DEMOCRACY__

SHAMBHAVI RAI

CONTENTS :-

1: Meaning of democracy
2: Democracy in India
3: Role of democracy in election and voting
System of India
4: Democracy principles of India
5: some line on democracy
6: merits of democracy
7: Factors affect democracy
 DEMOCRACY

:- As an Indian, you need to be proud that you’re a part of the biggest

democracy in the world. But what exactly is democracy? How does it
work? What are its Pros and Cons?

This is a very simple word known by all nowadays. Mostly in all countries
democracy system is available. Public administration is called a
democracy because the election of the people forms it.

Therefore, there is no system without an election. Democracy is the

representative system of the people. It shows the goodwill of the entire
community.

India joined the liberal forces of the world on 26th

January, 1950 as a soverign democratic replublic.

Pros of Indian Democracy:

1. Citizens of India have the right to elect their leaders and this avoids
the monopoly of authority.
2. There is an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial
branch. Each keeps the other in check because no single branch of
government can wield all the power.
3. Indian Democracy promotes equality irrespective of their caste,
color, creed, religion, and gender.
4. Leaders whom the citizens have elected will bring a feeling of
obligations towards them. That is, they would act responsibly and
work towards the betterment of the society.
5. Citizens are aware of what’s going on politically. That is, during
elections, political parties propose programs and policies in
 support of them and this imparts political consciousness among
the people.
6. It promotes for change without any violence. If the citizens of the
country are not happy about the leaders leading them, they have
the option to elect a different leader during the next elections.
Cons of Indian Democracy:
1. There is a risk of choosing the wrong representative as a leader.
People may favor and vote for a representative based on his/her
caste, creed etc. Hence there are chances that the elected
representative is not the right choice.
2. Leaders are chosen based on quantity rather than quality. That is,
the leader with a maximum number of votes will be chosen as the
leader irrespective of his previous experience as a leader.
3. Implementation of any law or plan takes long time to come into
action. Since any law or action needs an approval from both the
ruling party and the opposition in the parliament to get into action.
It’s challenging to convince both the parties.
4. Promises of leaders never come into action. During campaigns for
elections, representatives of every constituency put forward
promises to the people of that locality of certain works. But after
getting elected, they never turn up to keep up with their words.
5. Democracy influences candidates to indulge in corruption. Elected
candidates might take advantage of their powers to resort to
unethical means for personal gains and engage in corrupt
practices.

Meaning of democracy
Democracy is a governance system under which the people have the
right to choose their own ruler on their own.
Under this, every adult citizen, using his vote, chooses a ruler who will
help in the development of the country. Along with it, it will maintain the
unity and integrity of the country, and protect it from all wars.

Under which every citizen of India was given the right to choose his ruler
on his own free will, while under democracy, permission to use his vote
by removing the feeling of inequality spread on caste, religion, gender,
color, sects etc.

Democracy in India
India is one of the world’s largest democratic countries, where people
have the right to choose their favorite representatives.

In a democratic system, the people hand over the reins of the country for
the benefit of their country and for the development of the country in
the hands of a person who deserves it and helps in maintaining the unity
and integrity of the country.

At the same time, India’s democracy works on five main principles, such
as sovereign, that there is no interference of any foreign power in India;
it is completely free. Socialists, vote is to provide social and economic
equality to all citizens.

Secularism, whose vote ball is the freedom to adopt or refuse to adopt

any religion. Democratic, which means the citizens of the country elect
the government of India. Republic, which means the head of the country,
is not a single hereditary king or queen

There are many types of political parties in the country that stand to
contest elections at the state and national levels every five years. But only
that political party is ruled by the people who get the maximum vote of
the people.
Role of democracy in election and voting system
of India
Elections are an essential and important system in India’s universal,
socialist, secular, and democratic republic. The election is an important
system to form a government and to elect a representative.

Elections to the Lok Sabha or to the Legislative Assembly, in which all

citizens of the country unite and exercise their franchise and elect their
representative, every citizen over 18 years of age in the country can use
his vote.
The citizens of the country are also made aware of giving their votes
from time to time. Let us tell you that elections are held every five years
in our country, in which the citizens of the country use their votes to
elect their representatives for the country’s development and progress.

India is a democratic country with 29 states and seven union territories in

which elections are held every five years. At the same time, in these
elections, political parties form their government by getting more votes
of the people in the center and the state.

