DEMOCRACY IN

INDIA :
Challenges and Prospects.
 GAUTAM BUDDHA UNIVERSITY
GREATER NOIDA – 201312
SCHOOL OF LAW ,JUSTICE & GOVERNANCE

POLITICAL SCIENCE - ASSIGNMENT

NAME – SRISHTI SAROJ
ROLL NO. – 21/ILB/007 SECTION – ‘A’
COURSE – B.A.LLB (1ST YEAR / 1ST SEM) BATCH 2021-26
CONTACT NO. – 6394473203
EMAIL – srishtisaroj2710@gmail.com
POLITICAL SCIENCE [LB-107]

SUBMITTED TO - SUBMITTED BY -
◦ DR.AKSHAY K. SINGH ◦ SRISHTI SAROJ
◦ 21/ILB/007

◦ DATE OF SUBMISSION -
◦ 15 JANUARY 2022
INDEX

INTRODUCTION
MEANING OF DEFINITION
OVERVIEW OF DEMOCRACY
OVERVIEW OF DEMOCRACY IN INDIA
GOVERNMENT SYSTEM OF INDIA
POLITICAL SYSTEM
ORGANS OF GOVERNMENT
ELECTION PROCESS
CORRUPTION
HOW HAS DEMOCRACY HELPED INDIA
HOW HAS DEMOCRCACY HARMED INDIA
CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS
ISSUES IN INDIA
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
SUGGESTIONS
POLITICAL PARTIES
CONCLUSION
 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
◦ Democracy is a form of government where all eligible citizens can cast a vote to choose
their representatives in the government.

◦ Democracy is a type of a political system or a system of decision making within an

institution or organisation etc. In which all the members have equal share of power.

◦ According to oxford dictionary “ A system of government in which all the people of

state or polity. Are involved in decisions about its affairs, typically by voting to elect a
representative to a parliament or similar assembly”
FROM WHERE THE WORD: DEMOCRACY IS DERIVED
• THE WORD DEMOCRACY IS DERIVED FROM A GREEK WORD.
◦ DEMOS – PEOPLE
◦ KRATOS – POWER OF RULE
• Democracy is mainly based on equity and inclusiveness , it means responsive government and active participation of
citizens.
• Early form of democracy began around 2500 years ago.
MEANING OF DEMOCRACY
Democracy is a form of government in which the ruler are elected by the people.
◦ Who are the rulers?
◦ What kind of election?
◦ Who are the people?
◦ What kind of form of government?
ABRAHAM LINKON – DEMOCRACY IS A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE
AND FOR THE PEOPLE .
 FEATURES OF DEMOCRACY
◦ In a democracy the final decision making power must rest with those who elected by
the people.
◦ A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in a
power have a fair chance of losing.
◦ In a democracy , each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one
value.
◦ A democratic government rules within limits sets by constitutional law and citizen’s
right.
◦ The opposition parties are allowed to function freely before and after the elections.
◦ The democratic governments are based on fundamentals principles of political equality.
MERITS OF DEMOCRACY
◦ A democratic government is a better government because it is a more accountable form of government.
◦ Democracy improve the quality of decision making.
◦ Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts. It is suitable the countries like India . India having
diversity of language , religion and cultures. Democracy in India made it possible to keep unity in diversity.
◦ In a democracy no one is a permanent winner or loser.
◦ Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to correct its own mistake.
◦ Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens , because its based on the principle of political equality, on recognizing that the
poorest and least educated have the same status as the rich and the educated.

DEMERITS OF DEMOCRACY
◦ Leaders keep changing in a democracy . This leads to instability.
◦ Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for morality.
◦ Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people . It leads to bad decisions.
◦ Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition.
◦ Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them ; they should not decide anything.
COMPARISON
DEMOCRATIC : There is a freedom of expression and people enjoy their fundamental rights. Example: India.
NON-DEMOCRATIC : There is no freedom of expression and people do not enjoy their fundamental rights Example: Saudi
Arabia.

TWO TYPES OF DEMOCRACY – DIRECT AND INDIRECT.

