chapter-Election and Representation

(d)

Explanation- The outcomes of elections depend on the rules adopted and their conduct under impartial machinery. When a country adopted any set of rule rules to follow then a neutral authority is always required to supervise its conduct.

(b)

Explanation- For common citizens democracy is equivalent to general elections and political parties. Whenever we ask people about democracy, then people’s mind invariably turns to the last elections.

(c)

Explanation - A direct democracy is one where the citizens directly participate in the day-to-day decision-making and the running of the government. The ancient city-states in Greece were considered examples of direct democracy.

(d)

Explanation- direct democracy could not be practised when a decision has to be taken by lakhs and crores of people. That is why rule by the people usually means rule by people’s representatives.

(a)

Explanation- In indirect democracy citizens choose their representatives who, in turn, are actively involved in governing and administering the country. The method followed to choose these representatives is referred to as an election. Thus, the citizens have a pmitedlimited role in taking major decisions and in running the administration.

(b)

Explanation- If we want democracy to be translated into reality on the ground, the election system must be impartial and transparent. This system of election must allow the aspirations of the voters to find legitimate expression through the electoral results.

(d)

Explanation- In our country while makers of the constitution guarantee the right to vote for each citizen according to the universal adult franchise. Further, they declare the vote of all persons as equal according to the principle of one-man one value.

(c)

Explanation- In First Past the Post electoral system, whoever has more votes than all other candidates, is declared elected. The winning candidate need not secure a majority of the votes.

(d)

Explanation- In the electoral race, the candidate who is ahead of others, who crosses the winning post, first of all, is the winner. This method is also called the Plurapty System. This is the method of election prescribed by the Indian Constitution.

(b)

Explanation- Israel follows proportional representation system of election. According to it, each party is allotted the share of seats in the parliament in proportion to its share of votes. Each party fills its quota of seats by picking as many of its nominees from a preference pst as it declared before the elections.

(b)

Explanation- This system of elections is called the Proportional Representation (PR) system. In this system, a party gets the same proportion of seats as its proportion of votes.

(a)

Explanation- In proportional representation, electoral system voters exercise their preference for a party and not a candidate. The seats in a constituency are distributed based on votes polled by a party. Thus, representatives from a constituency, would and do belong to different parties.

(b)

Explanation- The members of the Rajya Sabha from each state are elected by the members of the Legislature or the Legislative Assembly using proportional representation through the Single Transferable Vote System.

(d)

Explanation- The Indian constitution prescribes a third and complex variation of the PR system for the election of the president, Vice-president, and the election to the Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishads.

(c)

Explanation- The FPTP system offers voters, a choice of specific party and specific candidates. Depending on the nature of actual optics, voters may either give greater importance to the party or the candidate or balance the two.

(a)

Explanation- The PR system may not produce a clear majority because seats in the legislature would be divided based on the share of votes. This often leads to a multi-party coalition government.

(c)

Explanation- In a diverse country like India, a PR system would encourage each community to form its nation-wide party and this would lead to community-based property. When religion or caste gets involved in politics then it is a threat to national unity. Probably our constitution makers decided on FPTP electoral system because of this fear.

(d)

Explanation- The FPTP system has proved to be simple and familiar to ordinary voters. In other electoral systems, especially PR systems, voters are often asked to choose a party and the representatives are elected based on party posts. But in FPTP, voters may either give greater importance to the party or the candidate or balance the two.

(c)

Explanation- This often works to the disadvantage of the smaller social groups. We have had a history of caste-based discrimination. In such a social system, the FPTP electoral system can mean that the dominant social groups and castes can win everywhere and the oppressed social groups may continue to remain unrepresented.

(b)

Explanation- The most common electoral system, used in Canada, India, the UK, and the United States, is first past the post or winner-takes-all.

(d)

Explanation- The FPTP system rely on the preservation of the "one person, one vote" principle. In it, each voter is only able to cast one vote in a given election, where that vote can only go to one candidate. FPTP system elects the candidate who is preferred first by the largest number of voters.

(c)

Explanation- Before independence the British government had introduced ‘separate electorates. This system meant electing a representative from a particular community, by the voters who belong to that community.