As we know, during elections, political parties make many promises to

the people and encourage them to vote for their party. In such a
situation, it is a challenge to choose the right and deserving candidate in
front of the public. This is the fact that there are many political parties in
India.

Democratic Principles of India

India is a democratic country that primarily works on five democratic
principles – such as sovereign, socialist, secularism and democratic which
are below –
Sovereign
The Democratic Republic of India operates on the sovereign’s principle,
which means that India is free from interference by any foreign power, its
rules, and regulations.

Socialist
Socialists are also a democratic principle of India, whose vote is to
provide economic equality and sociality to every citizen of our country by
ignoring caste, religion, sect., gender, color, and creed.

Secularism
India is a secular republic whose vote is that all citizens of India have the
freedom to adopt and practice any religion as per their choice and
choice, as there is no official religion in India.

Democratic
India is a democratic republic, which means that India’s government is
elected by the citizens of India without any caste discrimination and
economic inequality.

Here, all citizens are given the right to vote in the same manner so that
they choose the government of choice so that the country’s
development can be strengthened and the country can become
financially strong.

Republic
Ever since our country’s constitution came into force, India has been
declared a secular and democratic republic; that is, the head of our
country is not a hereditary king or queen, but it is elected by the Lok
Sabha. The Rajya Sabha, which is decided by the people of Janardan, Is in
hand.
10 Lines on Democracy
1. Abraham Lincoln has told the meaning of democracy – for
the people only- the people’s rule.
2. Democracy consists of folk loyalty and folk spirit.
3. In this, the importance of elections is first and foremost. This
reflects public welfare.
1. The Constitution has given place to democratic
governance.
2. The parliamentary system has been adopted in India and UK.
3. In this, the elected representatives of the people run the
country’s rule, keeping the public interest in view.
4. There is a kind of representative democracy, in which clean
and fair elections take place.
5. It is difficult to give a completely correct and acceptable
definition of democracy.
6. Our Country India is well known in the world as the biggest
democracy
7. The age of casting a vote, and using its democratic right is 18
years.
Merits of Democracy:
1. better government forms because it is more accountable and in the
interest of the people.
2. improves the quality of decision making and enhances the dignity
of the citizens.
3. provide a method to deal with differences and conflicts.

A democratic system of government is a form of government in which

supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or
indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic
free elections. It permits citizens to participate in making laws and public
policies by choosing their leaders, therefore citizens should be educated
so that they can select the right candidate for the ruling government.
Also, there are some concerns regarding democracy- leaders always
keep changing in democracy with the interest of citizens and on the
count of votes which leads to instability. It is all about political
competition and power, no scope for morality.

Factors Affect Democracy:

• culture
• capital and civil society
• economic development
• equality
• modernization

Norway and Iceland are the best democratic countries in the world. India
is standing at fifty-one position.
India is a parliamentary democratic republic where the President is head
of the state and Prime minister is head of the government. The guiding
principles of democracy such as protected rights and freedoms, free and
fair elections, accountability and transparency of government officials,
citizens have a responsibility to uphold and support their principles.
Democracy was first practised in the 6th century BCE, in the city-state of
Athens. One basic principle of democracy is that people are the source
of all the political power, in a democracy people rule themselves and also
respect given to diverse groups of citizens, so democracy is required to
select the government of their own interest and make the nation
developed by electing good leaders.

Requirements for a Democracy

A society and a system can be called democratic only when the
political and socio - economic aspirations of people can be fulfilled.
This is classified into two broad categories -
(i) political conditions, achievement of which could lead to
political democracy and
(ii) social and economic conditions which could lead to
social democracy. To achieve the political conditions , it
is necessary to adopt a Constitution which vests
powers in the people. The Constitution should protect
 the fundamental and human rights, and universal adult
franchise should be followed to elect a representative .
A democratic system also has to make sure that the
social development along with democratic values should
reflect the social security, welfare and status of the
people . Economic development should be made for the
betterment of the deprived and the poor sections of the
society.

The First Elections in Democratic India

Democracy took a step forward when the democratic India voted,
chose and elected their first government. These elections turned
out to be one of the biggest experiments of democracy in the
world. The elections were conducted on the basis of universal
adult franchise. The people of the country had no prior experience
of such elections and even bigger challenge was to guess their
response to the chance of allowing them to choose their
government. The procedure of the elections was spread for about
four months i.e. from 25 October 1951 to 21 February 1952.
More than 14 national and 63 regional parties and many
independent candidates contested the elections. The Indian
National Congress stood victorious in the elections by bagging
majority of seats.

