Related InterviewSolutions

• Can we draw the following conclusions from the information given in this chapter? Give two facts to support your position for each of these.a. Election Commission of India does not have enough powers to conduct free and fair elections in the country.b. There is a high level of popular participation in the elections in our country.c. It is very easy for the party in power to win an election.d. Many reforms are needed to make our elections completely free and fair.
• The table below gives the proportion of different communities among the candidates who won elections to the US Congress. Compare these to the proportion of these communities in the population of the US. Based on this would you suggest a system of reservations in the US Congress? If yes, why and for which communities? If no, why not?
• Here are some reports of electoral malpractices from different parts of the world. Is there anything that these countries can learn from India to improve their elections? What would you suggest in each case?(a) During an election in Nigeria, the officer-in-charge of counting votes deliberately increased the votes of one candidate and declared him elec9ted. The court later found out that more than 5 lakh votes cast for one candidate were counted in favour of another.(b) Just before the elections in Fiji, a pamphlet was distributed warning voters that a vote for former Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry will lead to bloodshed. This was a threat to voters of Indian origin.(c) In the US, each state has its own method of voting, its own procedure of counting and it own authority for conducting elections. Authorities in the state of Florida took many controversial decisions that favoured Mr. Bush in the Presidential elections in 2000. But no one could change those decisions.
• Which of these is not a good reason to say that Indian elections are democratic?a. India has the largest numbers of voters in the world.b. India’s election commission is very powerful.c. In India, everyone above the age of 18 has a right to vote.d. In India, the losing parties accept the electoral verdict.
• Which of the following sentiments about the reason for conducting elections are false?a. Elections enable people to judge the performance of the government.b. People select the representative of their choice in an election.c. Elections enable people to evaluate the performance of the judiciaryd. People can indicate which policies they prefer.
• Surekha is an officer-in-charge of ensuring free and fair elections in an assembly constituency in a state. Describe what she should focus on for each of the following stages of election:a. Election campaignb. Polling dayc. Counting day.
• List all the different election related activities mentioned in the chapter and arrange them in a time sequence, beginning with the first activity and ending with the last. Some of these activities are given below:Releasing election manifestos, Counting of votes, Making of voters’ list, Election campaign, Declaration of election results, Casting of votes, Ordering of re-poll, Announcing election schedule, Filing nomination.
• Chinappa was convicted for torturing his wife for dowry. Satbir was held guilty of practicing untouchability. The court did not allow either of them to contest elections. Does this decision go against the principles of democratic elections?