Electoral Politics Class 9 Chapter 3 Notes, MCQs, Question Answers

by | Jan 3, 2023 | General | 0 comments

 

Electoral Politics

 

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science (Civics) Chapter 3 Electoral Politics

 

Electoral Politics – Given in this post is NCERT Solutions Class 9 Social Science (Civics) Chapter 3 Electoral Politics Important Question Answers. The important questions we have compiled will help the students to brush up on their knowledge about the subject. Students can practice Class 9 Political Science important questions to understand the subject better and improve their performance in the board exam. The NCERT Solutions Class 9 Social Science provided here will also give students an idea about how to write the answers.
 

 

Class 9 Civics Chapter 3 Electoral Politics MCQs, Question Answers (Short and Long type Questions)

 

Chapter 3 Electoral Politics MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions 1 Mark each)

 

  1. Who led the movement called ‘Nyaya Yudh’? 
    1. Chaudhari Charan Singh 
    2. Sanjay Gandhi
    3. Chaudhari Devi Lal
    4. Indira Gandhi 

Answer – C. Chaudhari Devi Lal

 

  1. Chaudhari Devi Lal belonged to- 
  1. Congress party 
  2. Lok Dal 
  3. Janata Dal 
  4. BJP

Answer – B. Lok Dal 

 

  1. Who, among the following, was the chief of the Haryana Sangharsh Samiti in 1987?
    1. Chaudhari Charan Singh 
    2. Sanjay Gandhi
    3. Chaudhari Devi Lal
    4. Indira Gandhi

      Answer – C. Chaudhari Devi Lal

 

  1. What makes elections necessary?
  1. to make sure that those who people dislike does not remain their representatives
  2. to find out people’s opinion on their representatives
  3. to ensure a democratic rule 
  4. All of the above 

Answer – D. All of the above 

 

  1.  How many seats are reserved in the Lok Sabha for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes? (As on 26 January 2019)
  1. 19
  2. 55
  3. 84
  4. 60

Answer – C. 84

 

  1. Our country is divided into _____ constituencies.
  1. 643
  2. 343
  3. 544
  4. 543

Answer – D. 543

 

  1.  The number of Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi is ______
  1. 5
  2. 6
  3. 7
  4. 8

Answer – C. 7

 

  1.  The minimum age required for being a voter is_____ years.
  1. 18
  2. 21
  3. 20
  4. 25

Answer – A. 18

 

  1.  Who appoints the Chief Election Commissioner of India?
  1. The Prime Minister 
  2. The Chief Justice 
  3. The Governor General 
  4. The President 

Answer – D. The President 

 

  1.  Which country has the largest number of voters in the world?
  1. China
  2. India 
  3. USA
  4. Bangladesh

Answer – B. India 

 

  1.  What do people choose in elections?
  1. Who will make laws for them
  2. Who will form the government and take major decisions 
  3. Whose policies will guide the government and law making 
  4. All of the above 

Answer – D. All of the above 

 

  1.  It is guaranteed that those who the people do not like do not remain their representatives via_________
  1. Judiciary 
  2. Elections 
  3. Legislature 
  4. Media 

Answer- B. Elections

 

  1.  How many seats in Lok Sabha are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes? (As on 26 January 2019)
  1. 47
  2. 84
  3. 26
  4. 55

Answer – A. 47

 

  1. The number of reserved constituencies for SC and ST is based on_____
  1. Popular opinion 
  2. Vote bank politics 
  3. Proportion of their share in total population.
  4. None of the above.

Answer- C. Proportion of their share in total population.

 

  1.  ______ of the seats are reserved in rural and urban local bodies for women candidates.
  1. Half 
  2. One third 
  3. One fourth 
  4. No 

Answer – B. One third 

 

  1.  Ultimately, in a democracy, is it good to have political competition?
  1. Yes 
  2. No 
  3. Unsure 
  4. Does not matter in a democracy.