Challenges Faced by Indian Democracy

India functions as a responsible democracy since
independence. The elections are held periodically in the
country to elect the representatives, from the Panchayats
to the President. The major challenge faced by the
democracy is the heterogeneous composition of the
country as the Indian society is divided on the basis of the
caste, and religion, etc. People in India still vote in favour
of caste, community or religion. Criminalisation of politics
and political violence also create hindrance in the smooth
functioning of the democracy. There have been instances
and allegations in the recent past that some people in the
political fraternity do not believe in the democratic
practices and values. Political and communal violence has
gained serious proportions in the country. These
challenges can be overcome by taking adequate
corrective measures.

Role of the Citizens

The role of the citizens of India is most important for its
democracy. For its successful working, the participation of
the people is a must. The citizens of India have to
proactively perform their role in the governance of the
country and should respect the law and order of the
nation. For a successful working of democracy, it is the
right as well as the duty of every Indian to choose and
elect the appropriate representative for the country. Also,
every Indian has to realise that he should equally
participate in the democracy. To vote wisely, it is important
for every voter to carefully listen and understand the views
and aims of the representatives or the political parties.
They also have to respect the laws and reject violence.
Expressing their opinion is as important as listening to the
views of the others. The proactive participation of people
is important and necessary to check how the country is
being governed.

Future of Indian Democracy

India has practiced democracy since it attained
independence. Although it faces a lot of challenges, still
the country succeeds in functioning and running a smooth
democracy. As it is the largest democracy in the world it is
likely to face challenges in the future as well. There is a
threat from the ugly forces which support divisions on the
lines of religion, caste, region, etc. to the democracy. The
present political unrest in some parts of the country is
likely to put democracy into jeopardy. It is necessary on
the parts of the political leaders of the country to stand
united against the anti-national forces and keep the
democracy of the country maintained. Imparting education
to the masses and making the citizens of the country
aware of their rights and duties is essential for achieving
this purpose. For democracy to survive in a vast country
like India, it is necessary that all the citizens of the country
should stand united and play their respective roles
towards the progress of the nation.

Democracy in its broader sense denotes not only a political concept

but also way of life in the society in which each individual is believed
to be entitled to equality as regards his participating freely in the
structures and institutions of the society is concerned.

In a narrower sense, democracy denotes the opportunity of the

members of the society to participate freely in decisions in all realms
of life which affect their lives individually and collectively. In its most
restricted sense, the term (democracy) denotes the opportunity of the
citizens of a state to participate freely in political decisions.
Democracy, thus, seeks to set up an equalitarian society.

There are different kinds of democracy:

1. Political,

2. Social, economic and

3. Moral.

Political democracy is delimited to adult franchise and elections for

the choice of political leadership. Social democracy aims at c-eating a

classless and casteless society and breaking down the social

stratifications and prejudices. Economic democracy lays emphasis on

a welfare state and revolts against concentration of wealth and

economic disparities. Moral democracy is directed towards orientation

of the popular attitude and thinking with the concepts of right and

wrong conduct. The philosophy underlying democracy is fellow-

feeling, brotherhood and good conduct.

Democracy in Ancient India:

The Rig Veda is so committed to democratic principles and ideals that

it has made democracy a deity and aptly called it ‘Samjnana’. The term
Samjnana means the collective consciousness of the people, the
national mind to which the individual mind is to pay its homage as the
source from which it derives its potency. The hymn addressed to
Samjnana (in Rig Veda) called upon the people to gather in their
assembly (Samgachchaddhvam) and speak there in one voice
(Samvadaddhvam), in a union of minds (Sammanah), of hearts
(Samachittam), of policy (Samanmantrah), and of hopes and
aspirations (akuti).

Thus, democracy was taken to depend upon the ‘inner unity’ of its
citizens and their emotional integration. The democratic principle was
at work in different spheres of the public life—political, social and
cultural. The democratic tradition of the Vedic era governed the entire
growth of Indian polity through the ages.

Even where there was monarchy, it was a limited or constitutional

monarchy, so that the pattern of monarchy remained fundamentally
democratic. It was based on decentralisation and local autonomy. The
people formed the following appropriate associations and groups to
exercise their rights in self-government in an ascending order: kula
(clan), jati (caste), sreni (guild), puga or pura (village community) and
janapada (state).

