LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Greetings Delegates,
It is with utmost pleasure that we welcome you to the first edition of
The Voice MUN. Being the Executive Board members, it gives us
immense pleasure to welcome you all to this simulation of the All India
Political Party Meet on October 23, 2023. We hope the committee
members will have a successful and productive session, foster
meaningful discussions, and find solutions to the misuse of political
power.
We are immensely excited to meet the future leaders who would not
only ensure a fruitful discussion on the importance of political power
but also encourage an individualistic approach toward electing the right
representatives. This background guide will give you a comprehensive
overview of the committee’s responsibilities as well as the ongoing
issue of “Misuse of political power with special emphasis on criminal
cases.”
So, this October let’s all work towards strengthening democracy; this
October let’s witness the misuse of power; this October let’s have a
commitment to elect accountable leaders. We keenly look forward to
meeting you at the conference.
We request you not to be hesitant in reaching out to us in case of any
queries. We are intended to provide you with the best possible
assistance throughout the session.

Best Regards,
Executive Board
What does political power mean?
The definition of political power in governance is the capacity of an
individual or group of individuals to shape the attitudes, behaviours,
and way of thinking of a country's citizens.This power may be rightfully
granted to an organisation by the citizens of a country that has social
control.Illegitimate political authority refers to power that has been
obtained through unethical or unlawful means.

What does government power mean?

In a government, power refers to the authority of a person or
organisation to exercise power through decision-making, issuing
commands, and requiring obedience.This authority can be put to good
use, for example, advancing a country's interests and advancing society
as a whole.If authority is vested in the wrong hands, political power can
be abused.
Ways to Gain power
There are several ways to gain power. The most popular paths for
people or groups to obtain political power in the modern world are
listed below:
1 - coercive or forceful methods
2 - utilising representational or democratic methods
3 - Majoritarianism is the system in which the majority of members of a
government or organisation make all of the final decisions.

4 - Elitism is a philosophy of political power that holds that those with

the greatest wealth have the greatest influence on politics and shape
society.
4 - Pluralism: Influential groups or those that have been granted
authority hold political sway.

Political Abuse
The Union government cleared an ordinance that throws a lifeline to convicted
legislators. Once it becomes effective, convicted lawmakers will not face
immediate disqualification. The ordinance nullifies a ruling issued by the Supreme
Court on 10 July,2023. The court had held that Section 8(4) of the Representation
of the People (RP) Act, 1951 was unconstitutional. The section provides that if a
legislator is disqualified, then this order will not come into force for three months.
In addition, if an appeal is made by such a legislator during this period, then until
the appeal is disposed off, the disqualification shall remain stayed. Once the
President signs this ordinance, the original position under the RP Act shall be
restored.

Excluding the two ordinances meant to overcome cases of disqualification of

legislators, the Union government has issued eight ordinances. This is the highest
number of ordinances issued in any year since 2009 when the United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) government was voted back to power again. These numbers are, by
historical standards of Indian legislatures, not very high. There is a history of
abuse of this power in India: state legislatures in the past relied on what has been
called an “ordinance raj".

Examples
1 - Delimitation is the process of demarcation of the boundaries of parliamentary
or assembly constituencies. According to the Constitution, the number of seats
allocated to each state in the Lok Sabha is dependent on its population. The
Constitution also calls for the reallocation of seats after every Census. However,
because of decisions taken by subsequent governments and Parliaments —
starting with Indira Gandhi in 1976 and then Vajpayee in 2002 — the last such
exercise was carried out after the 1971 Census. According to the Constitution
(84th Amendment) Act, 2002, there is a freeze on readjustment of constituencies
till the first Census after 2026.
2 - Indira Gandhi’s government declared a state of emergency in India on 25 June
1975. Democracy was restored only after nearly two years on 21st March 1977.
Indira Gandhi ‘advised’ the then President of the country Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to
declare a state of internal emergency in India using Article 352.
The Emergency was declared without warning on the midnight of 25th June and
the country woke up to the death of democracy. A national emergency was being
declared in India for the third time, the first two times were during the wars with
China and Pakistan in 1962 and 1971 respectively. In 1971, Indira Gandhi’s won
the general elections with a huge majority. She had won popular support with
pro-poor and leftist policies like the nationalisation of banks and the abolition of
the Privy Purse. Gandhi wielded almost autocratic control over the cabinet. She
had absolute control over the government. The 1971 war had reduced the GDP of
the country. The country also faced many droughts and an oil crisis.
Unemployment rates had also spiked up.
 VALID SOURCES
1. Government Reports
2. Home Ministry Reports
3. Asian News International
4. Press Trust of India
5. Press Information Bureau
6. The Wire
7. Oneindia