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Print Media:

1. Newspapers, periodicals, journals are a few of the strongest form of print media that helps in gathering public opinion.
2. These media play in vital role helping people know about incidences, events and situations taking place at national level as well as international level.
3. By reading the printed information, people form their opinions either in favour or against the information printed.
4. Although it is important to note how people perceive this information. In other words, the same piece of information can create multiple viewpoints among people with some favouring and some against.
5. Irrespective of the opinion people form, it should be true, firm and unbiased.
6. Since, most people are unaware of the actual facts, the print media can alter public opinion by presenting biased or false information.
7. It is absolutely necessary to have ‘freedom of press’. Doing so, the media can boldly present both the achievements as well as failures of the government without pressure or fear. This will in turn let people create their true opinion i.e. public opinion.
8. India is a large and diverse nation in terms of literacy, language and culture, etc. For example, there are states and regions that are very backward and have very low level of literacy.
9. To canter such a diverse nation several regional newspapers are also printed. Regional newspapers play a crucial role in gathering public opinion of such regions.
10. At present, print media in cultivating public opinion in regions having less literacy.
11. To overcome this problem various organizations, industrial groups and political parties publish their own diaries or circulars in regional languages for even very small regions.
12. Apart from all these, the government also publishes various periodicals and issues providing important information to gather public opinion.

Electronic Media:

1. Audiovisual media like the radio, television, cinema, computer, laptop, smartphones, etc. are parts of important electronic media in cultivating public opinion.
2. Although electronic media works best for all types of people but it is more effective in the regions where literacy is less.
3. Radio and television are considered far more effective than newspapers and periodicals.
4. Radio and television broadcasts live incidents taking place at national as well as international level.
5. In recent times FM radio channels have boomed up. These channels also play an important role in cultivating public opinion.
6. Electronic surveys on TV, internet and radio also help to create public opinion.
7. Opinion polls are presented during the elections and people are asked to vote for their opinion. Opinion polls help to estimate how much do people favour or criticise an event or a political party, candidate, etc.
8. These media together can transmit the achievements and failures of the government to people at large, both at urban regions and also at the most extreme regions of the country.

1. Election is the foundation of democracy.

2. It is also the most important event on which the democracy exists.

3. We can see an environment similar to festival during elections.

4. Based on the past work records people can evaluate the performance of the candidates during the elections.

5. Any citizen who fulfills the pre-requisite to contest elections can do so,

6. It is not compulsory for a candidate to belong to any political party for contesting election.

7. In Indian democracy, the Parliament is the apex body whereas ‘the Gram Panchayat’ it is basis foundation block.

8. Over and above elections for state and national level, the elections are also held in the local governing bodies like the Gram Panchayat, Taluka Panchayat and District Panchayat.

9. At upper level, elections are held in Municipalities in towns and Municipal Corporations in cities.

10. Elections are extremely important for both, the political parties as well as the candidates.

11. Elections bring in new political set up and political waves. They are contested by political parties, independent candidates, as well as a coalition of political parties.

12. Election gives a picture of a country’s social and economic environment.

13. Election decides the future of the government.

14. The winning candidate and party obtain as well as maintain power by the support of the people i.e., through their votes.

15. Thus, election is the lifeline of our democracy.

Public opinion is formed,

gathered and circulated through the following mediums:

• Print Media: Newspapers, periodicals and a journals are a few of the strongest form of print media.
• Electronic Media: Radio, TV, Computer and Laptops, Cinema, Mobile Phones, etc.

1. India is a democratic country.

2. The candidate and his party that wins the election would like to regain and retain its power in future too.

3. For this, it is extremely important for the political parties to connect with the people. By connecting with people they can know the opinion of people for the parties and candidates. This is called public opinion.

4. Public opinion helps the candidates and parties to maintain and run the government, frame policies to know views on various questions related to many problems, etc.

5. It is highly essential for political parties, representatives and organizations.

6. Strong and organised public opinion is very important in a democracy.

7. It can open the curtain from the poor functioning of the government.

8. The voice of public can create such a condition where in the government cannot afford to misrule or neglected the country.

9. Public opinion also makes people aware about right or wrong at of the government. The alert, awaken and intelligent public then cannot be misled by the government.

D. Print media

1. To cultivate the human psyche and to create a strong public opinion the various information and broadcasting agencies are very useful.

2. In today’s world newspapers, periodicals and journals hold utmost importance in facilitating people to know more about incidences, events and situations.