Each group had its own rules and regulations and was working for
democracy at its respective stratum of self-government. Some of the
janapadas in ancient India were republican in form and some had
monarchical organisation. But each of them often had an assembly
(samiti)—the precursor of the modern parliament—which was
attended by the high and the low together with a view to taking
decisions about the affairs of the state. R.K. Mukherjee has remarked:
“Side by side with the monarchy, there also developed the regular
republican type of polity of which glimpses are given in different
literary texts—Brahmanical, Buddhist and Jain.” The Mahabharata
has also mentioned some republics called Samghatagana.

Five Republican Unions were called: Andhakas, Vrishnis, Yadavas,

Kukuras and Bhojas which constituted a Sangha or Union, with
Sangha Mukhya as Union President. Similarly, in the Mahabharata,
there is a reference to Ganas (republics) being governed by their
councils of leaders called Gana-Mukhyas. All these Ganas (republics)
had an extremely democratic constitution. Each had its own assembly
(parishad).

The Jain and the Buddhist texts have also referred to many erstwhile
republics and some republican confederations like Vajji (Vriji)
consisting of nine Mallakis, nine Lichhavis and eighteen Gana Rajyas
of Kashi-Koshal and other states. It has been mentioned that the death
of Mahavira was condoled with a funeral illumination arranged by 36
republics of this Vriji Confederation.

The Lichhhavis were well-known republics of those times and were

governed by the council of 7,707 Rajas, who were constitutional
monarchs. The Sakha republic was famous for giving the Buddah to
the world. Nearly 80,000 households constituted the ‘republic’ which
had a parliament (parishad) of 500 members with a President or Raja.
Some of the famous republics of the Buddhist era were: Vaisali, Pava,
Mithila and so on. While the assembly served as a legislative body,
there were executive and judicial functionaries of various sorts to
implement their decisions. A single chief was elected as office-holder
presiding over the assembly/state. He bore the title of Raja.

It is said that in ancient India, the people led a democratic way of liv-
ing although political democracy did not exist in its full form.
Incidentally, monarchy was also popular. After the sixth century,
democratic organisations started declining. Kings and monarchs often
remained engaged in wars. Since there was no strong monarch to
uphold the solidarity and unity of the country, consequently a large
number of principalities sprang up throughout the country. From the
eighth century onwards, the Mohammedans launched their invasions
till they established their rule in the twelfth century. The Muslim
rulers were autocratic.

The British rule also was against democracy. It was the Government of
India Act, 1935 that laid the foundation stone of democratic rule in In-
dia. The Congress remained in power only for two years—from 1935 to
1937. From 1940 to 1945, the British government was preoccupied
with the World War 11. The efforts for giving political freedom to India
started from 1946 till it became free in August 1947. The Constitution
of free India accepted democracy as the basis of ruling the country.

Democracy in Modern India:

Democracy in modern India is based on certain principles:
1: That every individual has his potentialities, worth, and dignity

(2) That everyone has the capacity to learn and manage his life
with others;

(3) That an individual must abide by the decisions of the majority;

(4) That every individual should have a part in making decisions;

(5) That the control and direction of democratic action lies in the
situation and not outside it;

(6) That the process of living is interactive and that all individuals
work towards commonly recognised ends; and

(7) That democracy rests on individual opportunity as well as

individual responsibility.

After independence, India decided to have democratic political system.

This system is characterised by three elements: one, there is a high
degree of autonomy; two, economic agents and religious organisations
are free from political interference; and three, competition between
various orders does not endanger integration but helps it.

Some people maintain that Indira Gandhi’s regime of 16

years-between January 1966 and October 1984-(minus three
years of Morarji Desai and Charan Singh regimes) was not
democratic but an ‘authoritarian’ regime which had three
characteristics:

(1) It required obedience to the authority of the main power-holder(s).

(2) It suppressed organised opposition and public criticism (by

declaring Emergency for two years).

(3) It had greater hold on the autonomous organisations.

Same lines
I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong.
- Mahatma Gandhi

Democracy is the road to socialism.

