What are the procedure for filing of nomination paper in election by the candidatese ducation qualifications,Election campaign in india

We noted above that in a democratic election people should have a real choice. This happens only when there are almost n restrictions  on anyone to contest an election. This is what our system provides. Any-one who can be a voter can also become a candidate in elections. The only difference is that in order to be a candidate the minimum age is 25 years, while it is only 18 years for being a voter. Therea re some other restrictions on criminals etc. but these apply in very extreme candidates who get the party symbol and support. Party’s nomination is oftern called party ‘ticket’.

Every person who wishes to contest an election has to fill a ‘nomination form’ and give some money as ‘security deposit’. Recently, a new system of declaration from the Supreme Court. Every candidate has to make a legal declaration, giving full details of:

Serious criminal cases pending against the candidate;

Details of the assets and liabilities of the candidate and his or her family; and

Education qualifications of the candidate

This information has to be made public. This provides an opportunity to the voters to make their decision on  the basis of the information provided by the candidates.

Educatioanl qualifications for candidates       

Why is there no educational qualification for holding such an important position when some kind of educational qualififcation is needed for any other job in the country?

·       Educational qualifications are not relevant to all kinds of jobs. the relevant qualififcation for selection to the Indian cricket team, for example, is not the attainment of educational degrees but the ability to play cricket well. Similarly the relevant qualification for beign an MLA or an MP is the ability to understand people’s concerns, problems and to represent their interests. Whether they can do so or not is examined by lakhs of examiners – their voters – after every five years.

·       Even if education was relevant, it should be left to the people ot decide how much importance they give to educational qualifications.

·       In our country putting an educational qualification world go against the spirit of democracy for yet another reason. it would mean depriving a majority of the country’s citizens the right to contest elections. If, for example, a graduate degree like B.A., B.Com or B.Sc was made compulsory for candidates, more than 90 per cent of the citizens will become ineligible to contest elections.

 

Election campaign in india

The main purpose of election is to give people a chance to choose the representatives, the government and the policies they prefer. Therefore it is necessary to have a free and open discussion about who is a better representative, which party will make a better government or what is a good policy. This is what happens during election campaigns.

In our country such campaigns take place for a two-week period between the announcement of the final list of candidates and the date of polling. During this period the candidates contact their voters, political leaders address election meetings and political parties mobilise their supporters. this is also the period when newspapers and television news are full of election related stories and debates. But election campaign is not limited to these two weeks only. Political parties start preparing for elections months before they actually take place.

In election campaigns, political parties try to focus public attention on some big issues. They want to attract the public to thtat issue and get them to vote for their party on that basis. Let us look at some of the successful slogans given by different political parties in various elections.

The Congress party led by Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of Garibi  Hatao (Remove poverty) in the Lik  Sabha elections of 1971. The party promised to reorient all the policies of the government to remove povery from the country.

Save Democracy was the slogan given by Janata Party under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan, in the Lok Sabha election held in 1977. The party promised to undo the excesses committed during Emergency and restore civil liberties.

The Left Front used the slogan of Land to the Tiller in the West Bengal Assembly elections held in 1977.

Protect the Self-respect of the Telugus’ was the slogan used by N.T. Rama Rao, the leader of the Telugu Desam Pary in Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections in 1983.

In a democracy it is best to leave political parties and candidates free to conduct their election campaigns the way they want to. But it is sometimes necessary to regulate campaigns to ensure that every political party and candidate gets a fair and equal chance to compete.

According to our election law, no party or candidate can:

Bribe or threaten voters:

Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion:

Use government resources for election campaign: and

Spend more than Rs.25 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha election or Rs. 10 lakh in a constituency in an Assembly election.

If they do so, their election can be regected by the court even after they have been declared elected. In addition to the laws, all the political parties in our country have agreed to a Model Cod of Conduct for election camaigns. According to this, no party or candidate can:

Use any place of worship for election propaganda;

Use government vehicles, aircrafts and officials for elections; and

Once elections are announced, Ministers shall not lay foundation stones of an projects, take any big policy decisions or make any promises of providing facilities.

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Explain the process of polling and counting of votes

The final stage of an election is the day when the voters cast or ;poll’ their vote. That day is usually called th e election day. Every person whose name is on the voters’ list can go to a nearby ‘plling booth’. situated usually in a local school or a government office. Once the voter goes inside the booth, the election officials identify her, put a mark on her finger and allow her to cast her vote. An agent of each candidate is allowed to sit inside the polling booth and ensure that the voting takes place in a fair way.