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An essay on Electoral Reforms in India more

by Megha Shankar
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ELECTORAL REFORMS IN INDIA: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES BEFORE THE
ELECTION COMMISSION

SYNOPSIS

1) Introduction
2) Electoral Reforms in India
3) Elections in India
4) Free and fair elections
5) Criminalization in Electoral System:
6) Issues and challenges before the Election Commission
7) Current Situation

ABSTRACT

In this essay, we have a given a brief view about elections and politics inheriting criminalization.
The failure of the Legislature to deliberately think over key issues, particularly criminalization in
politics forms the fragment of introduction. A concise panorama about the misuse of authority,
money power and muscle power escort the introducing lines. Besides, the essay entails the
electoral reforms in India. The transformations in the same has been discussed such as the
introduction of Electronic Voting Machine, lowering of voting age, deputation of Election
Commission is included. The power of Election Commission accompanies the above lines in the
essay. Further, the method of free and fair elections forms a part of it. The elections held at
regular intervals, that is, after every five years forms a part of our democratic structure.
Auxiliary, the next part deals with criminalization in politics leading to an unfair election. Few
instances aiding such criminalization in politics add to it. Use of money power to win elections

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An essay on Electoral Reforms in India | Megha Shankar - A... https://www.academia.edu/1982828/An_essay_on_Electoral_...

Electoral Reforms in India: Issues and Challenges before the

Election Commission

INTRODUCTION

“An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul
concerned in it.”

- George Bernard Shaw

Electoral reform means introducing fair electoral systems for conducting fair elections. It also
includes recuperation of the existing systems to enhance and increase the efficiency of the same.

One of the most important features of our democratic structure is elections which are held at
regular intervals. Free and fair elections are indispensable for a healthy democracy. India has an
indirect form of democracy which implies that the government draws its authority from the “will
of the people”. It is the citizens who have the sovereign power to elect the government and this
government is responsible to the people who have elected them. But there are some
shortcomings connected with this form of democracy which we have been carrying since long.
The citizens who elect the representatives have no right to “recall or reject the representative” on
the ground that they are unsatisfactory for their post unlike Switzerland, pursuing a direct form
of democracy. They have the right to recall a representative elected by them if they are not
competent to hold their office. But no such system exists in our country.

Six decades ago, India opted for a Parliamentary democracy at the time of Independence. The
term “Parliamentary democracy” implies that the sovereign power to elect the representatives
vests with the citizens. But now the time has come to chew over the points that were we correct
in opting for this form of democracy. We should not only blame the politicians alone but also
“we the people of this country” because we too are some where responsible for the same. The
first and the foremost task that is required to be done at this hour is the removal of three dreadful
things, that is, money power, muscle power and the mafia power. Besides this, four C’s have also
to be wiped off. This includes corruption, criminalization, casteism and communalism. After
being elected as a representative of the government, politicians turn their deaf ear towards the
citizens with the help of whom they were able to climb up to their chambers. But these are the

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