- Karl Marx

Democracy is an impossible thing until the power is shared by all…Even a pariah, a labourer, who makes it
possible for you to earn your living, will have his share in self-government – Swarajya or democracy.
- Mahatma Gandhi (Young India, December 1, 1927)

If liberty and equality, as is thought by some are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best
attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.
- Aristotle

Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

- George Bernard Shaw
In democracy it's your vote that counts; In feudalism it's your count that votes.
- Mogens Jallberg

Source google
politics of India
Politics of India works within the framework of the country's Constitution.
India is a parliamentary democratic secular republic in which the president
of India is the head of state & first citizen of India and the prime minister of
India is the head of government. It is based on the federal structure of
government, although the word is not used in the Constitution itself. India
follows the dual polity system, i.e. federal in nature, that consists of the
central authority at the centre and states at the periphery. The Constitution
defines the organizational powers and limitations of both central and state
governments; it is well recognised, fluid (Preamble of the Constitution being
rigid and to dictate further amendments to the Constitution) and considered
supreme, i.e. the laws of the nation must conform to it.
There is a provision for a bicameral legislature consisting of an upper
house, the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), which represents the states of
the Indian federation, and a lower house, the Lok Sabha (House of the
People), which represents the people of India as a whole. The Constitution
provides for an independent judiciary, which is headed by the Supreme
Court. The court's mandate is to protect the Constitution, to settle disputes
between the central government and the states, to settle inter-state
disputes, to nullify any central or state laws that go against the Constitution
and to protect the fundamental rights of citizens, issuing writs for their
enforcement in cases of violation.[1]
There are 543 members in the Lok Sabha, who are elected using plurality
voting (first past the post) system from 543 single-member constituencies.
There are 245 members in the Rajya Sabha, out of which 233 are elected
through indirect elections by single transferable vote by the members of the
state legislative assemblies; 12 other members are elected/nominated by
the President of India. Governments are formed through elections held
every five years (unless otherwise specified), by parties that secure a
majority of members in their respective lower houses (Lok Sabha in the
central government and Vidhan Sabha in states). India had its first general
election in 1951, which was won by the Indian National Congress, a
political party that went on to dominate subsequent elections until 1977,
when a non-Congress government was formed for the first time in
independent India. The 1990s saw the end of single-party domination and
the rise of coalition governments. The latest 17th Lok Sabha elections was
conducted in seven phases from 11 April 2019 to 19 May 2019 by the
Election commission of India. That elections once again brought back
single-party rule in the country, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) being
able to claim a majority in the Lok Sabha.[2]
In recent decades, Indian politics has become a dynastic affair.[3] Possible
reasons for this could be the party stability, absence of party organisations,
independent civil society associations that mobilise support for the parties
and centralised financing of elections.

Political parties and alliances

When compared to other democracies, India has had a large number of

political parties during its history under democratic governance. It has been
estimated that over 200 parties were formed after India became
independent in 1947. And as per the current publication report dated 23
September 2021 from the Election Commission of the India, the total
number of parties registered was 2858, with 9 national parties and 54 state
parties, and 2796 unrecognized parties working in country. [5] Leadership
2021 from Election Commission of India, the total number of parties
registered was 2858, with 8 national parties, 54 state parties and 2796
unrecognised parties. political parties in India is commonly interwoven with
well-known families whose dynastic leaders actively play the dominant role
in a party. Further, party leadership roles are often transferred to
subsequent generations in the same families. The two main parties in India
are the Bharatiya Janata Party, commonly known as the BJP, which is the
leading right-wing nationalist party, and the Indian National Congress,
commonly called the INC or Congress, which is the leading centre-left
party. These two parties currently dominate national politics, both adhering
their policies loosely to their places on the left–right political spectrum. At
present, there are eight national parties and many more state parties.
Types of political parties
Every political party in India, whether a national or regional/state party,
must have a symbol and must be registered with the Election Commission
of India. Symbols are used in the Indian political system to identify political
parties in part so that illiterate people can vote by recognizing the party
symbols.[6]
In the current amendment to the Symbols Order, the commission has
asserted the following five principles:[7]

1. A party, national or state, must have a legislative presence.

2. A national party's legislative presence must be in the Lok
Sabha. A state party's legislative presence must be in the State
Assembly.
3. A party can set up a candidate only from amongst its own
members.
4. A party that loses its recognition shall not lose its symbol
immediately but shall be allowed to use that symbol for some
time to try and retrieve its status. However, the grant of such
facility to the party will not mean the extension of other facilities
to it, as are available to recognized parties, such as free time
on Doordarshan or AIR, free supply of copies of electoral rolls,
etc.
5. Recognition should be given to a party only on the basis of its
own performance in elections and not because it is a splinter
group of some other recognized party.
A political party shall be eligible to be recognized as a national party if:[7]

