Elections in India: Everything You Need to Know

By RobinAge

Election time in India is like a festival - there is the same colour, excitement and celebration! And the voter is king! As we gear up for the 2019 elections, this book helps you understand why elections are important and how to be better equipped to perform the all-important task of choosing a government to the world's largest democracy. This book also outlines:1. The process of elections2. The evolution of the election process over the years3. New methods of casting a vote4. Importance of agencies like the Election Commission

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harper Children's
• Release date: Apr 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9789353578855

RobinAge

RobinAge is an award-winning weekly newspaper for children aged 4 to 16 years. It carries news and information on current affairs, science, history, sports, careers, culture and environment along with activities, puzzles and interactive projects. Each issue also includes a special Jr RobinAge supplement for young readers, which includes fun activities, general knowledge and the Each One Teach One Programme, which children can use to learn and teach basic written and spoken English.Founded in 2010, RobinAge has grown to become a favourite amongst kids, reaching schools and children's homes across India via subscription. RobinAge is also a winner of multiple national and international awards including three Parents' Choice Awards (USA).

Book preview

1

India as the World’s Largest

Democracy

DEMOCRACY

A democracy is a system of government in which all citizens are allowed to participate in proposing and creating laws. There are many different kinds of democratic governments. These include a direct democracy, in which citizens are directly involved with creating laws; a representative democracy, in which citizens elect representatives who create laws on their behalf; and a constitutional democracy. A constitutional democracy can be of two types, presidential and parliamentary. The United States of America has a presidential system of government and India has a parliamentary system of government.

In India, elections determine the composition of the government, the membership of the two houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha), the state and union territory legislative assemblies and the presidency and vice presidency.

Elections are conducted according to provisions in the Constitution of India, which are supplemented by laws made by the Parliament. The Supreme Court of India has also instituted the Election Commission to deal with certain issues that are beyond the power of the laws laid down by the Constitution.

THE CONSTITUTION

The Constitution is the country’s supreme law that defines the framework of basic political principles and establishes what government institutions should do in terms of procedure, powers and duties.

It contains fundamental rights, directive principles and the duties of citizens, one of which is voting.

The Parliament cannot override the Constitution because it was created by a special Constituent Assembly.

The Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950.

Making of the Constitution

The Constitution evolved much before India’s independence from the British. Its creation was closely related to the freedom struggle. In 1895, Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak put forward a document called ‘The Constitution of India Bill’ or ‘The Home Rule Bill’. The bill included the concepts of ‘freedom of expression’ and ‘equality before the law’.

In February 1925, Motilal Nehru introduced a resolution in the Central Legislative Assembly. This resolution explained the procedure for drafting and adopting a constitution for India. In 1927, Lord Birkenhead, who was the secretary of state, challenged Indian leaders to produce a constitution that would be agreeable to different sections of society. The Indian National Congress accepted the challenge and summoned an All Parties Conference and a committee under the chairmanship of Motilal Nehru to determine the principles of the Constitution of India. The Nehru Report was submitted on 10 August 1928. This report was an