DIRECT DEMOCRACY
◦ It is a political setup , where the people themselves makes the laws and parliamentary directly in the functioning of the
government.
◦ Decisions are taken on the base of the majority of opinion.
◦ It is suitable for the geographically small countries with less population.
- Example: Ancient Greek /Rome and India Modern period- Switzerland.
INDIRECT DEMOCRACY
◦ In the modern world most of the countries are following the indirect democracy.
◦ It is system, in which the representatives are elected by the people and they act on behalf of the people.
◦ They are so sensitive to cater the needs and opinion of the people.
- Example: India /France /USA.
In democracy majority of people rule through their elected
representative – WHY?
~Modern democracies involves such a large number of people that it is physically
impossible for them to sit together and take a collective decision.

~Even if they could , the citizen does not have the time , the desire or the skills to
take part in all the decisions.

AIMS OF GOOD DEMOCRACY

~True democracy will come to this country only when no one goes hungry to bed.

~In a democracy every citizen must be able to play equal role in decision making .
For this you don’t need just an equal right to vote. Every citizen needs to have equal
information, basic education, equal resources and a lot of commitments.

DEMOCRACY IN INIDAN CONTEXT

India is a democratic country.
Principle of democracy is that the government of the state is carried out with the co-
operation & consent of the people.
 DEMOCRACY IN INDIA
◦ India is a 7th largest (by area) and the 2nd most populous country in the world , with roughly one-sixth of its
population , of about a billion and a quarter.
◦ It is the world largest democracy.
◦ It is the one of the world’s oldest civilization yet, a very young nation.
◦ Elections to its parliament are held once every 5 years. Currently Prime minister MRS. Narendra
Damodardas Modi is the head of the government ,enjoying a majority in the parliament , while President
SHRI Ram Nath Kovind Is the head of the state.
◦ India is a constitutional republic government under the world’s longest written constitution, federally
consisting of 28 states and nine centrally administered union territories, with NEW DELHI AS the
nation’s capital.
◦ The countries has six national parties:
• Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP). Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP). Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI{M}).
Communist Party of India(CPI). Indian National Congress(INC). Nationalist Congress Party(NCP).
CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES OF INDIA:
The Constitution rests on seven basic principles. They are popular sovereignty, limited
government, separation of powers, federalism, checks and balances, republicanism, and
individual rights.
GOVERNMENT SYSTEM OF INDIA
+ In India all eligible citizens vote for their representatives in the government who serve for
5 years until next elections.

1.STATE GOVERNMENT- which serves the states in a 5 year term. Individuals (MLA)
Member of Legislative Assembly belonging to a political party or independently contesting from
constituencies (areas) are elected by citizens and if they get majority of the areas (seats) than
they win the elections and the (CM) Chief Minister of the state come from their party.
2.NATIONAL GOVERNMENT- which serve the whole nation on a 5 year term. Individuals
(MP) Member of parliament belonging to a political party from areas in the country are elected
by citizens. If a political party gets majority of the seats than they can serve the country for 5
years and the (PM) Prime Minister of the country comes from their party.
THE LOK SABHA

~From Lok Sabha elections the country is divided into 543 constituencies chosen by direct election.
President can nominate 2 members from the Anglo-Indian community.
-Each constituency has roughly equal population living within it.
-The member elected from each constituency is called ‘Member of Parliament’ or ‘MP’.
-Each state is sub-divided into Assembly constituencies.
-The elected representatives are called – ‘Members of Legislative Assembly’ or ‘MLA’
-Each villages or town is sub-divided into ‘wards’.
Thus, each parliament constituency has within it several assembly constituencies, within which are several
wards.
THE RAJYA SABHA
~The Rajya Sabha or council of states is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Membership is
limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are nominated by the President of India for their contributions to
art, literature, science, and social services. The remainder of the body is elected by the state and
territorial legislatures indirectly. Members sit for six-year terms, with one third of the members retiring
every two years.
POLITICAL SYSTEM: India is a federal state with its central government and capital
in NEW DELHI. India comprises of 28 states and 9 union territories.