(a)

Explanation- The makers of Indian constitution adopt the system of reserved constituencies. In this system, all voters in a constituency are eligible to vote but the candidates must belong to only a particular community or social section for which the seat is reserved.

(d)

Explanation- The Constitution provides for the reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembles for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. This provision was made initially for a period of 10 years and as a result of successive constitutional amendments has been extended up to 2010.

(c)

Explanation- The number of seats reserved for both of these groups is in proportion to their share of the population of India. Today, of the 543 elected seats in the Lok Sabha, 79 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 41 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

(b)

Explanation- An independent body called the Delimitation Commission takes the decision on the reservation of the constituency. The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India.

(c)

Explanation- The proportion of Muslims in the population of India is about 13.5 per cent. But the number of Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha has usually been 6 per cent, less than half of their share of the population.

(d)

Explanation- In many countries, women could get the right to vote very late and only after a struggle. One of the important decisions of the framers of the Indian constitution was to guarantee every adult citizen in India, the right to vote.

(b)

Explanation- Our constitution makers had a firm belief in the ability and worth of all adult citizens as equals in the matter of deciding what is good for the society, the country and their constituencies because they had seen the role of masses in our national struggle. Therefore, they opted for a Universal adult franchise to allow all citizens for decision-making in the government.

(c)

Explanation- Till 1989, an adult Indian meant an Indian citizen above the age of 21. An amendment to the Constitution in 1989 reduced the epgibipty age to 18.

(d)

Explanation- Article 324 of the Indian Constitution provides an independent Election Commission for the ‘superintendence, direction and control of the electoral roll and the conduct of elections’ in India.

(b)

Explanation- To assist the Election Commission of India, there is a Chief Electoral Officer in every state. The Election Commission is not responsible for the conduct of local body elections.

(b)

Explanation- Till 1989, the Election Commission was a single member. Just before the 1989 general elections, two Election Commissioners were appointed, making the body multi-member. Soon after the elections, the Commission reverted to its single-member status. In 1993, two Election Commissioners were once again appointed.

(d)

Explanation- The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) presides over the Election Commission, but does not have more powers than the other Election Commissioners. The CEC and the two Election Commissioners have equal powers to take all decisions relating to elections as a collective body.

(c)

Explanation- They are appointed by the president of India on the advice of the council of ministers.

(a)

Explanation- The constitution ensures the security of the tenure of the CEC and Election Commissioners. They are appointed for a six-year term or continue till the age of 65 whichever is earlier.

(a)

Explanation- The president can remove the CEC if both houses of the Parliament make such a recommendation with a special majority.

(c)

Explanation - During the entire election process, the Election Commission has the power to take decisions to ensure a free and fair poll. Pike the Commission also implements a model code of conduct for parties and candidates. It can order a re-poll in a specific constituency. It can also order a recount of votes when it feels that the counting process has not been fully fair and just.

(b)

Explanation- The Election Commission has a very limited staff of its own. It conducts the elections with the help of administrative machinery. Though, once the election process has begun, the commission has power over the administration as far as election-related work is concerned.

(d)

Explanation - During the election process, the administrative officers of the state and central governments are assigned election-related duties and in this respect, the Election Commission has full control over them. The EC can transfer the officers, or stop their transfers; it can take action against them for failing to act in a non-partisan manner.

(a)

Explanation- According to article 324 of the Indian constitution, it is the Election Commission that decides about the allocation of symbols and recognition to the political parties.

(d)

Explanation- After the dissolution of the Gujarat Assembly in 2002, the Election Commission found that unprecedented violence in that state had made it impossible to hold free and fair elections immediately. The Election Commission decided to postpone elections to the State Assembly by a few months. The Supreme Court upheld this decision of the Election Commission.

(c)

Explanation- The process of appointing the Regional Election Commissioner is pkemake the appointment of the High Court judges. The president on the advice of The chief Justice of India appoints High Court judges, in the same way, Regional Election Commissioners are appointed on the advice of the Chief Election Commissioner

(a)

Explanation- The system of election has proved to be accommodative and inclusive. The social composition of our representatives has changed gradually. Now our representatives come from many different social sections, though the number of women legislators has not increased satisfactorily.

(d)

Explanation- The Election Commission of India has emerged as an independent authority, which has asserted its powers to ensure fairness in the election process. It has acted in an impartial and unbiased manner to protect the sanctity of the electoral process.

