NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Civics Chapter 4 Electoral Politics
Textbook Exercises
Question 1.
Which of the following statements about the reasons 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 judiciary.
(d) People can indicate which policies they prefer.
Answer:
(a) true
(b) true
(c) false
(d) false.
Question 2.
Which of these is not a good reason to say that Indian elections are democratic?
(a) India has the largest number of voters in die 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.
Answer:
(a) The largest number of voters in the world are in China and not in India. On this ground, we can not say that the Indian elections are not democratic.
(b) The fact that the Election Commission is very powerful does not make the Indian elections, democratic.
Question 3.
Match the following:
| A. It is necessary to keep the voters list up to date because |
1. there is a fair representation of all sections of our society |
| B. Some constituen-cies are reserved for SCs and STs so that |
2. Everyone has equal opportunity to elect their re-presentative |
| C. Everyone has one and only one vote so that |
3. all candidates must have a fair chance of compe-ting in elections |
| D. Party in power is not allowed to use government vehicles because |
4. some people may have moved away from the area where they vote last. |
Answer:
| A. It is necessary to keep the voters list up to date because |
4. some people may have moved away from the area where they vote last. |
| B. Some constituen-cies are reserved for SCs and STs so that |
1. there is a fair representation of all sections of our society |
| C. Everyone has one and only one vote so that |
2. Everyone has equal opportunity to elect their re-presentative |
| D. Party in power is not allowed to use government vehicles because |
3. all candidates must have a fair chance of compe-ting in elections |
Question 4.
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 vote; making of voters list; election campaign; declaration of election results; casting of votes; ordering of re-poll; announcing election schedule; filing nomination.
Answer:
Making of voters list, announcing elections, filing nomination, releasing election manifests, election campaign, casting of votes, ordering re-poll, counting of votes, declaration of election results.
Question 5.
Surekha is an officer in-charge of ensuring free and fair elections in an assembly constituency in a state. Describe what should she focus on for each of the following stages of election”:
(a) Election campaign
(b) Polling day
(c) Counting day.
Answer:
(a) She should focus on the observance of election rules in election campaign.
(b) She should focus that all arrangements have been done necessary for polling day.
(c) She should focus on the fact that all arrangements for counting of votes have been done.
Question 6.
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?
|
Proportion of the community (in per cent) in the |
|
House of Representatives |
Population of US |
| Blacks |
8 |
13 |
| Hispanics |
5 |
13 |
| Whites |
86 |
70 |
Answer:
A system of representations in the US Congress is required. The whites have a population of 70% while their representation is 86%. Hispanics are 13% of the population while they are only 5% in the US Congress. Similar, though less, representation of blacks is there is the US Congress Democracy demands population be represented, as J. S. Mill had said, proportionately and not disproportionately.
Question 7.
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.
Answer:
(a) Election Commission should be given enough powers (i) to conduct elections fair and free, (ii) to see that the political parties conduct themselves according to the laws.
(b) (i) Popular participation strengthen democracy;
(ii) It helps people attain political education.
(c) (i) Parties do election campaigning;
(ii) They issue their election manifestos on the eve of elections.
(d) (i) Election identity cards be issued to stop lake voting;
(ii) Money and muscle power need to be discouraged.
Question 8.
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?
Answer:
This decision of the court disallowing Chinappa and Satbir to contest elections is not against the principles of democratic elections. The court has the power to give such a decision.
Question 9.
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 elected. The court later found out that more than five lakh votes cast for one candidate were counted in favour of another.
(b) Just before elections of Fiji, a pamphlet was distributed warning voters that a vote for former Prime Minister, Mahendra Chowdhary 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 its 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.
Answer:
(a) The officer in charge of counting should learn form the Indian election system that he has no such power. The officer has to see that the votes are counted in an honest manner.
(b) Such a pamphlet is against the democratic spirit. Mahendra Chaudhary was a Fiji citizen, though he was of Indian origin. No one should have the right to dissuade, through threats, voters.
(c) All elections rules should be uniform- and should be uniformly, applied. This is what is the essence of democracy.
Question 10.
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?
(a) Following the announcement of elections, the minister promised to provide financial aid to reopen the closed sugar mill.
(b) Opposition parties alleged that their statements and campaign was not given due attention in Doordarshan and All India Radio.
(c) An inquiry by the Election Commission showed that electoral rolls of a state contain names of 20 lakh fake voters.
(d) The hoodlums of a political party were moving with guns, physically preventing supporters of pther political parties to meet the voters and attacking meetings of other parties.
Answer:
(a) This is against election rules. After the announcement of elections/announcement of any benefit amounts to influencing the voters. Miniters’s activity was against the election norms.
(b) All the political parties, opposition including, should be given due attention by the governmental media. The complaint of the opposition parties was perfectly in order.
(c) Electoral list has to be correctly prepared. Hence fake votes have to be deleted. The preparation of the electoral list has to be done much before the elections.
(d) Muscle power, during election, is against the election norms. Strict laws should be strictly applied.
Question 11.
Aran was not in class when this chapter was being taught He came the next day and repeated what he had heard form his father. Can you tell Ramesh what is wrong with these statements?
(a) Women always vote the way men tell them to. So what is the point of giving them to right to vote?
(b) Party politics creates tension in society. Elections should be decided by consensus not be competition.
(c) Only graduates should be allowed to stand as candidates for elections,
Answer:
(a) The statement is wrong. Women do not vote, as their men-folk tell them. If they do so, so do the men when their women folk tell them. Should we deny men the right to vote.
(b) The statement is wrong. It is almost impossible to have elections without political parties. Partyless democracy is an impossibility.
(c) The statement is wrong. Giving the educational qualifications as requisite for contesting elections is not accepted these days.
These Solutions are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Civics Chapter 4 Electoral Politics.
