Elections - Social Science Class 9 In English

Chapter 7. Elections

NCERT Textbook Solutions

Question 1. What reforms have been introduced by the ECI to make voting more inclusive for the following groups?

(a) People with Disabilities

Answer: The Election Commission of India has introduced several measures to make voting accessible for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). These include customised services through the Saksham App, assistance in voter registration and finding polling stations, accessible infrastructure and the use of facilities such as EVMs with Braille. During the 2024 General Elections, voting from home was extended across India to persons with disabilities having a benchmark disability of 40%.

(b) Service Voters

Answer: The ECI uses the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) for service voters. It enables them to receive and cast their postal ballot electronically from a location outside their originally assigned constituency.

(c) Senior Citizens above 85 years of age

Answer: During the 2024 General Elections, voting from home was extended across India for senior citizens above 85 years of age. This enabled eligible senior citizens to exercise their voting right without having to travel to the polling station.

(d) Prisoners

Answer: The chapter's question asks students to find out the relevant provisions concerning prisoners. The chapter does not provide a specific reform for prisoners in the preceding discussion, so their voting provision should be studied separately rather than inferred from the other inclusive measures.

(e) Persons in preventive detention

Answer: The chapter's discussion does not provide a specific reform concerning persons in preventive detention. Therefore, the answer should be based on the relevant electoral provisions rather than assuming that the general accessibility measures apply to this group.

Question 2. What are the various functions of the Election Commission of India? Which of these functions is most important for the conduct of free and fair elections? Explain.

Answer: The Election Commission of India performs several important functions for conducting elections:

• It prepares and revises electoral rolls.
• It conducts Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
• It decides the election schedule and dates.
• It registers and recognises political parties according to specified criteria.
• It allocates election symbols.
• It oversees the conduct of elections.
• It regulates various aspects of the electoral process.
• It supervises counting of votes and declaration of election results.
• It addresses certain disputes relating to recognition of political parties and allotment of symbols.
• It undertakes measures to make elections more inclusive and accessible.

For free and fair elections, no single function should be viewed in isolation. The preparation of accurate electoral rolls, impartial conduct of polling, regulation of the electoral process, counting of votes and declaration of results all contribute to the fairness and credibility of elections. The Constitution gives the ECI the superintendence, direction and control of the entire electoral process.

Question 3. Elections are the soul of a democracy. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Answer: Elections are an essential part of democracy because they give citizens an opportunity to choose their representatives and participate in the formation of government. They also enable citizens to hold elected representatives accountable through periodic elections.

However, the democratic value of elections depends on the manner in which they are conducted. Elections need to be free, fair, transparent, inclusive, impartial and trustworthy. Laws, the Election Commission, political parties, voters and other stakeholders all have important roles in maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.

Therefore, elections are central to democracy, but simply holding elections is not enough. Their democratic value depends on ensuring that citizens can meaningfully and fairly exercise their electoral rights.

Question 4. Explain at least three differences between the national and state/regional political parties.

Answer: National and State political parties can be distinguished on the basis of their recognition and electoral performance:

• Area of recognition: A national party is recognised at the national level according to the criteria laid down by the Election Commission, whereas a state party is recognised in a particular state according to specified criteria.
• Electoral performance: The criteria for national party recognition involve electoral performance across multiple states, while state party recognition is based on electoral performance in the concerned state.
• Geographical presence: National party recognition requires meeting specified conditions involving more than one state, whereas a state party's recognition is connected to its electoral performance within a particular state.
• Recognition criteria: The ECI has separate criteria for national and state party recognition involving vote percentages and seats won.

The chapter also identifies Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPP) as a separate category for parties that have not fulfilled the required conditions for recognition or have not contested elections since registration.

Question 5. Why should you vote? Arrange the following in the descending order of your choice. Discuss the reasons for your choice.

(a) Opportunity to choose my representative
(b) Makes me a responsible person
(c) Opportunity to change the non-performing representative
(d) Strengthens democracy

Answer: The textbook asks students to arrange these reasons according to their own choice. A fixed order is therefore not required by the chapter. The importance of each reason can be explained as follows:

• Opportunity to choose my representative: Voting enables citizens to participate directly in choosing their representatives.
• Strengthens democracy: Elections provide citizens with an equal voice in the formation of government and therefore contribute to democratic functioning.
• Opportunity to change a non-performing representative: Periodic elections allow citizens to exercise their choice again and hold elected representatives accountable.
• Makes me a responsible person: Voting is presented in the chapter as both a constitutional right and a responsibility of citizens.

Question 6. What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative of the ECI? Explain the objectives and the necessity of conducting SIR.

Answer: Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an initiative of the Election Commission of India for updating, verifying and correcting electoral rolls.

The main objectives of SIR are:

• To ensure that eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll.
• To ensure that ineligible persons are not included.
• To add eligible young voters who have recently turned 18.
• To remove names because of death, change of residence, duplicate enrolment or permanent untraceability.
• To provide an opportunity for citizens to raise claims and objections.

SIR is necessary because electoral rolls need to remain accurate and updated. Accurate electoral rolls help ensure that eligible citizens can exercise their voting rights and contribute to a fair and trustworthy electoral process.

Question 7. Match the political party name with its symbol.

Answer: According to the table given in the textbook:

Question 8. Read the case study of Ishani and answer the following questions.

(a) What initiatives were taken by the ECI to enable the voters to cast their vote?

