CHAPTER-3

ELECTORAL POLITICS
 WHAT IS AN ELECTION?

An election is a mechanism by which people can choose their

representatives at regular intervals and change them if they
wish to do so.
 WHY DO WE NEED ELECTIONS?

 Let’s imagine a democracy without elections.

 Here, rule of democracy is only possible if all the citizens sit
together to take the decisions.
 As this is not possible so in most democracies people rule
through their representatives.
 This is known as representative democracy.
 IS THERE A DEMOCRATIC WAY OF SELECTING
REPRESENTATIVE WITHOUT ELECTIONS?

 Let’s imagine a place where representatives are elected on the basis of age,
experience, knowledge, or education.
 Clearly, this place doesn’t need election but it cannot be called democratic
because of the following reasons:
• The citizens may not like their representatives as they are not the one to elect them.
• It is not sure if these representatives would rule as per citizen’s wishes.
• It is not determined how can the citizens change the representatives in power.
 Therefore, it requires election which is, a mechanism by which people can
choose their representatives at regular intervals and change them if they wish
to do so.
 IN AN ELECTION THE VOTERS CAN MAKE
MANY CHOICES
They can choose:
 Who will make laws for them
 Who will form the government and take major decisions
 The party whose policies will guide the government and law making.
WHAT MAKES AN ELECTION DEMOCRATIC?

• Following conditions makes an election democratic:

 Every citizen should have one vote and every vote should have one
value.
 Parties and candidates should be free to contest elections
 Elections must be held regularly after every few years.
 Candidate preferred by the citizens should get elected.
 Elections should be conducted in free and fair manner.
 IS IT GOOD TO HAVE POLITICAL
COMPETITION?
Demerits of political competition
 It creates a sense of disunity in every locality.
 Many political parties and leader often level allegations against each
other.
 The pressure to win electoral fights does not allow sensible long term
policies to be formulated.
 People who may wish to serve the country do not enter this arena
because they do not want unhealthy competition.
 MERITS OF POLITICAL COMPETITION

• Regular electoral competition provides incentives to political parties.

• The party in power does not have a choice if they want to stay in power they are
forced to serve the country.
• If they fail to do so they will not be able to win again.
• Political competition may cause divisions and ugliness but it finally helps to form
political parties and serve the people.