3. Audiovisual media like the radio, television, cinema etc. are important in cultivating public opinion.

4. A public opinion can be created through the serials, dramas and movies which can help portray socio-economic as well as other problems like untouchability, dowry, exploitation and poverty in an entertaining manner.

5. In today’s world apart from television the arrival and spread of internet has helped people to enjoy news, serials, dramas and movies sitting comfortably in their homes.

6. All these media can create an adverse effect through the presentation of distorted, obscene and violent information.

7. Today in the fast-moving age of technology people can stay in constant touch with each other through the medium of internet or smartphone and exchange thoughts as well as ideas.

8. Television, radio, personalized radio i.e., FM plays a special role in cultivating public opinion in modem times.

1. True

2. True

3. False

4. True

5. False

6. True

7. True

1. The voter is very important in a democracy. The Constitution of India guarantees a right to vote to a person of 18 years of age or above even amidst illiteracy, poverty and similar issues. It is the duty of every citizen to vote without greed or fear. Every voter should cast his vote considering it as his right as well as his duty as a citizen.

2. Parliamentary democracy is unique and important because the governance of the country is based on parliamentary democracy e.g., India. The leader of the majority party in Lok Sabha is appointed as the Prime Minister by the President of India. The Prime Minister forms the Government. This Government is totally answerable and accountable to the Lok Sabha. The government remains in power as long as it enjoys the confidence of the majority of the members in the Lok Sabha.

1. A strong and well-organized public opinion is necessary for democracy because in democracy, government gains its power through people, i.e., via public opinion. Strong, genuine and united public opinion a very important role in securing power and forming and maintaining government. Moreover, effective public opinion restricts the government from misusing or misruling the country. Hence, it is said that effective and unified public opinion is sheer necessity of democracy.

2. There is multi-party system in India because political parties are very important in a democracy for efficient governance. In our country, we have various large and small parties at national and regional levels. Hence, we can say that in India, there is a multi-party democracy.

1. (E)

2. (D)

3. (A)

4. (C)

5. (B)

1. Universal

2. one person one vote

3. Elections

4. public opinion

5. barometer

6. national

B. One person one vote

National Party:

1. A party that secures at least 6% of total votes in the Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four states and wins at least 2 seats is recognized as a national party.
2. These parties which will have influence in less than three states.
3. These parties raise issues of national importance.
4. Example: INC, BJP, BSP, CPI-M, CPI, NCP and AITC

Regional Party:

1. A party that secures at least 6% of total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least 4 seats is recognized as a regional party/state party.
2. These parties will have influence in less than three states.
3. These parties raise issues of regional importance.
4. Example: Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, DMK, AIADMK, etc.

Although there are seven national and 52 regional parties, are recognized by Election Commission as of March, 2019:

(a) National Parties:

1. The Indian National Congress (INC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are the two biggest and hence major national political parties of India.
2. Other important national parties are Bahujan Samaj Wadi Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Part of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), National Congress Party (NCP) and All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).

(b) Regional Parties:

Shiv Sena, Samaj wadi Party (SP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Janta Dal-United (JDU), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), etc are regional parties.

1. India is a very large country with largest democracy in the world. Hence, there are several political parties in India.
2. Depending on the criteria set by the Election Commission, the parties can be
3. classified as:

• National Parties and
• Regional Parties.

1. Secret ballot is a ballot in which people can cast their votes secretly without coming under influence of any benefit, greed or fear. Others do not know which party or candidate has the voter given the vote.
2. A voter has a right to maintain the secrecy of his vote. No one can ask the voter to whom did he give his vote. Hence, secret ballot is given utmost importance in a democracy.
3. Voting is the most important of the democratic government. Hence, the Election Commission takes utmost care that all the voters across the country, even army men who are on duty at odd locations are able to vote during elections.

Method of voting:

Voting is done through two methods. 

They are:

• Voting by a ballot paper in secret ballot: The method of secret ballot is getting obsolete now since it take lot of time to count ballot papers of voters.
• Voting through an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM): It is a much faster, accurate and less tiresome method of voting. Hence, it is now widely used. Moreover, since no ballot papers are used in EVM it is also an eco-friendly method.

1. Sometimes people do not wish to cast their votes.

2. The government has recently introduced in NOTA option for such voters.

3. ‘NOTA’ stands for ‘None of the Above’.

4. A voter who does not wish to vote for any of the candidates but still wants to exercise his voting right, can select NOTA option on the EVM machine.