1.EXECUTIVE:a person or persons constituting the branch of government charged with executing
or carrying out the laws and appointing officials . As for example, the President of India appoints the Chief
Justice and other Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts.

2.JUDICIARY: whose task is the authoritative adjudication of controversies over the application of laws in
specific situations. The judiciary is the branch of government which administers justice according to law.

3.LEGISLATURE: A legislature is a governing body that makes laws and can also amend or repeal them.
Legislation refers to the preparation and enactment of laws by a legislative body through its lawmaking process. The
legislative process includes evaluating, amending, and voting on proposed laws and is concerned with the words used in
the bill to communicate the values, judgments, and purposes of the proposal.
1.EXECUTIVE
Comprises of president, V. President and the council of minister.
All the executive powers are vested in president, who acts on the advice on the council of ministers.
PRIME MINISTER is the leader of majority party and the parliament who heads the council of ministers.
2.JUDICIARY
HON’SUPRME COURT- comparison of chief justice and 25 other judges appointed by the president.
Judges hold the office till 65 years of age.
President many consult the supreme court or any question of factor law of public importance
CJI- MR. Harilal Jekissundas Kanai, He is the first CJI of India.
3.LEGISLATURE
Parliament has the power to make laws for the whole or any part of territory of India
List 1 of the constitution
State legislature have the power to make the laws for the states
List 2 of the constitution
List 3-combining parliament and state legislatures.
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
◦ Parliament comprise of two house- Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
◦ Lok Sabha –(lower house) – elected directly by the people of India
◦ 545 seats, 2 of which are selected by president which represents Anglo Indian community
◦ Head of Lok Sabha elected by the MPs
◦ Current Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar
◦ First lady speaker in the history of republic of India
ELECTION: the foundation stone of democracy
◦ India is a constitutional democracy with a parliamentary system of government, and at the heart of the system is a
commitment to holds regular, free and fair election.
◦ These election determine the composition of the government, the membership of the two houses of parliament, the state
and union territory legislative assemblies, and the Presidency ad vice presidency.
◦ The mainstay of a democratic society.
◦ Elections helps to solve the problem of succession in leadership and thus contributes to the continuation of democracy.
CORRUPTION
“Corruption is one of the most cursed enemies of the society and needs to be removed.”
-by all ministers in India

~The problem is that we just say, say and just say but do nothing. We all know that corruption is our biggest enemy but
can do nothing.
~Political corruption is the abuse of public power, office, or resources by elected government officials for personal gain,
e.g. by extortion, soliciting or offering bribes. It can also take the form of office holders maintaining themselves in office
by purchasing votes by enacting laws which use taxpayers money.
 How has democracy helped India
◦ It has helped in eliminating the Indian caste system which was majority causing discrimination, this was done by giving
equal rights to everyone. E.g.:- Reservations in govt’s departments made for Dalits and other backward castes
◦ Successive governments have created economic reforms to encourage economic development of the country. E.g.:-
(NTP) National Telecom Policy in 1994.
◦ It has helped in providing transparency in governance by making few reforms for Right To Information Act (RTI).