Answer – A. Yes 

 

  1.  Vidhan Sabha elections are also known as- 
  1. Lok Sabha elections 
  2. Rajya Sabha elections
  3. State assembly elections 
  4. All of the above 

Answer – C. State assembly elections 

 

  1.  Sometimes elections are held only for one constituency to fill the vacancy caused by death or resignation of a member. This is called a__________
  1. General election
  2. By- election 
  3. Abnormal election 
  4. Urgent election

Answer – B. By- election

 

  1.  In our country we follow a ________ based system of representation.
  1. State 
  2. Caste 
  3. Area 
  4. Proportion 

Answer – C. Area

 

  1.  In local bodies, reservation exists for________
  1. SC 
  2. OBC 
  3. Women 
  4. All of the above 

Answer – D. All of the above 

 

  1.  How many general constituencies are there in India?
  1. 543
  2. 84
  3. 412
  4. 421

Answer – C. 412

 

  1.  Every candidate has to give full details of-
  1. Serious criminal cases pending against the candidate
  2. Details of the assets and liabilities of the candidate
  3. Educational qualifications of the candidate.
  4. All of the above 

Answer – D. All of the above 

 

  1.  In _______ about half of the sitting MPs or MLAs lose elections.
  1. USA
  2. UK
  3. India 
  4. All of the above 

Answer – C. India

 

  1.  What is meant by the term ‘constituency’?
  1. A country having a constitution
  2. A group of people
  3. A geographical area from which a representative is chosen.
  4. All of the above 

Answer – C. A geographical area from which a representative is chosen.

 

  1. In India, elections for which of these bodies are held after every five years?
  1. Rajya Sabha 
  2. Lok Sabha 
  3. Vidhan Sabha 
  4. Both B and C

Answer – D. Both B and C

 

  1.  Constituencies called ‘wards’ are made for the ________ elections.
  1. President 
  2. Lok Sabha 
  3. Local body 
  4. By

Answer – C. Local body 

 

  1. Which of these is not a local level body?
  1. Gram Panchayat 
  2. Municipal corporation 
  3. Municipal council 
  4. Vidhan Sabha 

Answer – D. Vidhan Sabha

 

  1.  Which one of the following is meant to be used in elections to cast a vote?
  1. EPIC
  2. AADHAAR
  3. PAN card
  4. Passport

Answer – A. EPIC

 

  1.  ____________ conducts elections in India.
  1. The Election Commission 
  2. The Election Council
  3. The Election Commissioner
  4. The Cabinet

Answer – A. The Election Commission

 

  1.  When on election duty, the government officials are answerable to-
  1. The DM
  2. The local government 
  3. The central government
  4. The election commission

Answer – D. The Election Commission

 

  1.  The Election Commissioner is answerable to-
  1. The president 
  2. The central government 
  3. The voters 
  4. Nobody 

Answer – D. Nobody

 

  1.  ‘Incumbent’ means- 
  1. Current holder of a political office 
  2. A cabinet minister 
  3. A newly elected representative 
  4. A newly appointed representative

Answer – A. Current holder of a political office 

 

  1. The election commission is- 
  1. Independent body 
  2. Answerable to the President
  3. A part of Judiciary
  4. All of the above 

Answer – A. an Independent body

 

  1.  What is the minimum age limit to contest in a Lok Sabha election?
  1. 18 years 
  2. 21 years 
  3. 25 years 
  4. 32 years 

Answer – C. 25 years 

 

  1.  The official name for Voters’ list is __________
  1. Electoral roll
  2. EPIC
  3. Rational card 
  4. Voter ID card

Answer – A. Electoral roll

 

  1. Which of the following is not a malpractice?
  1. Rigging 
  2. Misuse of government agency 
  3. Intimidation of voters 
  4. Political campaign

Answer – D. political campaign.

 

Very Short Answer Type  (1 Mark each)

  1. When do election campaigns take place in India?

In our country campaigns take place for a two-week period between the announcement of the final list of candidates and the date of polling.

 

  1. What is meant by rigging?

Rigging is fraud and malpractices indulged by a party or candidate to increase its votes.

 

  1. What practices does rigging include?

Rigging includes stuffing ballot boxes by a few persons using the votes of others; recording multiple votes by the same person; and bribing or coercing polling officers to favour a candidate.

 

  1. What is Turnout?

The percentage of eligible voters who cast their votes in an election is known as turnout.

 

  1. What is a constituency?

Voters in a geographical area who elect a representative to the legislative bodies form a constituency. 

 

  1. What is the code of conduct?

The code of conduct is a set of norms and guidelines to be followed by political parties and contesting candidates during election time.

 

  1. mention a choice that people make during elections.

People can choose who will make laws for them via elections.

 

  1. give any one condition for an election to be democratic?

Parties and candidates should be free to contest elections and should offer some real choice to the voters for elections to be democratic.