1. it secures at least six percent (6%) of the valid votes polled in

any four or more states, at a general election to the Lok Sabha
or, to the State Legislative Assembly; and .
2. in addition, it wins at least four seats in the House of the
People from any State or States.
3. or it wins at least two percent (2%) seats in the House of the
People (i.e. 11 seats in the existing House having 543
members), and these members are elected from at least three
different states.
Likewise, a political party shall be entitled to be recognized as a state party,
if:
 1. it secures at least six percent (6%) of the valid votes polled in
the state at a general election, either to the Lok Sabha or to the
Legislative Assembly of the State concerned; and
2. in addition, it wins at least two seats in the Legislative
Assembly of the state concerned.
3. or it wins at least three percent (3%) of the total number of
seats in the Legislative Assembly of the state, or at least three
seats in the Assembly, whichever is more.

Party proliferation
Although a strict anti-defection law had been passed in 1984, there has
been a continued tendency amongst politicians to float their own parties
rather than join a broad based party such as the Congress or the BJP.
Between the 1984 and 1989 elections, the number of parties contesting
elections increased from 33 to 113. In the decades since, this
fragmentation has continued.

Alliances
India has a history of party alliances and breakdown of alliances. However,
there are three party alliances regularly aligning on a national level in
competing for Government positions. The member parties work in harmony
for gratifying national interests, although parties can jump ships.

• National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - Right-wing coalition led by

BJP was formed in 1998 after the elections. NDA formed a
government, although the government didn't last long
as AIADMK withdrew support from it resulting in 1999 general
elections, in which NDA won and resumed power. The coalition
government went on to complete the full five-years term,
becoming the first non-Congress government to do so.[9] In
the 2014 General Elections, NDA once again returned to powers
for the second time, with a historic mandate of 336 out of 543 Lok
Sabha seats. BJP itself won 282 seats, thereby electing Narendra
Modi as the head of the government. In a historic win, the NDA
 stormed to power for the third term in 2019 with a combined
strength of 353 seats, with the BJP itself winning an absolute
majority with 303 seats
• United Progressive Alliance (UPA) - Centre-left coalition led
by Indian National Congress (INC); this alliance was created after
the 2004 general elections, with the alliance forming the
Government. The alliance even after losing some of its members,
was re-elected in 2009 General Elections with Manmohan
Singh as head of the government. The alliance has been in the
opposition since the 2014 elections, with the INC being the
principal opposition party, but without the official status of the
Leader of Opposition since they failed to win the minimum
required seats.
• Third Front - A coalition led by parties who are opposed to both
the BJP and the Congress and view themselves as an alternative
to them.
Corruption
India has seen political corruption for decades. Democratic institutions soon
became federally owned, dissent was eliminated and a majority of citizens
paid the price. The political corruption in India is weakening its democracy
and has led to the erosion of trust by the general public in the political
system. A good amount of money is required in elections which is source of
political-capitalist nexus.
Candidate selection
Pre-election alliances are common in India with parties deciding to share
seats. This is seen mainly on a state by state basis rather than on the
national level. Candidate selection starts after seat sharing has been
agreed by alliance fellows.
Indian political parties have low level of internal party democracy and
therefore, in Indian elections, both at the state or national level, party
candidates are typically selected by the party elites, more commonly called
the party high command. The party elites use a number of criteria for
selecting candidates. These include the ability of the candidates to finance
their own election, their educational attainment, and the level of
organization the candidates have in their respective constituencies. Quite
often the last criterion is associated with candidate criminality.
Local governance
Panchayati Raj Institutions or Local self-government bodies play a crucial
role in Indian politics, as it focuses on grassroot-level administration in
India.
On 24 April 1993, the Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 came
into force to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institutions.
This Act was extended to Panchayats in the tribal areas of eight states,
namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan from 24 December 1996.
The Act aims to provide a three-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States
having a population of over 2 million, to hold Panchayat elections regularly
every five years, to provide reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes,
Scheduled Tribes and Women, to appoint State Finance Commission to
make recommendations as regards the financial powers of the Panchayats
and to constitute District Planning Committee to prepare a draft
development plan for the district.
Role of political parties
.

