Understanding Indian elections

Understanding Indian elections can be a bit confusing for some, but it is not as difficult as it looks. In India or in a democracy elections are used as tools for selecting representatives. Indian elections are of four different types which are explained as follows: -

1.Lok sabha Elections

• The members are elected directly by voting. An Indian adult of 18 years in age and above is eligible to vote from his/her constituency.The candidates who win are called ‘Member of Parliament’ and their tenure lasts for five years.
• This election takes place after every 5 years to elect 543 members. In order to make a government a party needs 272 MPs and the leader of the party is chosen as the prime minister.

2.State Assembly Elections

• Indian citizens of age 18 years and above can vote from their constituency and those winning the election are called  ‘Member of Legislative Assembly’.
• The candidates who get elected hold their seats for 5 years.

3.Rajya Sabha Elections

• Candidates are elected by the members of the parliament or nominated by the President of India.
• Each member has a tenure of 6 years. Rajya sabha acts as a review body during the procedure of converting a bill into act.However, some restrictions have been placed by the Constitution of India which makes Lok Sabha more powerful in certain areas.

4.Local Body Elections

• Leaders are elected by the concerned people.
• Different local bodies include Corporations, Panchayats, Municipalities, etc.

Election Commission

It is a federal body which makes sure that the elections run smoothly.It has been given powers by the constitution of India to take action against any inappropriate situation before or during elections.

EVM & VVPAT

• The EVM - Electronic voting machines are used to cast a vote. Candidates name along with its party symbol is present on the machine with a button besides every party name. Voter has to press the button next to their preferred party or candidate.
• VVPAT - A voter verified paper audit was introduced in 2014 and was operational only in 8 constituencies but from 2019 elections it has been made mandatory throughout the country.
• VVPAT helps voters to cross check if the vote given by them has gone to their desired party as the machine produces a paper slip that contains the name, symbol and serial number of the same party selected by the voter for his vote.

To know more detail you can visit: Understanding Indian elections  on NRIGO.

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