2.6 REFERENCE READIN G
• 61st Constitutional amendment act
• Proposed Electoral Reform published by Election commission of
India
• Electoral System: Democracy, Laws & Issue by Prof. Rattan Singh
and Dr. Shruti Bedi
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13 3
HISTORY OF GENERAL E LECTIONS
Unit Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 First General Election: 1952
3.3 Phase of One -Party Dominance: General Elections - 1952, 1957,
1962
3.4 Decline and Resurgence of Congress: General Election – 1967,
1971, 1977, 1980, 1984
3.5 Coalition Politics Phase 1: 1989 -1999
3.6 Coalition Politics Phase 2: 1999 -2009
3.7 Rise of BJP as Dominant party: General Elections – 2014, 2019
3.8 References
3.0 OBJECTIVES
The aim of this unit is to familiarize you with the Electoral History of India
mainly focusing on parliamentary elections. It will explore the party system,
electoral system and verdicts of Indian voters. After studying this unit, you
shoul d be able to:
• Explain the working of Electoral System in India and Electoral
Politics in India since 1952
• Understand the party system and its changing nature in Indian
Politics.
3.1 INTRODUCTION: B ACKGROUND OF LOK SAB HA
ELECTIONS
A close look at the party politics today gives us an idea of the complex
nature of electoral politics. This party politics has evolved in the last seventy
years. Perhaps, we can trace its roots to the colonial era. The General
Election of 1920 was the firs t election conducted in modern India. Though,
at that time very few people were granted the right to vote. Those were
mainly on the basis of tax pay, land revenue and education etc. As many
Congress members had boycotted the election of 1920, it is the pro vincial
elections of 1937 which can be considered as an important phase in party
politics. This was the first major election held on a large scale. All major
political leaders participated in it. The Constitution of India was adopted in munotes.in
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14 Electoral Politics in India
14 November 1949. The Constitution enfranchised all citizens of India
irrespective of caste, gender, income, social status, place of birth, etc.
India became independent in 1947. Until the first general election, the
Constituent Assembly of India was functioning as the Indian Parliament.
The first Lok Sabha General elections were held in 1952. From being one
party dominance in the first two decades to the multi -party system, Electoral
history of India has taken so many trajectories. Till now, 17 Lok Sabha
elections have been he ld. From the first general election (1952) to the 17th
Lok Sabha election’s (2019) results have been given here.
3.2 FIRST GENERAL EL ECTION: 1952
After the constitution of India came into effect, first general elections were
expected to be conducted in 195 0 itself. But, as informed by the election
commission, the machinery to conduct elections was not ready. First general
elections were conducted between October 1951 to January 1952. It was a
big test for Indian democracy. We passed it despite poverty and i lliteracy.
Population of India was 36 crores, out of which, 17.32 crore population was
eligible to vote. Voter turnout was 45.7 percent.
In the first elections held in 1952, around 192 political parties participated.
From these huge numbers, it seems that a multi -party power struggle has
taken place in India since the very first election. In this election, the
Congress party won 364 seats out of 489 securing 45% of the total votes.
With 45 percent of votes, Congress was able to win 74 percent of seats.
Thus , victory of the Congress was artificially boosted by the electoral
method of First Past the Post (FPTP).
State assemblies’ elections were also held simultaneously with Lok Sabha
elections. Congress became the victorious party at the centre as well as at
all states. Nehru became the first prime minister of the country. Congress
party was carrying the legacy of nationalist struggle, this was the main
reason behind its extraordinary success in the first general elections. No
other political party was able to match with the Congress. Among the
opposition parties, Communist Party won 16 seats. Socialist Party (12),
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party (9), Bharatiya Jana Sangh (3) and Schedule
Caste Federation (2) were the other opposition parties securing a few seats
and voting percentage.
The first general elections i.e., test of electoral democracy was passed by
India. These elections were meant to enhance peoples’ faith in the
constitution and democracy.
3.3 PHASE OF ONE -PARTY DOMINANCE: 1952 - 1967
People of India fa voured the Congress party in the first general election.