 

  1. Why were reserved constituencies formed?

Some constituencies were reserved as certain weaker sections may not stand a good chance to get elected for the lack of resources, education and contacts.

 

  1. What is the Voters’ list?

The list of those who are eligible to vote is prepared in a democracy prior to voting. This list is officially called the Electoral Roll and is commonly known as the Voters’ List.

 

  1. Which identity proofs can voters show for casting votes?

The votes can show the Election Photo Identity Card [EPIC], the ration card or the driving licence.

 

Short Answer Type Questions (3 Marks each)

 

  1. Why are elections considered essential in our times for any representative democracy?

Answer – 

A mechanism by which people can choose their representatives at regular intervals and change them if they wish to do so is called election.

In an election the voters make many choices: 

  1. They can choose who will make laws for them. 
  2. They can choose who will form the government and take major decisions. 
  3. They can choose the party whose policies will guide the government and law making.

Hence, elections are essential in our times for any representative democracy.

 

  1. Why do we need elections?

Answer – 

People rule through their representatives and there is no democratic way of selecting representatives without elections.

Elections help with the following conclusions-

  1. They help ensure the presence of a democracy
  2. Through elections, it can be found out if the people like their representatives or not.
  3. It can be ensured that elected representatives rule as per the wishes of the people.
  4. It is guaranteed that those who the people do not like do not remain their representatives.

 

  1. What are the demerits of electoral competition?

Answer – An electoral competition has many demerits.

  1. It creates a sense of disunity and ‘factionalism’ in every locality.
  2. Different political parties and leaders often level allegations against one another.
  3. Parties and candidates often use dirty tricks to win elections.
  4. Some people say that this pressure to win electoral fights does not allow sensible long-term policies to be formulated.
  5. Some good people who may wish to serve the country do not enter this arena. They do not like the idea of being dragged into unhealthy competition.

 

  1. Why is Electoral competition desirable?

Answer – Our Constitution makers opted for free competition in elections as the way to select our future leaders. They did so because this system works better in the long run.

Political leaders are rewarded for serving the people and punished for not doing so.

Regular electoral competition provides incentives to political parties and leaders.

So, if a candidate or a political party is motivated only by desire to be in power, even then it will be forced to serve the people.

 

  1. Give examples of successful slogans given by different political parties in various elections.

Answer – 

  1. The Congress party led by Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao (Remove poverty) in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971. The party promised to reorient all the policies of the government to remove poverty from the country.
  2. 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 the Emergency and restore civil liberties.
  3. The Left Front used the slogan of Land to the Tiller in the West Bengal Assembly elections held in 1977.

 

  1. As per our country’s laws list a few prohibited practices.

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

  1. Bribe or threaten voters
  2. Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion
  3. Use government resources for election campaign
  4. Spend more than ` 25 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha election or `10 lakh in a constituency in an Assembly election

 If they do so, their election can be rejected by the court even after they have been declared elected.

 

  1. What powers does the Indian election commission hold?

Answer – The Election Commission of India – 

  1. takes decisions on every aspect of conduct and control of elections from the announcement of elections to the declaration of results.
  2. implements the Code of Conduct and punishes any candidate or party that violates it.
  3. can order the government to follow some guidelines, to prevent use and misuse of governmental power to enhance its chances to win elections, or to transfer some government officials.

 

  1. Give a simple way of checking whether elections are fair or not.

Answer – 

One simple way of checking whether elections are fair or not is to look at who conducts the elections. They should be fulfilling the following conditions- 

  1. They need to be independent of the government
  2. The government or the ruling party should not be able to influence or pressurise them
  3. They should have enough powers to be able to conduct free and fair elections.
  4. They should actually be using all these powers and even expand them if and when required.

 

  1. What are the indications that the EC in India is independent and very powerful.

Answer – 

In our country elections are conducted by an independent and very powerful Election Commission (EC)

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is appointed by the President of India.

But once appointed, the Chief Election Commissioner is not answerable to the President or the government.

The Election Commission has begun to exercise all its powers and even expand them.

The ruling parties often do not like what the EC does. But they have to obey. This would not have happened if the EC was not independent and powerful.

 

  1. What are the Challenges to Free and Fair elections?

Answer – 

  1. Candidates and parties with a lot of money may not be sure of their victory but they do enjoy a big and unfair advantage over smaller parties and independents.
  2. In some parts of the country, candidates with criminal connections have been able to push others out of the electoral race and to secure a ‘ticket’ from major parties.
  3. Very often elections offer little choice to ordinary citizens, for both the major parties are quite similar to each other both in policies and practice.

