Elections in india

General elections of India with their history.

1. ELECTIONS IN INDIA POLITICAL SCIENCE

2. THE BALLOT IS STRONGER THAN THE BULLET . ⁓ABRAHAM LINCOLN

3. CONTRIBUTORS-

4. The presentation details about-

5. Down the historical lane- Governments have a huge accessibility on trends of election. India’s first election was held in 1952 ,and resulted in victory of Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress Party of India. India’s first election elections were cast in international spotlight, as they had to decide whether the country will be able to establish a successful democratic government or not. Parliament passed the Representation of people act shortly after the appointment of Sukumer Sen(chief election commissioner of first general elections) which established the right to vote for every citizen who lived in the state for more than 180 days or more. However there were a lot of hinderances or barriers due to low literacy rate, 85% of 176 million people were not able to read or write. Therefore to overcome such barriers every political party used symbols for easy identification.

6. VARIOUS STUMBLING BLOCKS IN ELECTORAL PROCESS- Even after figuring out ways to ensure fair and smooth elections there were a lot of issues that needed to be taken care of, such as- Initially there were geographical factors that needed infrastructural improvement. Many women were not comfortable in registering with their legal names, instead preferred to use their familial relations as their identification factor. Apart from all the above issues, one of the major concern of illiteracy remained .Also there were language barriers. Despite all these hurdles, the first general elections of India were a great success.

7. Election Commission Of India The Election Commission of India is a  constitutional body  responsible  for administering elections in India  according to the rules and regulations mentioned in the Constitution of India. It was established on January 25, 1950. The  major aim of election commission of India is to define and control the process for elections conducted at various levels, Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice President of India . Election commission plays a vital role in organizing elections. The most critical challenge before the Election Commission of India is to implement norms and the Model Code of Conduct to ensure free and fair elections in the country. 

8.   Article 324   of Indian Constitution, the Election Commission of India has superintendence, direction, and control of the entire process for conduct of elections to Parliament and Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India. It  issues the Model Code of Conduct   in every election   for political parties and candidates so that the decorum of democracy is maintained. It regulates political parties and registers them for being eligible to contest elections. The Commission can repress the results of opinion polls if it deems such an action fit for the cause of democracy. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

9. PROCEDURE OF ELECTIONS- An election is a contest between different candidates from various parties out of which the voters elect one as their representative. There may also be independent candidates taking part in the election. There are following stages in the electoral process (procedure): Delimitation of constituencies : First of all the entire area-the whole country in the case of Lok Sabha elections and of that particular State in the case of Legislative Assembly elections-is divided into as many constituencies as there are seats.

10. Preparation of voters’ list : After the demarcation of constituency, the voters’ list of each constituency is prepared and published. Filing of nomination papers : The dates of election, filing of nomination papers and withdrawals are fixed by the Election Commission. Any person, who wants to fight the election, can file his nomination papers by the due date. His name must be there in the voters’ list and he should be eligible to fight election.   Scrutiny of nomination papers and withdrawals : A date is fixed for the scrutiny of all the nomination papers. If the nomination papers of any candidate are found to be not in order, they are rejected. The candidates can also withdraw their names from elections upto a certain date fixed by the Election Commission.

11. Election campaign : The next stage in the election is the election campaign by various candidates and political parties. Posters are distributed, meetings are held and speeches are delivered. Processions are also taken out and sometimes use of Radio and Television is also made. Through all these means voters are requested for votes. Model code of conduct : In addition to laws, each political party has to follow certain code of conduct for the election campaign.   Voting: For voting, election booths are set up. Voters go to the polling booths and cast their votes for the candidates of their choice. Voting is held by secret ballot. These days Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) is used to record votes. EVM has the names of the candidates and their election symbols.

12. Counting of votes and declaration of result : After the voting is over, the ballot- boxes are sealed and taken to the counting centers. There the ballot boxes are opened before the candidates or their agents and votes are counted under the super­vision of the returning officer. A candidate who gets the highest number of votes is declared elected. Election petition : If any candidate feels that the election in his Constituency has not been held properly, or if he has any objection against the result, he can file an election petition in the Court. If the objections raised are found to be correct the court can set aside that election. In that Constituency, the election will be held again. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

13. What is a political campaign? A  political campaign  is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. Campaign is a planned set of activities that political parties carry out over a period of time in order to spread the their propaganda and target people at large for elections.

14. TECHNIQUES OF ELECTION CAMPAIGNING

15. TIMELINE 1991- INC in power under prime minister Narsimha Rao, could not gain much campaigning momentum. 1996 - BJP under Atal Vihari Vajpayee with a strategy of mobilising sadhu and saints to include excluded groups for them to respond to such religious tactics. 1998 - BJP used celebrity endorsement technique in order to get attention of people at large also street plays, magic shows, toys and printlets and other mediums that were used. 2004 – INC under PM Manmohan Singh did not appeal the rural poor as it was to pitch the big businesses. TV commercials were also a mode. This campaign came to widen the gap between the haves and have nots.

16. 2009- INC targeted the youngsters through political advertising by studying four campaigns “jai ho”, “ Dishayein ”, “ Bhay ho” and “kadam”. These ads were also around women while BJP lagged gender focus. 2014- Largest in human history. Apart from innumerable road rallies and holographic presence, campaigns used micro targeting approach via social media, mass media, robo calls and marketing through number of volunteers and fans who were willing to cooperate. 22 Twitter emerged as a key tool for campaigning in the elections. Modi had 4.3 million twitter followers in thirty-eight different languages. Holograms, voice messages, personalized mails and even experiential marketing by groups like CAG (Citizens for Accountable Governance)23 were used for volunteer enrolments. The elections also witnessed a revamped new age interactive website, offline and online campaigns by way of Google Hangouts, Whatsapp , Youtube and even quirky mobile applications

17. Manipulation of people through social media The media are essential to democracy, and a democratic election is impossible without media. A free and fair election is not only about the freedom to vote and the knowledge of how to cast a vote, but also about a participatory process where voters engage in public debate and have adequate information about parties, policies, candidates and the election process itself in order to make informed choices. Furthermore, media acts as a crucial watchdog to democratic elections, safeguarding the transparency of the process. Indeed, a democratic election with no media freedom, or stifled media freedom, would be a contradiction. In order to fulfill their roles, the media need to maintain a high level of professionalism, accuracy and impartiality in their coverage.  Regulatory frameworks can help ensure high standards. Laws and regulation should guarantee fundamental freedoms essential to democracy, including freedom of information and expression, as well as participation. Meanwhile, provisions such as requiring government media, funded out of public money, to give fair coverage and equitable access to opposition parties, help ensure appropriate media behavior during elections.

18. The media have traditionally been understood to refer to the printed press as well as radio and television broadcasters. In recent years however, the definition has become broader, encompassing new media including online journalism, and social media. Citizen journalism is widely gaining traction, including in countries where traditional media is either controlled or strictly regulated.