The Congress party was expected to win being an inheritor of the freedom
struggle. munotes.in
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15 History of General Elections Factors behind the success of the Congress in the general election of 1952:
• Legacy of nationalist struggle
• Popular, democratic leaders
• Strong organizational network from national to local level
• Inclusive party, accommodating diverse social, ideological groups
According to Rajni Kothari, one -party dominance in India seems to have
taken root since the first general election. One party, Congress, emerged as
a dominant party in the general election of 1952. Congress party maintained
this dominant position also in the general elections of 1957, 1962.
While explaining how the Congress party differed from the other domina nt
political parties in other nations, Rajni Kothari used the term ‘Congress
System’ for predominance of the Congress. According to him, The
Congress party in the earlier era after independence was a big social and
ideological coalition accommodating vario us fractions. Those factions or
groups have had contradictory interests like peasants, industrialists,
workers, urban middle class, villagers, upper castes and lower castes. These
factions used to influence, criticise, and pressurise the Congress. Thus,
acted as an opposition. Hence, in the first decade after independence, the
Congress acted both as a ruling party as well as the opposition. This is
termed as the Congress System.
1957 General Election:
The second general election held in the year of 1957. Th e number of
participant political parties decreased. The Congress party increased its
seats and votes percentage. It became the largest party taking 371 of the 494
seats. Communist Party became the largest opposition among other parties
with 27 seats. Stil l too much behind the ruling party. Congress won at all
states except Kerala where communist party (CPI) became largest party. For
the first time in the world party with communist ideology formed the
democratic government.
1962 General Election:
In the thi rd general election of 1962, The Congress maintained its
dominance by winning 361 out of 494 seats. The party's vote -share was 44.7
per cent. Communist Party became the second largest party by winning 29
seats. In some states, the Congress was being challe nged by new political
parties. Communist party had set foot in West Bengal, Kerala and Andhra
Pradesh. While the Swatantra Party emerged as the main opposition party
in Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Jan Sangh had done well in Punjab
and Uttar Prade sh. munotes.in
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16 Electoral Politics in India
16 Check Your Progress Exercise 1
Note: (1) Use the space given below for your answer.
1) What is Congress System? Explain dominance of the Congress
party in the first three general elections.
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3.4 DECLINE AND RESU RGENCE OF CONGRESS:
1967 General Election:
The fourth general election was held in 1967. Background of these elections
was very cri tical for the nation. Decade of the 1960s was labelled as the
dangerous decade. India lost two prime ministers in quick succession during
this time. Nehru passed away in May 1964, his successor Lal Bahadur
Shastri died in January 1966. Invasion of China (1 962) and Pakistan (1965)
Two severe droughts and inflation were the national issues in this period.
After Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri became India’s second Prime Minister in
1964. After the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri Congress faced the internal
competitio n for leadership between Indira Gandhi and Morarji Desai. Party
resolved this with internal secret voting and supported Indira Gandhi for
Prime Ministership.
The Congress continued with victory in the elections of 1967, although
reduced the seat share. The party won 283 out of 520 seats (less by 83 seats
compared to 1962). Indira Gandhi became the prime minister. The
Swatantra Party was the second largest party with 44 seats. The Congress
ended up losing the election in seven states. In two other states Con gress
became unable to form a government. In Madras state Dravid Munnetra
Kazhagam (DMK) formed a government with a clear majority. First time
any non -Congress party secured a majority in the state assembly. This era
was the development of non -Congressism in electoral politics.
During this term the Congress party faced a split within the party. The
Congress Party divided into the two groups of Indira Congress and
Syndicate Congress, later named as Congress (R - Requisitionists) and
Congress (O - Organizatio nal) respectively.
1971 General Election:
This general election is the first Interim elections in India. 5th Lok Sabha
elections were supposed to be conducted in 1972. Increased defections
made the government in many states unstable. Presidential rule was
imposed in the states of Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West munotes.in
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17 History of General Elections Bengal. Six state legislative assemblies’ elections happened before
completion of the five years term. From this election the Lok Sabha and the
state assembly elections began to be he ld separately. Four general elections
from 1951 to 1967 for the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies were held
together. Due to the mid -term elections of 1971, the era of simultaneous
elections ended.