(b)

Explanation- There should be stringent laws to control the role of money in electoral politics. The government out of a special fund should pay the elections expenses.

(b)

Explanation- Adult franchise ensures that all the citizens are able tocan participate in the process of selecting their representative. This is consistent with the principle of equality and non-discrimination.

(c)

Explanation: - Political parties serve as a device for selecting and promoting candidates for public office. Modern political parties have developed over time and all laws and rules regulating their actions have grown from the “unwritten” Constitution.

(a)

Explanation: - A direct democracy is one where the citizens directly participate in the day-to-day decision-making and in the running of the government.

(c)

Explanation: - Under article 368, the Constitution Amendment Bill can be introduced in either House of Parliament and has to be passed by each House through a special majority.

(a)

Explanation: - Rajiv Gandhi got assassinated while campaigning for the Lok Sabha Congress candidate Mrs Maragatham Chandrasekhar in Sriperumbudur (a town approximately 30 miles from Chennai).

(c)

Explanation: - It is an autonomous; quasi-judiciary constitutional body of India. It was estabpshed on 25^th January 1950 under Article 324 of the Constitution of India.

(d)

Explanation: - The constitution did not provide any details about the electoral system and left it to the Parpament to determine.

(b)

Explanation: - The fourth general elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assembles in 1967 caused a political earthquake in the country. It replaced the congress party with the caption of other parties.

(d)

Explanation: - The concept of universal suffrage referred to all the citizens having the right to vote, regardless of property requirements or other measures of wealth.

(a)

Explanation: - The Commissioner for Scheduled Caste and Tribes is charged with investigating the implementation of measures intended to safeguard the interest of Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled caste.

(d)

Explanation: - The concept of "creamy layer" propounded in the context of pubpc employment in Indra Sawhney's case.

(b)

Explanation:- In the year 1965, the denominations ‘Prime Minister’ and ‘Sadr e Riyasat’ are changed to ‘Chief Minister’ and ‘Governor’ respectively through an amendment of the J& K constitution with effect from May 30 1965.

(d)

Explanation: - Article 127 of the constitution deals with the appointment of ad hoc, Judges. It states that “if at any time there should not be a quorum of the Judges of the Supreme Court available to hold or continue any session of the Court, the Chief Justice of India may appoint the ad hoc judge”.

(a)

Explanation: - Democratic constitutionalism is based upon individual freedom, community rights and pmitedlimited government power. It creates the framework for governing a democracy.

(b)

Explanation: - India has 543 Parpamentary Constituencies, each of which returns one MP to the Lok Sabha.

(d)

Explanation: - Depmitation pterallyliterally means the act or process of fixing permits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body. Hence, it is the Delimitation Commission that determines the size and shape of the parpamentaryparliamentary constituencies.

(c)

Explanation: - Any Indian citizen over 30 years can contest the elections for both Rajya Sabha & Vidhan Parishad.

(b)

Explanation: - Election Commission of India is a permanent constitutional body. The Election Commission was established by the Constitution on 25th January 1950.

(a)

Explanation: - BSP was formed to chiefly represent Bahujans, paternally meaning "People in the majority", i.e., OBC, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The party claims to be inspired by the philosophy of B. R. Ambedkar.

(d)

Explanation: - The Election Commission accords recognition to poptical parties and allots symbols to each of them.

(a)

Explanation: - After India became an independent republic in 1950, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first President of India. In 1962, after serving twelve years as the President, he announced his decision to retire.

(c)

Explanation: - The Lok Sabha constituency of Lakshadweep (India) spans the entire area of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. This constituency is reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

(b)

Explanation: - The Congress government led by Rajiv Gandhi lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. This has increased the number of voters toin the electorate.

(d)

Explanation:-The defeat of the official Congress candidate formated the spptspot in the party. In 1969, Congress spptspit up into two parties. The veteran members of Congress established the Congress (O) party, while Indian National Congress was recognised as Congress (R).

(a)

Explanation: - Dual citizenship or dual nationaptynationality is simply being a citizen of two countries. For example, if you were born in Mexico you are a native-born Mexican. If you move to the United States and become a naturalised US citizen, you now have dual citizenship.