How has democracy harmed India

◦ When a party does not win majority of the seats(areas), a coalition govt forms. When interests and agendas of 2 parties
clash, decision making takes a toll and development slows down. E.g. :- The current UPA govt is a coalition govt of
INC, NCP, NC and many others
◦ Bad Influence of parties or politicians -: A political party aims at capturing power. They try to win the election by
hook or by crook. Practicing immoral methods, inciting hatred, spreading caste feelings etc. This lowers the national
character. E.g. :- Azam khan booked for hate speech.
◦ Misuse of public funds by some elected people:- Govt sometimes uses a lot taxpayer’s money for inappropriate
purposes. Some politicians and ministers waste public money on their tours, recreation and building up assets (buying
cars, gold, property etc). Eg:- Bollywood event organized by Akhilesh Yadav where Rs.20cr + was spent on paying the
actors and other co-actors.
 CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS
Soon after attaining independence, India gave herself a Constitution and became a Democratic
Republic on 26th January, 1950 and has since been governed by this Constitution. This was indeed
a commendable achievement, more particularly when one looks at some of the countries in our
neighborhood and even around the world. For it established a system of governance, a sound legal
system and a fairly sound basis for a democratic socialistic society when elections were held
regularly and the popular mandate was respected. Thus we may say that the democratic system has
been established as accepted as an indispensable part of Indian political life; yet we have to
recognize that in practice, there have been serious shortcomings and these will have to be
addressed sooner or rather than later. Democracy is not a modern phenomenon; it was practiced
with some measure of success in ancient Athens and in ancient India; also they laid down some of
the fundamental principles of a democratic society which will be very relevant to us even in
modern times.
Issues in India:
The issues that are posing a great challenge to the Indian
Democratic setup include:
◦ a) Overpopulation: Indian population has reached up to an estimated 1.27 billion . This is one of the greatest challenges that
have hindered the possible progress of our country to some extent. Government of India which is already facing challenges
from various angles has failed to control the population growth.
◦ b) Poverty: Though India is approaching towards becoming an economic super power, it has equally great challenges towards
tackling the poverty. According to the World Bank's estimates on poverty based on 2005 data, India has 456 million people,
i.e.., 41.6% of its population, living below the new international poverty line of $1.25 (PPP) per day . The world Bank further
estimates that 33% of the global poor now reside in India. Moreover, India also has 828 million people, or 75.6% of the
population living below $2 a day, compared to 72.2% for Sub-Saharan Africa . The major reason for poor population in India is
due to its uneven distribution of wealth with 10% of income groups earning 33% of the income.
◦ c) Sanitation: Statistics conducted by United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have shown that
only 31% of India’s population is able to utilize proper sanitation facilities as of 2008. Studies by UNICEF have also shown
that diseases resulting from poor sanitation affect children in their cognitive development.
◦ d) Corruption: Corruption is widespread in India. India is ranked 95 out of a 179 countries in Transparency International's
Corruption Perceptions Index, but its score has improved consistently from 2.7 in 2002 to 3.1 in 2011. In India, corruption
takes the form of bribes, tax evasion, exchange controls, embezzlement, etc. Right to information Act, 2005 has played a
major role in unearthing various scams which are politically motivated. Corruption is one of the main cause that hinders the
progress of a nation.
◦ e) Education: Education has remained one of the priorities of the Indian government since independence. Though many
initiatives have been taken up by the Government of India to ensure maximum literacy in India, but still, education continues
to persist as an impediment to development.
◦ f) Violence: Constitutional speaking, India is supposed to be a secular, but large-scale violence have periodically taking place
in since independence. In recent decades, communal tensions and religion-based politics have become more prominent.
◦ g) Terrorism: The areas where a lot terrorists activities take place are Jammu and Kashmir, Central India and Seven Sister
States and Punjab. Terrorism in India has often been alleged to be sponsored by Pakistan.
◦ h) Nasalism: Nasalism is a communist group that has been emerged out of the Sino-Soviet split in the Indian communist
movement. Nasalism is found in areas such as West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.
◦ i) Poor voter turnout: India’s political parties are eagerly waiting for the 2014 national elections next year. But are Indian
citizens equally excited about casting their votes. Since voting is not a compulsory duty of the people, many of them do not
exercise this right and they choose to remain in their houses and do something else on that day.
PROBLEMS
1.Social and economic inequalities 2.Over Population
3.Poverty 4.Regionalism
5.Illiteracy 6.Violence
7.Casteism 8.Blank money
9.Poor vote turn cote 10.Terrorism
11. Naxalism 12.Communalism
13.Unemployment 14.Freedom of press.