The Congress won 352 out of 518 seats and formed its fift h successive
government at the Centre. The party's vote share was 43.7 per cent. The
CPI(M) was the second party with 29 seats. The Congress(O) won just 16
seats. Indira Gandhi became the prime minister for the third term. Congress
(O) formed a pre -poll al liance with Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP), Praja
Socialist Party (PSP), the Swatantra Party, Bharatiya Jana Sangh BJS and
several other regional parties with the slogan of ‘Indira Hatao’. Indira
Gandhi's launched a campaign with the slogan of Garibi Hatao . Through
this campaign She tried to generate her support base among poor and lower
strata of society.
1977 General Election:
This was a historic election which saw the first non -Congress government
at the centre. The Janata Party experiment did bring an alternative to the
rule of single party majority of 30 years. National Emergency had played a
major role in the defeat of Congress and Indira Gandhi. Janata party, i.e.,
alliance won 345 out of 542 seats. Congress Vote share was reduced to
below 35 percent and it was able to secure only 154 seats. Morarji Desai
became the first non - Congress prime minister. Two major leaders from
Congress. Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi lost their seats.
Janata Party was amalgamation of different political parties and groups that
were in the opposition to the Congress. Bharatiya Kranti Dal, Samajwadi
Party, Bharatiya Jan Sangh and Indian National Congress (O). Leaders from
the opposition came together to defeat Indira Gandhi on the backdrop of
emergency protest. Nev ertheless, there were implicit ideological
differences among the political groups consisting of the Janata Party. The
Janata government was soon hit by internal rift and could not complete a
five years term. This had led to another general election in the year 1980.
1980 General Election:
This election again witnessed the resurgence of the Congress party. The
Janata experiment collapsed within 2 -3 years. Congress under the
leadership of India Gandhi did rise with new strength. Congress won 353
seats out of 542. Indira Gandhi returned as the prime minister for the fourth
time. The Ascendancy of Congress in the 1980s is linked with growing
influence of religion in politics. Khalistan movement, Assam agitation over
Bangladeshi migrants, issue over Meenakshipura m conversion and all such
incidents were signals of communal politics. This trend became more open
in the late 1980s and 1990s. munotes.in
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18 Electoral Politics in India
18 1984 General Election:
In the election of 1984 people massively supported the Congress party. The
Congress party won the histori cally highest 404 seats securing 49.10
percent of votes. Party received such huge support on the backdrop of
assassination of Indira Gandhi. Those votes are called sympathy votes.
Telugu Desam Party led by N T Rama Rao was the second largest party in
parliament with 30 seats. This was the first time some regional political
party became an opposition party in parliament. Rajiv Gandhi became
Prime Minister at the youngest age of 40. His government had faced many
issues in five years. The Bofor scam was the ma in issue behind its decline
in the election of 1989.
Check Your Progress Exercise 2
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.
1) Explain the decline of Congress as predominant party
____________________________________________________________
____ ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Check Your Progress Exercise 3
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.
1) Elaborate the Janata party experiment
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_______________________________ _____________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
3.5 COALITION POLITI CS PHASE 1 (1989 -1999)
1989 General Election:
Congress fell down from 404 votes to 197 seats in the election. Janata Dal
led by V P Singh became the second largest party securing 143 seats.
Bharatiya Janata Party received big success with the increase in the number
of seats from 2 seats in 1984 to 85 seats in 1989. Congress was not able to
form the government due to lack of majority. V P Singh, leader of Janta
party was invited by the president to form the government. BJP and CPI
(M) gave their support to the V P Singh government from the outside.
The V P Singh government took a historic decision to implement the
prolonged Mandal Commission report. It was regarding reservations to the
backward castes (OBCs) in jobs. This decision had major political munotes.in
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19 History of General Elections implications. BJP saw it as a p otential divide between Hindus into upper
and lower castes. In order to secure Hindu vote banks and countering
Mandal discourse, BJP launched the famous Rath -Yatra from Somnath to
Ayodhya. They planned to start construction of Ram Mandir. Rath -Yatra
ended after the arrest of Advani. BJP withdrew its support from the V P
Singh government. Later, Chandrashekhar with the outside support from
Congress formed the government. But it could survive only for months.
1991 General Election:
This election had the back ground of Mandal -Mandir politics. Rajiv Gandhi
was assassinated while campaigning for election.
No party was able to secure a majority in the elections of 10th Lok Sabha.
Congress won 232 seats. BJP was able to increase its seats from 85 to 120.