As with any other democracy, political parties represent different sections

among the Indian society and regions, and their core values play a major
role in the politics of India. Both the executive branch and the legislative
branch of the government are run by the representatives of the political
parties who have been elected through the elections. Through the electoral
process, the people of India choose which representative and which
political party should run the government. Through elections, any party may
gain simple majority in the lower house. Coalitions are formed by the
political parties in case no single party gains a simple majority in the
lower house. Unless a party or a coalition have a majority in the
lower house, a government cannot be formed by that party or the
coalition.
India has a multi-party system, where there are a number of
national as well as regional parties. A regional party may gain a
majority and rule a particular state. If a party is represented in
more than 4 states, it would be labelled a national party (subject
to other criteria above). Out of the 72 years of India's
independence, India has been ruled by the Congress party for 53
years as of January 2020.
The party enjoyed a parliamentary majority save for two brief
periods during the 1970s and late 1980s. This rule was
interrupted between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata
Party coalition won the election owing to public discontent with
the controversial state of emergency declared by the then Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi. The Janata Dal won elections in 1989, but
its government managed to hold on to power for only two years.
Between 1996 and 1998, there was a period of political flux with
the government being formed first by the nationalist BJP followed
by a left-leaning United Front coalition. In 1998, the BJP formed
the National Democratic Alliance with smaller regional parties,
and became the first non-INC and coalition government to
complete a full five-year term. The 2004 elections saw the INC
winning the largest number of seats to form a government leading
the United Progressive Alliance, and supported by left-parties and
those opposed to the BJP.
On 22 May 2004, Manmohan Singh[14] was appointed the prime
minister of India following the victory of the INC and the left front
in the 2004 Lok Sabha election. The UPA ruled India without the
support of the left front. Previously, Atal Bihari Vajpayee[15] had
taken office in October 1999 after a general election in which a
BJP-led coalition of 13 parties called the National Democratic
Alliance emerged with a majority. In May 2014, Narendra Modi of
BJP was elected as the prime minister.
Formation of coalition governments reflects the transition in Indian
politics away from the national parties toward smaller, more
narrowly based regional parties. Some regional parties, especially
in South India, are deeply aligned to the ideologies of the region
unlike the national parties and thus the relationship between the
central government and the state government in various states
has not always been free of rancour. Disparity between the
ideologies of the political parties ruling the centre and the state
leads to severely skewed allocation of resources between the
states.
Political issues
Social issues

The lack of homogeneity in the Indian population causes division among

different sections of the people based
on religion, region, language, caste and ethnicity. This has led to the rise of
political parties with agendas catering to one or a mix of these groups.
Parties in India also target people who are not in favour of other parties and
use them as an asset.
Some parties openly profess their focus on a particular group. For example,
the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's and the All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam's focus on the Dravidian population
and Tamil identity; Biju Janata Dal's championing of Odia culture; the Shiv
Sena's pro-Marathi agenda; Naga People's Front's demand for protection
of Naga tribal identity; Telugu Desam Party's formation in the erstwhile
Andhra Pradesh by N. T. Rama Rao demanding for rights and needs of
people of the state only. Some other parties claim to be universal in nature,
but tend to draw support from particular sections of the population. For
example, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (translated as National People's Party)
has a votebank among the Yadav and Muslim population of Bihar, while
the Samajwadi Party has the same votebank in Uttar Pradesh and the All
India Trinamool Congress does not have any significant support
outside West Bengal.
The narrow focus and votebank politics of most parties, even in the central
government and state legislature, supplements national issues such as
economic welfare and national security. Moreover, internal security is also
threatened as incidences of political parties instigating and leading violence
between two opposing groups of people is a frequent occurrence.
Economic problems

