Here are some facts on Indian elections. Comment on each of these to say whether they reflect the strength or the weakness of our electoral system: (i) The 16th Lok Sabha has 12 percent of women members.

>

>

Chapter 3

NCERT

Class 9

Political Science

Solutions

1. Here are some facts on Indian elections. Comment on each of these to say whether they reflect the strength or the weakness of our electoral system: (i) The 16th Lok Sabha has 12 percent of women members.

Question:

Here are some facts on Indian elections. Comment on each of these to say whether they reflect the strength or the weakness of our electoral system:

(i) The 16th Lok Sabha has 12 percent of women members.

(ii) The Election Commission often refuses to accept the government’s advice about when the elections should be held.

(iii)The 16th Lok Sabha has more than 440 members whose assets are more than Rs.1 crore.

(iv)After losing an election the Chief Minister said: “I respect the people’s verdict”.

Answer:

(i) The first statement shows the weakness of the electoral system because the 16th Lok Sabha has 12 per cent of women members while the population of women is nearly 50% of the total population.

(ii) The second statement shows the strength of the electoral system because here Election Commission has the power to refuse the government's advice about the election dates.

(iii)The third statement shows the weakness of our electoral system which doesn't give equal chances to both the poor and rich. The rich candidates have better chances of winning than the poor candidates.

(iv)The fourth statement shows the strength of the electoral system because it accepts the faith of both winning and losing candidates. Except for a few disputed election results, almost all the results are accepted as 'people's verdict.

More NCERT Questions

Download Free PDF

(All Q's of this Chapter solved)

question pointer

Ramesh was not in class when this chapter was being taught. He came the next day and repeated what he had heard from his father. Can you tell Ramesh what is wrong with these statements?

question pointer

Here are some reports of malpractices in Indian elections. Identify what the problem in each case is. What should be done to correct the situation?

question pointer

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?

question pointer

Chinappa was convicted of torturing his wife for dowry. Satbir was held guilty of practising untouchability. The court did not allow either of them to contest elections. Does this decision go against the principles of democratic elections?

question pointer

Can we draw the following conclusions from the information given in this chapter? Give two facts to support your position for each of these.(i) The Election Commission of India does not have enough powers to conduct free and fair elections in the country.(ii) There is a high level of popular participation in the elections in our country.(iii) It is very easy for the party in power to win an election.(iv) Many reforms are needed to make our elections completely free and fair.

question pointer

The table below gives the proportion of different communities among the candidates who won elections to the US Congress.

question pointer

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 the election:

question pointer

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:

question pointer

Match the following:

question pointer

Which of these is not a good reason to say that Indian elections are democratic?

question pointer

Which of the following statements about the reasons for conducting elections are false?

question pointer

Is this an accurate picture of what happens to the voter before and after elections? Must this always happen in a democracy? Can you think of examples when this did not happen?

question pointer

Titled ‘Electoral Campaigns’, this cartoon was drawn in the Latin American context. Does this apply to India and to other democracies in the world?

question pointer

The leader is coming out of a press conference: “What was the need to say that we have distributed tickets only amongst suitable and winnable family relations?” Do you think that family politics is confined to only a few states or parties?

question pointer

(i) EC issues notification constituting 14th Lok Sabha (ii) EC tightens norms for poll expenses

question pointer

Why does the Election Commission have so many powers? Is this good for democracy?

question pointer

Identify the fair and the unfair electoral practices among the following: (i)A minister flags off a new train in his constituency a week before polling day.

question pointer

Why are party agents present in the polling booth and the counting centre?

question pointer

Let us go back to our example of Gulbarga. In 2014, a total of 8 candidates contested elections in that constituency.

question pointer

Are the elections too expensive? You decide.

question pointer

Draw a cartoon here about the Model Code of Conduct for the guidance of political parties and candidates during elections.

question pointer

Why are the candidates required to give a detailed statement of their property?

question pointer

See the map below and answer the following questions. (i)What is the number of Lok Sabha constituencies in your state and the neighbouring two states?

question pointer

Like in Panchayats, should we not have at least one-third seats in the parliament and assemblies reserved for women?

question pointer

Read these two cartoons carefully. Write the message of each of them in your own words. Have a discussion in class on which of the two is closer to reality in your locality.

question pointer

Ah! So, elections are like exams where politicians and parties know if they have passed or failed. But who are the examiners?

question pointer

We have seen why democracies need to have elections. But why do rulers in non-democratic countries need to hold elections?

question pointer

Jagdeep and Navpreet read the story of the Haryana election given above and drew the following conclusions. Can you say which of these is right or wrong (or if the information given in the story is inadequate to call them right or wrong)?

question pointer

Do most leaders fulfill their election promises?

Buy Latest Books

Teacher's Specimen