Congress f ormed a minority government with the support of other parties.
P V Narasimha Rao became prime minister. His term is identified with the
era of beginning of open market economy i.e., Liberalisation, Privatisation
and Globalisation (LPG).
1996 General Electi on:
This election was held on the backdrop of growing communalism in
politics. Mobs supported by Hindu communal groups demolished the Babri
Masjid in 1992.
Elections resulted in a hung parliament with no single party having a clear
majority. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of BJP formed the government. But
it could live only for 13 days. These years (1996 -1998) were the most
unstable years for the formation of government at the centre. After the short -
lived BJP government, Janata Dal leaders H D Deve Gowda a nd Inder
Kumar Gujral served as the Prime Ministers for short terms in the year of
1996 and 1997 respectively.
1998 General Election:
Elections for the 12th Lok Sabha were held in March 1998. This time the
pre-election fronts of the parties were in the ele ctoral race. The National
Democratic Front (NDA) was led by the BJP. The BJP -led alliance won 252
seats. The Congress -led alliance United Progressive Alliance (UPA) got
166 seats. Third National Front and Left Front secured only 96 seats. In this
election, once again, BJP had the highest number of seats. Government
formed under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But it collapsed in 13
months.
Check Your Progress Exercise 4
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.
1) Explain the Mandal -Mandir politics in the decade of 1990s.
____________________________________________________________
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20 Electoral Politics in India
20 ____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________
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3.6 COALITION POLITI CS PHASE 2 (1999 -2009)
1999 General Election:
In the 1999 Lok Sabha election BJP led NDA emerged as the largest alliance
with securing 299 seats. With the formation of the NDA government, the
instability of the coalition government ended. Thus, a new phase of coalition
started in Indian politics. NDA was an anti - Congress coalition with several
region al parties.
Elections were held after the six months from Kargil War. With the victory
in Kargil War, the BJP government presented itself as the saviour of the
nation. It benefited in elections. NDA government under the leadership of
Atal Bihari Vajpayee s uccessfully completed five years term and became
first such non -Congress government. Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as an
alternative national party to the level of Congress.
2004 General Election
Elections for the 14th Lok Sabha were held in May 2004. BJ P campaigned
with the slogan of ‘Shining India.’ However, the NDA was defeated. In the
NDA, the number of seats was reduced for Telugu Desam Party which
resulted in overall decline in seats of alliance.
Although the Congress party got the highest number of seats in this election,
it seems that the regional parties in the states got the highest number of
votes. The Congress party faced the big issue regarding leadership. Sharad
Pawar, P. A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar left the Congress on the issue of
foreign ci tizenship of Sonia Gandhi. They opposed Sonia Gandhi as the
Leader for prime ministership. They formed another party called the
Nationalist Congress Party.
This time Sonia Gandhi's leadership was to be tested. In this election both
the Congress and the BJP realised the inevitability of alliance politics.
Elections got conducted face to face between UPA (United Progressive
Alliance) and NDA (National Democratic Alliance).
For the first time in the election, the role of the Left parties became
important. Afte r the election the Congress -led UPA government was
formed with the support of the Left parties. Manmohan Singh became Prime
Minister.
2009 General Election
Elections for the 15th Lok Sabha were held in May 2009. The issue of the
Indo-US nuclear deal was cr ucial in the election. There were differences on
this issue between the Congress and the Left. In the elections held against munotes.in
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21 History of General Elections this background. This election saw a sharp drop in left -wing seats. The
Congress received the support from all sections of the soci ety. For the first
time in this election, the NCP has joined hands with the Congress.
Congress won 206 seats. UPA formed the government with outside support
from SP, BSP, RJD, JD(S). Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister
for second time.
Check Your Pro gress Exercise 5
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.
1) Write brief note on the coalition politics in India
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
________________ ____________________________________________
3.7 RISE OF BJP AS D OMINANT PARTY: GENER AL
ELECTIONS OF 2014 & 2019
2014 General Election:
General elections for the 16th Lok Sabha were held in 2014. There were
three main fronts in this election, UPA, NDA and Third front led by small
11 parties. The election campaign mainly revolved around the leadership,
especially Narendra Modi against Rahul Gandhi.