Door-to-door campaigning of NCP party workers

Economic issues like poverty, unemployment and development are the
main issues that influence politics. Garibi Hatao (eradicate poverty) has
been a slogan of the Congress for a long time. BJP encourages a free
market economy. The more popular slogan in this field is Sabka Saath,
Sabka Vikas (Cooperation with all, progress of all). The Communist Party
of India (Marxist) vehemently supports left-wing politics like land-for-
all, right to work and strongly opposes neoliberal policies such
as globalisation, capitalism and privatisation.
Law and order[edit]
Terrorism, Naxalism, religious violence and caste-related violence are
important issues that affect the political environment of the Indian nation.
Stringent anti-terror legislation such as TADA, POTA and MCOCA have
received much political attention, both in favour and against, and some of
these laws were disbanded eventually due to human rights
violations.[16] However, UAPA was amended in 2019 to negative effect vis-
á-vis human rights.
Terrorism has affected politics India since its conception, be it the terrorism
supported from Pakistan or the internal guerrilla groups such as Naxalites.
In 1991 the former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during an
election campaign.[17] The suicide bomber was later linked to the Sri
Lankan terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as it was later
revealed the killing was an act of vengeance for Rajiv Gandhi sending
troops in Sri Lanka against them in 1987.[17]
The Godhra train killings and the Babri Masjid demolition on 6 December
1992 resulted in nationwide communal riots in two months, with worst
occurring in Mumbai with at least 900 dead.[17][18] The riots were followed
by 1993 Bombay bombings, which resulted in more deaths.
Law and order issues, such as action against organised crime are issues
which do not affect the outcomes of elections. On the other hand, there is a
criminal–politician nexus. Many elected legislators have criminal cases
against them. In July 2008, the Washington Post reported that nearly a
fourth of the 540 Indian Parliament members faced criminal charges,
"including human trafficking, child prostitution, immigration
rackets, embezzlement, rape and even murder".[19]
High political offices in India
The Constitution of India lays down that the Head of State and Union
Executive is the president of India. They are elected for a five-year term by
an electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament
and members of legislative assemblies of the states. The president is
eligible for re-elections; however, in India's independent history, only one
president has been re-elected – Dr Rajendra Prasad, who was also the first
President of India.
The president appoints the prime minister of India from the party or
coalition which commands maximum support of the Lok Sabha, on whose
recommendation he/she nominates the other members of the Union
Council of Ministers. The president also appoints judges of the Supreme
Court and High Courts. It is on the president's recommendation that the
Houses of Parliament meet, and only the president has the power to
dissolve the Lok Sabha. Furthermore, no bill passed by Parliament can
become law without the president's assent.
However, the role of the president of India is largely ceremonial. All the
powers of the president mentioned above are exercised on
recommendation of the Union Council of Ministers, and the president does
not have much discretion in any of these matters. The president also does
not have discretion in the exercise of their executive powers, as the real
executive authority lies in the Cabinet.
On 25 July 2022, Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as India's new president,
becoming India's first tribal president. Although largely ceremonial post,
Murmu’s election as tribal woman was historic.[20]
Vice President of India[edit]
Main article: Vice President of India
The office of the vice-president of India is constitutionally the second most
senior office in the country, after the president. The vice-president is also
elected by an electoral college, consisting of members of both houses of
Parliament. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the first Vice President of
India.
Like the president, the role of the vice-president is also ceremonial, with no
real authority vested in him/her. The vice-president fills in a vacancy in the
office of president (till the election of a new president). The only regular
function is that the vice-president functions as the ex officio Chairman of
time of appointment or must get elected/nominated to either House within six months of their
appointment. the Rajya Sabha. No other duties/powers are vested in the
office. The current vice-president is Jagdeep Dhankhar.[21]
The Prime Minister and the Union Council of Ministers[edit]
Further information: Prime Minister of India, Union Council of Ministers,
and Second Modi ministry
The Union Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister, is the body
with which the real executive power resides. The prime minister is the
recognized head of the government. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first
Prime Minister of India as well as the longest serving Prime Minister of
India till date.
The Union Council of Ministers is the body of ministers with which the
prime minister works with on a day-to-day basis. Work is divided between
various ministers into various departments and ministries. The Union
Cabinet is a smaller body of senior ministers which lies within the Union
Council of Ministers, and is the most powerful set of people in the country,
playing an instrumental role in legislation and execution alike.
All members of the Union Council of Ministers must be members of either
House of Parliament at the
It is the Union Cabinet that co-ordinates all foreign and domestic
policy of the Union. It exercises immense control over
administration, finance, legislation, military, etc. The Head of the
Union Cabinet is the prime minister. The current prime minister of
India is Narendra Modi.

Conclusion
As a true citizen it’s in your hands and you should always stand out and
point out corruption, unethical activities, illegal things etc. It’s our duty and
rights being a citizen of democratic nation. This is the beauty of our
constitutional frame work compared to other types.