NCERT Solutions Class 9 Social Science Chapter 3 Electoral Politics

Q1.    Which of the following statements about the reasons for conducting elections is 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.

Ans.

c. Elections enable people to evaluate the performance of the judiciary

Q2.    Which of these is not a good reason to say that Indian elections are democratic?

a. India has the largest number 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.

Ans.

a. India has the largest number of voters in the world.

Q3.     Match the following:

Ans.

a-1v      

b-i

c-ii      

d- iii

Q4.    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.

Ans.

The sequence of election related activities  is as follovvs -

1.  Making of voters'  list

2.  Announcing election schedule

3. Releasing election manifestos

4. Election  campaign

5. Filing nomination

6.  Casting of votes

7. Ordering  of re-poll

8. Counting  of votes

9. Declaration of election results

Q5.    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  campaign

b. Polling day

c.  Counting  day

Ans.

a.  Surekha will have to focus on various duties such as ensure that-

• candidates do not bribe or threaten voters
• expenditure limit is not crossed by a candidate
• candidates do not use caste or religion to appeal for votes
• they do not use worship place for campaign or use any government resources

b. On the polling day, Surekha will have to crosscheck the voters' list and check 10 proofs of the voters. She will have to ensure that booth capturing does not take place. She will have to make sure that the election is free and fair in all respects.

c. Surekha will have to supervise the counting process. She will have to make sure that representatives of all the political parties are present while the counting is going on. This will ensure that no malpractices take place during counting.

Q6.     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? 

Ans. 

Blacks and Hispanics should be given reservation in the US Congress as per their percentage in the US population. The table clearly shows that Blacks and Hispanics are under-represented in the House of Representatives as compared to the Whites.

Q7.     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.

Ans.

a. This is the wrong conclusion.

Reasons-

• EC implements the Code of Conduct and punishes any candidate or party that violates it.
• During election, EC can order the government to follow certain guidelines, to prevent use and misuse of governmental power to enhance its chances to win the election.

b. This is the right conclusion.

Reasons-

• In the last 50 years, voter turnout in Europe and America has decreased, but in India the turnout has either remained stable or increased.
• Interest of voters in election related activities has been

increasing over the years.

c. This is the wrong conclusion.

Reasons-

• Ruling parties routinely lose elections both at the national and state level.
• Candidates who spend a lot of money or have a criminal background often lose elections.

d. This is the right conclusion.

Reasons-

• Some candidates manage to win elections because of money power.
• In some parts of the country, candidates with criminal backgrounds manage to contest and win elections.

Q8.  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?

Ans.

This decision is not against the democratic principles. Torturing wife and practicing untouchability are serious crimes. People involved in these crimes cannot ensure security to women and the 'low castes' if voted to power.

As per recent Supreme Court directions, a person with serious criminal cases pending against him/her has to make legal declaration about the cases in detail.

Q9. 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 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 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.

Ans.

a. The Election Commission in India ensures that representatives of each candidate are present during counting of votes. In the same way, the election conducting body in Nigeria should also ensure that representatives of each candidate are present at the time of counting.

c. There should be a single election commission on the lines of India. It should be free from political influence and should be responsible for conducting elections in all the states of America.

Q10. 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 other political parties to meet the voters and attacking meetings of other parties.

Ans.

a. After announcement  of election, it is not legal to announce policy decisions according to Code of Conduct. The minister should be immediately taken to task by the Election Commission.

b. The election commission must ensure that all political parties are given equal opportunity to appear on Doordarshan and All India Radio. EC should take action against ruling party if it is misusing media.

c. The presence of the fake voters means that the elections were rigged by the authorities who prepared the electoral rolls. The election commission should supervise preparation of fresh electoral rolls.