BJP won the clear majority with 282 seats and NDA got 336 seats. For the
first time in the history of post -independence Indian elections a non -
Congress government with an absolute majority was formed. Even though
BJP is the only party to get an absolute majority, it is inevitable that a
coalition government was formed. Therefore, in Indian politics, the rule of
the alliance has become a political inevitability.
In this election, the national parties got the highest number of seats and
votes than the regional parties. However, compared to the 2009 Lok Sabha
elections, the percentage of seats and votes received by th e regional parties
has increased. The Congress party declined at the level of mere 40 seats.
2019 General Election:
The Indian general elections to constitute the Seventeenth Lok Sabha were
held in 7 phases across the country from 11 April to 19 May 2019. BJP
contested election taking the issue of national security aftermath Pulwama
attack. Bharatiya Janata Party won 303 seats, maintaining its absolute
majority and the BJP -led coalition winning 353 seats. The BJP secured
37.36% of the votes, while the combi ned vote share of the NDA was 45%
of the 60.37 crore votes. munotes.in
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22 Electoral Politics in India
22 The Congress party won 52 seats and the Congress -led alliance won 92
seats. Other parties and their alliances won 97 seats.
Elections of 2019 saw a rise in the use of digital media and social medi a by
political parties. Internet users in India increased from 65 million in 2014 to
600 million in 2019. So, the number of netizens increased and these
reshaped the strategies of political parties for political communication. BJP
has a higher share in spe nding for digital political advertisements on Google
and Facebook. DMK is in second place.
BJP, once identified as an urban -centric party or party supported by upper
castes, is now changing its nature by adopting several fundamental changes.
BJP now became the predominant party in the Hindi heartland region. Is it
becoming the predominant party all over the country? It will be very quick
to analyse on these terms. Due course of time will answer this question. Lok Sabha Elections (1952- 2019): No Year Congress Jan Sangh/BJP 1 1952 364 3 2 1957 371 4 3 1962 361 14 4 1967 283 35 5 1971 352 22 6 1977 154 - 7 1980 353 - 8 1984 404 2 (BJP) 9 1989 197 85 10 1991 232 120 11 1996 140 161 12 1998 141 182 13 1999 114 182 14 2004 145 138 15 2009 206 116 16 2014 44 282 17 2019 52 303 (Source: election commission of India website)
Check Your Progress Exercise 6
Note: i) Use the space given below for your answer.
1) Elaborate the rise of BJP as the dominant party.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
________________ ____________________________________________ munotes.in
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23 History of General Elections 3.8 REFERENCES
Kohli Atul (Ed.). (2001). The Success of India’s Democracy. Cambridge
University Press .
Alam Javeed (2004). Who Wants Democracy. Orient Longman
Mehta Nalin (2022). The New BJP: Modi and the Making of the World's
Largest Political Party. Westland Non -Fiction
Hasan Zoya (Ed). (2002). Parties and Party Politics in India. OUP
Kumar Sanjay (2022). Elections in India: An Overview. Routledge
7777777
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24 Electoral Politics in India
24 4
GROUP & ELECTORAL PA RTICIPATION
Unit Structure
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Women
4.2 Dalits and Tribals
4.2.1 5th and 6th schedules
4.3 Minorities
4.3.1 Articles
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this chapter to develop understanding of the Group & electoral
Participation in the election. In the end of the chapter you will able to find
out these are questions.
• What is group and electoral participation?
• Which articles are right to part of the politics.
• How women get power in the participation in the politics?
• How were minorities and other group get power to set up
government?
4.0 INTRODUCTION
First, we must understand the electoral participation in the country politics.
A citizen whose age 18 a bove are eligible for voting that’s mean he or she
will be a part of the politics of the country. Members of the Lok Sabha
(House of the People), of India's Parliament, are chosen from a list of
candidates standing in their respective seats by all adult ci tizens or electoral
participants of India. Every adult Indian citizen is only allowed to vote in
their own constituency. That’s the role of the electoral participants. Now we
understand the electoral group which also part of the participants. These are
wom en, Dalits, Tribals and Minorities. It cuts across genders in sharing
political power and provides women with liberty and space from inside
democratic framework of electoral politics as an evidence of equality and
freedom. In the Preamble of the Indian Con stitution of 1950, all citizens
were promised 'JUSTICE, social, economic, and political,' as well as
'EQUALITY of position and possibility.' (Basu, 1991: 21) munotes.in
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25 Group & Electoral Participation 4.1 WOMEN IN THE ELE CTION
In 1927, women were granted suffrage in the Central Provinces, and in
1929, in Bihar and Orissa. Franchise had been extended to practically all
Indian provinces by the end of the 1920s. However, due to the property
requirement, only about 1% of women in the country were eligible to vote.