 

  1. Give arguments to show the acceptance of election outcomes in India.

Answer – 

The outcome of India’s elections speaks for itself:

  1. The ruling parties routinely lose elections in India both at the national and state level. In fact, in every two out of the three elections held in the last 25 years, the ruling party lost.
  2. Candidates who are known to have spent a lot of money on ‘buying votes’ and those with known criminal connections often lose elections.
  3. Barring very few disputed elections, the electoral outcomes are usually accepted as ‘people’s verdict’ by the defeated party.

 

  1. What are the provisions in the new system of declaration for election candidates?

Answer – 

Recently, a new system of declaration has been introduced on direction from the Supreme Court. Every candidate has to make a legal declaration, giving full details of:

  1. Serious criminal cases pending against the candidate
  2.   Details of the assets and liabilities of the candidate and his or her family
  3.   Educational 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.

 

  1. mention a few unfair practices in elections.

Answer – 

We get to read a lot about unfair practices in elections. Newspapers and television reports often refer to such allegations. Most of these reports are about the following:

  1. Inclusion of false names and exclusion of genuine names in the voters’ list.
  2. Misuse of government facilities and officials by the ruling party
  3. Excessive use of money by rich candidates and big parties
  4. Intimidation of voters and rigging on the polling day.

 

Source Based Questions  (1 X 4 = 4 Marks each)

 

CREDITS FOR THE IMAGES USED – NCERT textbook in political science for class 9- Democratic Politics 

 

  1. With reference to the following newspaper report, answer the questions that follow-

 

newspaper report

 

  1. Name the party formed by Chaudhari Devi Lal.

Answer – 

Lok Dal

  1. Which political party had a clear majority in the 1987 state assembly election in Haryana?

Answer – 

Lok Dal 

  1. Which party ruled before the 1987 elections in Haryana?

Answer – 

Congress party 

  1. Mention a promise fulfilled by Devi Lal’s government.

Answer – 

Waiver to outstanding loans of small farmers and businessmen.

 

  1. with reference to the following image, answer the questions that follow.

 

 

  1. What is the total number of Lok Sabha constituencies in India?

Answer – 543

 

  1. How many general constituencies are there?

Answer – 412

 

  1. How many constituencies are reserved to the Scheduled Castes?

Answer – 84

 

  1. How many constituencies are reserved to the Scheduled Tribes?

Answer – 47

 

Long Answer Type (5 Marks each)

 

  1. List all the features of democratic elections.

Answer – The minimum conditions of a democratic election are listed below- 

  1. First, everyone should be able to choose. This means that everyone should have one vote and every vote should have equal value. This Is practiced in India via Universal Adult Franchise.
  2. Second, there should be something to choose from. Parties and candidates should be free to contest elections and should offer some real choice to the voters.
  3. Third, the choice should be offered at regular intervals. Elections must be held regularly after every few years.
  4. Fourth, the candidate preferred by the people should get elected.
  5. Fifth, elections should be conducted in a free and fair manner where people can choose as they really wish.

 

  1. Is it good to have political competition?

Answer – 

Elections are all about political competition. This competition takes various forms. The most obvious form is the competition among political parties.

At the constituency level, it takes the form of competition among several candidates. If there is no competition, elections will become pointless.

An electoral competition has many demerits. It creates a sense of disunity and ‘factionalism’ in every locality.

On the other hand, electoral competition is a way to set up a system where political leaders are rewarded for serving the people and punished for not doing so.

Regular electoral competition provides incentives to political parties and leaders.

Political competition may cause divisions and some ugliness, but it finally helps to force political parties and leaders to serve the people.

 

  1. What are the demerits of electoral competition?

Answer – An electoral competition has many demerits.

  1. It creates a sense of disunity and ‘factionalism’ in every locality.
  2. Different political parties and leaders often level allegations against one another.
  3. Parties and candidates often use dirty tricks to win elections.
  4. Some people say that this pressure to win electoral fights does not allow sensible long-term policies to be formulated.
  5. Some good people who may wish to serve the country do not enter this arena. They do not like the idea of being dragged into unhealthy competition.
  6. Political leaders all over the world, like all other professionals, are motivated by a desire to advance their political careers. They want to remain in power or get power and positions for themselves.

