Keeping elections free and fair

First, feel how big an Indian election is. In 2024, India had over 96.8 crore eligible voters: nearly three times the whole population of the USA. Add thousands of polling stations, hundreds of political parties, and places as different as deserts, mountains, islands and big cities. Running all of this fairly is a huge job. Watch out: 96.8 crore is the number of people who can vote, not the number who actually voted.

The book (Fig. 7.13) draws free and fair elections as a road, with potholes that can trip it up. Three of the potholes are:

• Misinformation and fake news: a forwarded message says, falsely, that the polling date has changed, and some people stay at home.
• Intimidation: someone frightens voters so they will vote a certain way, or not vote at all.
• Money power: a candidate tries to win with gifts and cash instead of ideas.

The book asks you to find more potholes with your teachers and parents.

"If an election still happens, why does fairness matter so much?" The book (p.169) asks you to imagine three things going wrong: candidates are swayed by personal favours, votes are not counted correctly, or some people cannot get to vote because the booth is hard to reach. An election is still held. But its democratic value goes down, and slowly, people stop trusting it. So democracy is not just holding an election. The process must be inclusive (open to all), impartial (fair to all) and trustworthy.

How does the ECI fill the potholes?

• The laws: the RPA 1950 and 1951.
• The Model Code of Conduct (Adarsh Aachar Sanhita): the rules parties and candidates must follow while an election is on.
• EVMs (electronic voting machines) and VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail).
• Voter awareness campaigns, so people know their rights.
• cVIGIL: any voter can report a broken rule within minutes, and a flying squad goes to the spot.

But the ECI cannot do it alone. The book says that with constant vigilance (staying alert) and active citizens, elections become more representative and democracy grows stronger. That includes you: checking a message before forwarding it, and one day, voting.

Before we move on (the book's own summary):

• Casting a vote is a constitutional right and also a duty of every citizen.
• Elections are the soul of democracy: they give every citizen an equal voice in choosing a government.
• Laws like the RPA 1950 and 1951, and bodies like the Delimitation Commission and the ECI, keep elections free, fair and transparent.
• Political parties present different programmes and policies, which helps voters make informed choices.
• Despite many challenges, the ECI tries to make sure elections at every level are carried out impartially.

A debate to try: 'One Nation, One Election'. The idea is to hold Lok Sabha and state assembly elections at the same time. The book asks your class to split into two groups and argue both sides. Points people make:

• For: it could cost less; the Model Code would interrupt normal work less often; security forces and staff would not have to be sent out again and again; voters might be less tired of constant elections.
• Against: it needs changes to the Constitution and agreement from the states; it is unclear what happens if a government falls mid-term; local issues may get lost under national ones; some worry it weakens the powers of the states.

There is no single "right" answer here: what counts is the reasons you give.