Let’s explore more about history of the women participant. See this,
chronological and thematic survey of women's rights in general (Kumar,
1997), as well as involvement in electoral contests, traces its origins to the
mid-nineteenth century. Bengal's Swadeshi movement (1905 –8), which
marked th e beginning of Indian independence. Women's engagement in
nationalist movements raised the issue of women's equality and bringing
women's suffrage and voting rights to the fore (Nair, 1996: 122 –44). Trying
to figure out where the word came from is a diffic ult task. Forbes (1979)
observes that the tenacity of the women's suffrage movement in India. The
desire for organized women to be considered as equals to men arose not
from the perceptions of men, but from the perceptions of women. women's
demands in Indi a, but due to the influence of a few British women.
Consequently, the beginnings of the women's suffrage movement in India
in the early twentieth century were copied after the British model and via
the efforts of British women reformers in India. The Women 's Indian
Association was founded in Madras in 1917 with the primary goal of
"seeking an expanded role for women in public life" (Nair, 1996: 124). The
literature on how these activities related to the nationalist movement and
affected different sections o f India is extensive (Everett, 1985; Mazumdar,
1979). Suffragist goals had to be justified in Indian terms and related to the
nationalist themes of political rights and colonial status that dominated
public discourse in India throughout the 1920s and 1930s (Southard, 1993).
Consequently, as a result of the Between 1920 and 1929, as part of the
women's suffrage movement, limited voting rights were granted to select
women in various Indian provinces, beginning in Madras (Nair, 1996: 132).
However, these privi leges were only granted to a small group of Indian
women who met certain property requirements. Later, the Government of
India Act of 1935 extended suffrage rights to a larger group of women, but
only if they met certain criteria, such as literacy, propert y ownership, or
marriage to a property -owning man. One woman was enfranchised for
every five men enfranchised under the Act (Visram, 1992). Despite the
women's movement's opposition to gender -based seat reserves, the 1935
Act provided 41 reserved seats for women in provincial legislatures, as well
as limited reservations in the federal legislature, resulting in the creation of
the Women's Legislative Caucus cleavages in the women's movement along
religious and gender lines In the 1937 elections, however, wo men took
advantage of the seats allotted for them, and 80 women were elected to the
legislature. After the United States and the Soviet Union, India had the third
greatest number of female parliamentarians in the world at the time
(Visram, 1992). Though th e reserve of seats for women in the last days of
the colonial rule was short -lived and divided along religious lines, it
provided women with a foothold in Indian legislative life and established a
precedent that women could draw on decades later (Jenkins, 2003; Nair, munotes.in
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26 Electoral Politics in India
26 1996: 122). Then, In a larger sense, women's participation in politics
includes participation in trade unions, co -operatives, women's collectives,
and informal and formal politics, as well as interactions in elections. The
word 'political parti cipation' has been defined as an individual's or a group's
active involvement with public institutions, such as voting, candidacy,
campaigning, holding political office, and/or lobbying (Arora, 1999;
Gleason, 2001). In 2014 women participation had been inc reased in the lok
sabha election. Now days, Women voted 65.63 percent in India's legislative
general elections, compared to 67.09 percent for men. In terms of female
representation in Parliament, India ranks 20th from the bottom. In India,
women have serve d as president and prime minister, as well as chief
ministers of various states. "India has seen a 235.72 percent increase in
female electors since the 1971 elections," recent Chief Election
Commissioner of the India Chandra said that in an international w ebinar
event organized by the Election Commission of India on Enhancing
Electoral Participation of Women, Persons with Disabilities, and Senior
Citizen Voters: Sharing Best Practices and New Initiatives (ECI). The
recent levels of women's participation in official politics in India suggest
two positives that bode favorably. First, a spike in female voter turnout that
began in the 1990s peaked in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, with the
greatest female turnout ever. Second, during the 2014 general elections,
women's engagement in high -stakes electoral campaigns increased
significantly. However, the ongoing under -representation of women in
legislative bodies and in political party ranks and ranks counters the
significant improvements made in India's people -drive n feminization of
electoral politics.