 

  1. What are the merits of Electoral competition?

Answer – Our Constitution makers opted for free competition in elections as the way to select our future leaders. They did so because this system works better in the long run.

 

Political leaders want to remain in power or get power and positions for themselves and even when they wish to serve the people, they may not know what is required to do so, or their ideas may not match what the people really want. 

Hence, in this system political leaders are rewarded for serving the people and punished for not doing so.

Regular electoral competition provides incentives to political parties and leaders.

Thus, political competition may cause divisions and some ugliness, but it finally helps to force political parties and leaders to serve the people.

 

  1. Why did the makers of our Constitution think of a special system of reserved constituencies for the weaker sections?

Answer – 

Our Constitution entitles every citizen to elect her/his representative and to be elected as a representative.

The Constitution makers, however, were worried that in an open electoral competition, certain weaker sections may not stand a good chance to get elected to the Lok Sabha and the state Legislative Assemblies.

They may not have the required resources, education and contacts to contest and win elections against others.

Those who are influential and resourceful may prevent them from winning elections. If that happens, our Parliament and Assemblies would be deprived of the voice of a significant section of our population.

That would make our democracy less representative and less democratic.

So, the makers of our Constitution thought of a special system of reserved constituencies for the weaker sections.

 

  1. Explain the reservation of constituencies.

Answer – 

The makers of our Constitution thought of a special system of reserved constituencies for the weaker sections.

Some constituencies are reserved for people who belong to the Scheduled Castes [SC] and Scheduled Tribes [ST].

In an SC reserved constituency only someone who belongs to the Scheduled Castes can stand for election.

Currently, in the Lok Sabha, 84 seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 47 for the Scheduled Tribes (as on 26 January 2019).

This number is in proportion to their share in the total population. Thus, the reserved seats for SC and ST do not take away the legitimate share of any other social group.

This system of reservation was extended later to other weaker sections at the district and local level. Local bodies are now reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBC) as well.

 

  1. Give examples of successful slogans given by different political parties in various elections.

Answer – 

  1. The Congress party led by Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao (Remove poverty) in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971. The party promised to reorient all the policies of the government to remove poverty from the country.
  2. 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 the Emergency and restore civil liberties.
  3. The Left Front used the slogan of Land to the Tiller in the West Bengal Assembly elections held in 1977.
  4. ‘Protect the Self-Respect of the Telugus’ was the slogan used by N. T. Rama Rao, the leader of the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections in 1983.

 

  1. As per our country’s laws and the model code of conduct, list a few prohibited practices.

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

  1. Bribe or threaten voters
  2. Appeal to them in the name of caste or religion
  3. Use government resources for election campaign
  4. Spend more than ` 25 lakh in a constituency for a Lok Sabha election or `10 lakh in a constituency in an Assembly election

 

According to a Model Code of Conduct, no party or candidate can:

  1. Use any place of worship for election propaganda
  2. Use government vehicles, aircrafts and officials for elections
  3. Once elections are announced, Ministers shall not lay foundation stones of any projects, take any big policy decisions or make any promises of providing public facilities.

If they do so, their election can be rejected by the court even after they have been declared elected.

 

  1. Give arguments to show the acceptance of election outcomes in India.

Answer – One final test of the free and fairness of election is in the outcome itself. If elections are not free or fair, the outcome always favours the powerful.

The outcome of India’s elections speaks for itself: 

  1.   The ruling parties routinely lose elections in India both at the national and state level. In fact, in every two out of the three elections held in the last 25 years, the ruling party lost.
  2.   In the US, an incumbent or ‘sitting’ elected representative rarely loses an election. In India about half of the sitting MPs or MLAs lose elections.
  3.   Candidates who are known to have spent a lot of money on ‘buying votes’ and those with known criminal connections often lose elections.
  4.   Barring very few disputed elections, the electoral outcomes are usually accepted as ‘people’s verdict’ by the defeated party.

 

  1. Discuss your views on the existence of educational qualifications of candidates.

Answer – 

  1. Educational qualifications are not relevant to all kinds of jobs. The relevant qualification for selection to the Indian cricket team, for example, is not the attainment of educational degrees but the ability to play cricket well.
  2. The relevant qualification for being 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.
  3. Even if education was relevant, it should be left to the people to decide how much importance they give to educational qualifications.
  4. In our country putting an educational qualification would 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.

 
Also See : 
Political Science Important Questions

Geography Important Questions

History Important Questions

 

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