How Are Election Held in India?

Appointing election observers: It is also the responsibility of the election commission to appoint election observers so that free and fair elections are conducted.

Elections are conducted according to constitutional provisions and parliamentary legislation. These include the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which mainly deals with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls, and the Representation of the People Act, 1957 which deals, in detail, with all aspects of the conduct of elections and post-election disputes.

Planning the election schedule: It is the responsibility of the election commission to plan the election schedule and it is announced via a press conference by the chief election commissioner. After the model code of conduct is applied by the election commission in the area where the elections are being held, the prospective candidates can file for nominations.

The Supreme Court of India has held that where the enacted laws are silent or make insufficient provision to deal with a given situation in the conduct of elections, the Election Commission has the residuary powers under the Constitution to act in an appropriate manner..

The Quasi-judicial role: The election commission performs some quasi-judicial functions such as ensuring that the model code of conduct is followed in the area/areas where the elections are being held. The EC also supplies its own inputs on cases during the elections where there is some kind of malpractice involved.

Conducting by-elections: The election commission is also responsible for conducting by-election in any constituency whenever the need arises.

From 1947 to 16 October 1989, there was one Chief Election Commissioner. From 1989 to 1 January 1990, there were two commissioners. In 1990 of January, two chief commissioners were abolished and election commission acted as a single-member body. Again by The Election Commissioner Amendment Act, 1993 made the Election Commission a multi-member body. On 1 October 1993, a further two commissioners were appointed. Decisions are made by majority vote.

Cancellation of election: There are certain situations in which the election commission might have to cancel polls like when the voting might be rigged or any other involvement of malpractice. If this happens, then the election commission has to order for a fresh election.

Giving recognition to new political parties and allotting symbols: Any new political party formed in India has to be first recognised and validated by the election commission. After it has been recognised and validated, it is allotted a symbol which is assigned to it by the election commission.

Candidates are required to file their nomination papers with the Electoral Commission. Then, a list of candidates is published. No party is allowed to use government resources for campaigning. No party is allowed to bribe the candidates before elections. The government cannot start a project during the election period. Campaigning ends by 6:00 pm two days before the polling day.

The polling is held between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm. The Collector of each district is in charge of polling. Government employees are employed as poll officers at the polling stations. Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) are being used instead of ballot boxes to prevent election fraud. After the citizen votes his or her left index finger is marked with an indelible ink. This practice was instituted in 1962.

Disqualification of candidate: The election commission can also disqualify any candidate if the candidate has not filed his or her elections returns to the EC on time. The EC also provides advice to the president to potentially disqualify any MLA or MP if they are found guilty of malpractice.

Code of conduct: It is the responsibility of the election commission to ensure the code of conduct is followed during the period of elections and no malpractice takes place.

Research into an indelible ink was commenced by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). In the 1950s, M. L. Goel worked on this research at the Chemical Division of the National Physical Laboratory of India. The ink used contains silver nitrate, which makes it photo-sensitive.

Observation of political parties: The election commission has to monitor the behaviour and actions of political parties during elections.

It is stored in amber coloured plastic or brown coloured glass bottles. On application, the ink remains on the fingernail for at least two days. It may last up to a month depending upon the person's body temperature and the environment.

Providing information to the media: The election commission is required to provide regular updates to the media about the preparation of elections, polling and its conduction.

BHAVIK (EVM) were first used in the 1999 election and became the only method of voting in 2004. The EVMs save time and report results. A voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) was introduced on 14 August 2013

President of India is elected by the electoral college i.e. elected members of Parliament and State assemblies. Elections takes place at 32 places. Members of parliament and state assemblies cast their votes using secret ballot using ballot paper. All these ballot boxes are then taken to Delhi where final counting takes place.

Here lies the most interesting thing, These ballot boxes are not transported using some cargo or courier. These ballot boxes are transported to Delhi via airplane and a ticket is purchased, and seat is booked in the Business class compartment for the ballot box.

The ]] in Nagaland.[17] In the 2014 general election, VVPAT was operational in 8 constituencies as a pilot project. These included Lucknow, Gandhinagar, Bangalore South, Chennai Central, Jadavpur, Raipur, Patna Sahib and Mizoram

The name used to book the ticket is Mr. Ballot box. The box is accompanied by a senior security official, who is given charge of maintaining the secrecy of the result. The box is provided a proper seat in the plane and it rests next to the official, and is not transported as a cargo.

Constituencies. A slip generated by the VVPT tells a voter to which party or candidate their vote has been given, their name, their constituency and their polling booth.]. VVPAT has been in news recently (2017), following the demand of opposition parties to make it mandatory in the upcoming elections all over India due to allegations on the government of hacking the EVM.

The term of office is for a maximum period of 5 years or until such time the party (or a coalition) enjoys a majority in the Loksabha, whichever is earlier. Here is a look at the history of Lok Sabha Elections since independence. The data is sourced from the statistical reports of the Election Commission of India.

It was the first ever election in the Indian Republic. Elections were held for 489 seats.The total number of eligible voters were about 17.3 crore. The Indian National Congress (INC) won 364. Only two other parties won double digit seats.The CPI with 16 seats and the Socialist Party with 12 seats.