Check your Progress Exercise 1
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer.
1. What is the history of women participation in politics?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Dalits and Tribals
Dalits
Dalits, also known as scheduled castes, are India's most discriminated -
against minority. Their discrimination stems from their birth into a
particular "untouchable" caste or community, as well as customary
"polluting" labour. In India, there are around 250 million Dalits. The
economic situation of Dalits has barely improved in the last 50 years. When
compared to non -Dalits, this is insufficient. Dalits make up one in every
four Indians. The effort to assess the stage and size of Dalit political
involvement has become vitally relevant to the nature and implementation munotes.in
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27 Group & Electoral Participation of the political system as a whole. Natural traits such as honesty, affection,
and a sense of duty are very useful to political parties and political leaders.
The large -scale mobilisation of SCs disrupted traditional bonds and
encouraged them to develop a viewpoint on larger socio -political issues.
Reservation in local governance enabled Dalits to participate actively in
local governance, but no attempts have been made by people or groups to
deter mine the level of involvement and contributions made by Dalit
members in local governance.
By the Constitution by India . Article 12 (1): All persons are equal before
the law and are entitled to the equal protection of the law. Article 12 (2):
No citizen shall be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion,
language, caste, sex, political opinion, place of birth or any such grounds
Article 14 (1)(a): Every citizen is entitled to the freedom of speech and
expression including publication
Check yo ur Progress Exercise 2
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer.
1. What is the role of dalit in the politics ?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
________________ ____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. Which articles given right of the electoral group?
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________ _______________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________ _______
Tribal
This topic has been start from its History, In the nineteenth century, tribal
rebellions led to a British strategy of excluding tribal territories from the
application of ordinary laws.
Non-Regulation Provinces were established by Regulation XIII of 1833 and
were to be controlled by specific laws for civil and criminal justice, land
income collection, and so on. It developed a new administrative system in
Singhbhum.
In 1873, the British imposed the Inner Line Regulation in the Northeast,
whic h established a boundary beyond which the colony's ordinary laws did
not apply and entry of subjects from outside the territory was tightly
forbidden. The Governor General was solely responsible for law and munotes.in
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28 Electoral Politics in India
28 administration under the Government of India Act, 1919, and could only act
through local officials. The Governor could make policy directly or through
his representatives in the tribal territories, according to the Government of
India Act, 1935. Following the adoption of the Constitution (Article 342) in
1950, groupings and communities defined and classed as tribes during
British rule were reclassified as Scheduled Tribes. In areas where Schedule
Tribes are numerically strong, the Constitution provides for two distinct
administrative structures in the sha pe of the Fifth and Sixth Schedules.
According to the Constitution, the 5th Scheduled Territories are "such areas
as the President may by order declare to be Scheduled Areas." Ten states
currently have Fifth Schedule Areas: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Odisha, Rajasthan, and Telangana. The Requirements of Panchayats
(Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 added legal and administrative
support to the Fifth Schedule's provisions, allowing f or more
democratization. The Sixth Schedule areas are some of the places in the
former Assam and other tribal -dominated areas that became distinct States
that were 'excluded' till the Government of India Act, 1935. Part XXI of the
Constitution has addition ally made special provisions for these regions (6th
schedule). The Removal of Area Constraints (Amendment) Act of 1976
abolished area restrictions on the recognition of Scheduled Tribes, allowing
lists to be applied to entire States rather than blocks and district within
states. Schedule Tribes are a component of the country's overall
administrative system in areas where they constitute a numerical minority.
Reservations in educational institutions and government employment have
given Scheduled Tribes acros s the country certain rights. The 5th and 6th
Schedules give Parliament and state legislatures the power to construct
tribal independent areas. For instance, the Leh Autonomous Hill
Development Council, the Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council,
and t he Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council are all examples of autonomous hill
development councils.
Check your Progress Exercise 3
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer.