Answer: Several initiatives are reflected in Ishani's experience:

• She was able to register as a voter through the ECI's online portal.
• A wheelchair was available for her disabled elder brother.
• Volunteers guided voters to the polling booth.
• Ishani was able to establish her identity using an alternative document when she did not have her Voter ID card or Aadhaar card.
• She was able to see the VVPAT slip after casting her vote.
• Her 89-year-old grandmother was able to vote from home.

These examples demonstrate efforts to make the electoral process accessible and inclusive.

(b) If Ishani was allowed to vote even without carrying her Voter ID card or Aadhaar card, which other document might she be carrying that is valid for voting?

Answer: The passage states that Ishani's identity was verified using an alternative document. The exact document is not specified in the case study. Therefore, the answer should be identified from the officially prescribed list of alternative identity documents applicable to that election rather than inferred from the passage.

(c) Cite the examples of violations of the Model Code of Conduct.

Answer: The case describes wall writing, campaign posters pasted widely, campaigners distributing pamphlets and groups raising slogans in support of candidates on the day before the election. These activities are the examples presented in the case for students to examine in relation to the Model Code of Conduct.

(d) Give a suitable title to the passage.

Answer: “An Inclusive and Accessible Voting Experience” is a suitable title because the passage describes first-time voting, voter registration, accessibility for a person with disability, alternative identity verification, VVPAT and voting from home for an elderly voter.

(e) Find out how the police and army personnel cast their votes.

Answer: The passage raises this as an activity for students to find out separately. The chapter itself discusses ETPBS for service voters, which enables eligible service voters to receive and cast postal ballots electronically from outside their assigned constituency. The exact voting procedure applicable to particular police or armed forces personnel depends on their classification as eligible service voters and the applicable electoral provisions.

Question 9. A comparative chart of three countries is given below. Based on the information in the chart, answer the questions.

(a) What is the difference between having a voting right in a country with a multi-party system and another with a single-party system?

Answer: In the country with a multi-party system, voters have political choices among different political parties contesting elections. In the country with a single-party system described in the chart, only one political party is available. Therefore, the range of political choices available to voters differs between the two systems.

(b) In which of the above countries would you like to stay and why?

Answer: This is an opinion-based question intended for classroom discussion. Students should examine the political and economic information given in the chart and provide their own reasoned response.

Question 10. What are the challenges to conducting free and fair elections?

Answer: Conducting free and fair elections in India is challenging because elections involve more than 96.8 crore voters, thousands of polling stations, hundreds of political parties and diverse geographical and socio-economic conditions.

The chapter specifically identifies the following challenges:

• Misinformation
• Fake news
• Intimidation
• Difficulties related to accessibility
• Ensuring accurate counting of votes
• Maintaining public confidence in electoral institutions

These challenges are addressed through measures such as the Representation of the People Acts, the Model Code of Conduct, EVMs, VVPAT, voter-awareness campaigns, technology-assisted electoral services and active citizen participation.

Question 11. On the Stage — School Elections

Answer: The activity asks students to conduct a mock election in school for the posts of Head Girl, Head Boy and Sports Captain. Different students can take different roles:

• Election Commissioner: Supervises the overall electoral process and ensures that the election is conducted according to the rules.
• Returning Officer: Manages the election process in the assigned area and oversees important procedural arrangements.
• Polling Officer: Manages the polling station and verifies voters according to the rules.
• Polling Agent: Represents a candidate at the polling station and observes the polling process.
• Candidate: Contests the election and presents their ideas or programme to voters.
• Campaigner: Communicates the candidate's ideas and campaign message to voters.
• Police Personnel: Helps maintain order and security at the polling place.
• Journalist: Reports the election process and important developments objectively.

The mock election should demonstrate the principles of free, fair and transparent elections.

Question 12. Try and make videos or audios on topics like: My Vote My Nation; No Voter to Be Left Behind; How to Eliminate the Ill of Money Power, etc.

Answer: This is a creative activity. A suitable short presentation on “No Voter to Be Left Behind” could explain that democracy becomes more inclusive when eligible citizens, including Persons with Disabilities and senior citizens, are able to participate in elections. The presentation may mention accessible polling facilities, EVMs with Braille, home voting for eligible senior citizens and PwDs, and other ECI initiatives described in the chapter.

Question 13. Select one national or state political party. Using authentic and reliable sources, prepare a comparative chart of the last two State Legislative Assembly elections.

Answer: This is a research-based activity. The textbook asks students to use reliable sources such as the Election Commission of India website, the official website of the selected political party and newspapers.

The comparative chart should include:

The sources used should be clearly cited with the comparative data.

Question 14. Do you think ‘One Nation, One Election’ can improve the efficiency of the electoral process? Discuss its potential advantages and limitations.

Answer: This is a discussion-based question. The textbook asks the class to divide into two groups—one examining potential advantages and the other analysing limitations.

Potential advantages to examine:

• Possible reduction in the frequency of elections.
• Possible administrative and logistical efficiencies.
• Opportunity to examine whether election-related expenditure and deployment of personnel could be reduced.
• Possibility of reducing repeated disruption associated with frequent elections.

Potential limitations to examine:

• Different State and Union electoral cycles would need to be coordinated.
• Constitutional and legal changes may be required.
• Questions may arise regarding what happens if a government loses its majority before the common electoral cycle ends.
• The relationship between national and State-level political issues would need careful consideration.

The activity is intended to encourage students to examine both sides of the issue using constitutional, electoral and practical considerations rather than reaching a conclusion without discussion.