Types of Elections in India

Types of Elections in India

India is divided into States (and Union Territories), each of which has a Governor who serves as the state's head; however, the Chief Minister is the head of the party or political coalition that won a majority in the regional elections, also known as State Assembly Elections, which are used to elect the State's executive body, actually has de facto executive authority. The Chief Minister of each State has executive authority within that State and collaborates with the Indian Prime Minister or their ministries on issues that need both Central and State attention. Other (usually smaller) Union Territories are ruled by someone the President of India appoints. Some Union Territories also vote for an Assembly and have a regional administration.

Types of Elections in India and its Process PDF

India's federal agency, the Election Commission, was established in accordance with the Constitution's requirements and is in charge of overseeing and conducting all elections in the country. This organisation is in charge of ensuring impartial, fair, and free elections. The electoral commission controls members' behaviour before, during, and after elections in accordance with the law.

Rajya Sabha Elections

Rajya Sabha has a process of indirect elections where the State governments select members as per the proportion of seats available. The seats in Rajya sabha are allocated according to the proportion of the population.

• Uttar Pradesh has the largest population, and it has the most seats allocated in Rajya sabha. In contrast, states like Nagaland and Mizoram are sparsely populated and have one seat.
• Rajya Sabha can never be dissolved, and the members are elected for six years.
• They are elected every two years by one-third of the members whose term of 6 years gets completed.
• The indirect method is followed where members from the state's legislative assembly elect the members of Rajya sabha.

Parliamentary general elections (Lok Sabha)

The adult citizens of the country elect the members of the Lok Sabha. These candidates contest together in their relevant constituencies. All adult citizens can vote in their respective constituencies.

• A candidate who gets elected holds their seat for five years. They are called the Members of Parliament.
• Elections take place once every five years.
• A total of 543 members for the Lok Sabha (Lower House) are selected. A total of 131 seats (24.03%) are reserved for representatives of Scheduled Castes (84) and Scheduled Tribes (47). The quorum used for the House is 10% of the entire membership.
• The Lok Sabha, unless dissolved, prolongs to function for five years from the date selected for its first meeting. When a proclamation of emergency is in process, this period might be expanded by Parliament House by law or decree.

State Assembly Elections (Vidhan Sabha)

Candidates who can win the Elections of the State Legislative Assembly are called 'Members of Legislative Assembly.'

• The maximum number of members of the legislative assembly is 500, and the minimum strength of the legislative assembly is 60.
• A candidate who gets elected holds their seat for five years.

Zila Panchayat Elections

Zila Parishad is referred to as the third tier of the Indian Panchayati Raj system.

• The members of the State Legislature and the Indian parliament members comprise the members of the Zila Parishad.
• Zila Parishad has a maximum count of 75 members and a minimum count of 50 members.
• It is headed by the President and a Vice-President.
• An IAS officer is the chief executive officer of the administration setup of the Zila Parishad.

After its freedom, India has performed as a respectable democracy. The global society has acknowledged this as well. It has effectively evolved under difficult environments. From Gram Panchayat to the Presidency, relatively frequent votes for every political position have been held openly and transparently.

Importance of Types of Elections in India

Different Types of Elections in India offer options for political engagement and leadership. Through this, a citizen can also express their displeasure towards the ruling party, and it also functions as a self-regulatory mechanism. Through this system, the ruling parties are held in check and forced to take the needs of the general population into consideration every five years.

Let us inform you that the Electoral System of India is covered in Articles 324 to 329 of Part XV of the Constitution. To guarantee free and fair elections in the nation, Article 324 of the Constitution establishes an independent Election Commission.

The adult franchise will be used as the foundation for both the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. As a result, anyone who is an Indian citizen and is 18 years old is eligible to vote in the election as long as they are not barred from doing so by the Constitution's provisions or any laws passed by the relevant legislature due to lack of residency, mental incapacity, crime, or corrupt or illegal activity.