SOLUTIONS
Uniform civil code
Limited party system
Fix tenure to contest election
Curb corruption with strong laws
Education qualification must be there to contest election
Suggestions:The author would like to suggest following recommendations for the successful
functioning of Indian democracy:
◦ 1) The electorate should be imparted with the knowledge of political consciousness. They should be made fully aware
of their rights and privileges through organizing programmed such as conferences, seminars, workshops, symposia's,
etc.
◦ 2) The illiterate masses of India should be provide proper education so that they can sensibly vote for the right leaders.
The USA, Britain, Germany and Japan are successful democratic countries and gave progressed in every sphere
because the masses are literate.
◦ 3) There must be a complete ban on Opinion Polls as they cannot be scientifically relied upon.
◦ 4) The media must also play its important role bringing about true facts and maintaining the true spirit of right to speech
and expression.
◦ 5) The politicians should also respect the true spirit of democracy by playing their crucial role not as a master but as
servant of the represented. They should refrain from corruption caste and communal politics
◦ 6) The citizens should elect leaders with good moral values and integrity.
◦ 7) People should be guided to choose their true representatives. They should not be influenced by anyone in this
respect. Individuals should learn tolerance and compromise and understand that freedom is not unbridled but dependent
on not harming another individual's well being.
◦ 8) Democracy demands from the common man a certain level of ability and character, like rational conducts, an
intelligent understanding of public affair, independent justice and unselfish devotion to public interest.
◦ 9) The Directive Principles of State Policies must necessarily made justiciable rights just like fundamental rights
of part III of the Indian Constitution
◦ 10) People should not allow communalism, separatism, casteism, terrorism, etc. to raise their heads. They are a
threat to democracy.
◦ 11) The government, the NGOs and the people together should work collectively for the economic development
of the nation.
◦ 12) Changes should come through peaceful, democratic and constitutional means. The talented youth of today
should be politically educated so that they can become effective leaders of tomorrow
◦ 13) Legislatures and Judiciary should keep track of what is going on around the world as far as some of the
sensitive human rights related issues are concerned such as same sex marriages, abolition of death penalties, etc.
and try to keep pace with the changing world around us
◦ 14) Finally, it is the duty of the elected representatives be it ruling or opposing, to be a role model for the youths
who are going to take over their responsibilities in future. They should do away with the practice of blame game,
indecent and violent behavior in the four corners of the Parliament and Legislatures towards each others.
Government should be more accountable to citizens,
responsive to the needs and expectations of the citizens .
CONCLUSION
True democracy will come to this country when no one goes hungry to bed.
◦ 1-Though democracy is established throughout the world with active participation of people.
◦ 2-But still faces problems of foundation and expansion. As 1/4 countries still lagging behind.
◦ 3-Still need reforms in the form of practical approach and deepening of democracy to have strengthen people's
participation.
◦ 4-It is equally true that Indian is the only country in the world where people are united together inspire of the fact
that we belong to many religious, cultural and traditional backgrounds.
◦ 5-So finally I can be said that no government or country is perfect.
◦ 6-There is nothing wrong in the Indian Constitutional Law, in fact it is the responsibilities of citizens to make
efforts to actively participate in the functioning of the government and make their country perfect.
◦ 7-You don't need just equal right to vote. Every citizen needs to have equal resource and a lot of commitment.
Finally it can be concluded that it is very sad that our democracy after 75 years of independence has
given us some illiterate and corrupt ministers who are ready to do any kind of scams for their
welfare. Our Autonomous agencies like CBI, Income Tax and Sales Tax Departments, are seem to
be paper tigers in dealing with these scams and are unfortunately acting only on the guidelines of
corrupted ministers. Some politicians have also tried to divide our country on religious grounds
only to full their vote banks which have gave rise to various communal violence. These and many
more activities have caused the Indian democracy to loose its respect in the world. However, at the
same we must be also fortunate enough to live in a democratic country like India because it is only
democracy that can provide us equal rights and duties. Thanks to the Constituent Assembly. It is
equally true that Indian is the only country in the world where people are united together in spite of
the fact that we belong to many religious, cultural and traditional backgrounds. So, finally I can be
said that that no government or country is perfect. There is nothing wrong in the Indian
Constitutional Law, in fact it is the responsibility of citizens to make efforts to actively participate
in the functioning of the government and make their country perfect.
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