1. What are 5th and 6th schedules?
____________________________________________ ________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Minorities
First understand who are the minorities in India. Under Section 2 (c) of the
National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians,
Buddhists, Jain, and Zorastrians (Parsis) have been designated as minority
communities. Just look at the back, The growth of minority rights and munotes.in
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29 Group & Electoral Participation safeguards in India demonstrates that, while minorities had been in India for
a long time, it was under British control that they began to recei ve fresh
attention and configuration. Reading India's minority problem exclusively
in terms of the British policy of divide and rule, on the other hand, is a
ludicrous distortion of the truth and a misrepresentation of India's historical
and anthropologica l social reality. The intensity and significance of India's
minority problem can be gauged by the fact that resolving minorities' claims
to their satisfaction was not only the most perplexing problem during the
independence struggle, but it was also a majo r source of political and
constitutional gridlock. The agonizing and brutal partition of India in 1947,
as well as the communal inferno that accompanied it, add to the gravity of
the situation. In independent India, the problem of minorities continues to
be a major source of communal strife and social turmoil.
The history of India's Constitution being drafted by a Constituent Assembly
reflects the country's deep communal divide and opposing claims. The
Constitution is a great example of these claims being a ccommodated and
adjusted. The Constitution's Preamble declares India a "Sovereign Socialist
Secular Democratic Republic," promising freedom, equality, and justice to
all of its residents. It also gives minorities and other vulnerable groups in
society spec ific rights and constitutional protections. In addition to
safeguarding all citizens' fundamental rights to religious freedom, Articles
29 and 30 of the Constitution grant a particular package of cultural and
educational rights to minorities. These Article s were incorporated as
particular rights of specific minorities, according to their pre -natal history.
However, revisions made to these provisions at various phases of the
Constituent Assembly added a layer of subtle ambiguity to the ambit and
extent of th ese Articles, resulting in an apparent conflict between Articles
29 and 30. The way these Articles are implemented and interpreted has led
legal and constitutional experts to declare that "Article 30 (1) must be freed
from the tyrannical grasp of Article 2 9 (2)." In fact, the division placed a
pall over most of the minority protection clauses. It rendered ineffective
minorities' cultural and educational rights by eliminating numerous
significant ideas, such as the right of a child to receive elementary edu cation
in his or her mother tongue, as well as any those relating to economic
safeguards and political representation of minorities. In India's Constitution,
there are no clear provisions for economic security or assuring political
participation for minori ties. This is in direct contradiction to the Indian
National Congress's commitments to minorities during the independence
fight. As evidenced by the Gopal Singh Panel Report of 1983 and the Prime
Minister's High Level Committee to Study the Social, Economi c, and
Educational Backwardness of the Muslims of India, 2006, the absence of
economic and political safeguards for minorities has contributed to their
marginalization and exclusion from public employment and policy -making
bodies. munotes.in
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30 Electoral Politics in India
30 Check your Progress Exerc ise 1
Note: 1) Use the space given below for your answer.
1. How are minorities play important role in the politics?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
________________ ____________________________________________
Conclusion
To make democracy meaningful, effective participation in respect to the
right to full and effective quality and meaningful engagement in national
activities is required. Women make up a significant portion of the
population. However, their engagement is low at all levels, from voting to
top-level positions. Women are underrepresented in elections due to social
and economic circumstances. A policy reservation for women is a key step
in this direction. Because of caste oppression, Dalits and Tribals do not
participate in considerable numbers. The extent to which they participate in
politics differs by state. For social equity and justice, the participation of
Dalits and Tribals should be increased. The right to preserve one's language,
culture, and customs, as well as to defend one's identity from loss, must be
recognized, preserved, documented, and permitted to develop as a dynamic
living culture. Minority political involvement has long been a defining
issue. They should be able to freely and effectively engage in all elements
of governance.
References
Laxmikhnath Arora, Banarsi (1999) ‘Women in Politics: Governance in
Patriarchal and Non -participatory Culture’, Guru Nanak Journal of
Sociology, 20(1 –2): 111–18.
(2009) ‘National Election Studies’. Delhi: Data Unit, Centre for the Study
of Developing Societies. URL (consulted 2 November 2016), from
http://www.lokniti.org/ national_election_studies.php
Ghosh, Archana & Lama -Rewal, Stéphanie Tawa (2005) Democ ratization
in Progress: Women and Local Politics in Urban India. New Delhi: Tulika
Books.
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