Q1.
Look at the road to free and fair elections above (Fig. 7.13). Fill in the empty potholes with some more challenges after discussing them with your teachers and parents. How can we overcome these challenges?
Answer
Fig. 7.13 draws the road to the polling booth with potholes in it. Three are already labelled — Misinformation, Intimidation and Fake News — and the rest are left blank for you to fill. Each pothole should be a real obstacle, and each should have a matching repair.
| Pothole (challenge) | Why it damages a free and fair election | How it can be overcome |
|---|---|---|
| Misinformation (printed) | A vote cast on a false belief is not a free choice | Voters' awareness campaigns; verify from ECI sources; report through cVIGIL |
| Fake news (printed) | Manufactured stories can swing opinion faster than they can be corrected | Check the original document; official ECI clarifications; media literacy in school |
| Intimidation (printed) | A frightened voter cannot vote according to conscience | Security at polling stations; secrecy of the ballot; complaints to the Returning Officer and through cVIGIL |
| Money power and inducements | A gift, offer or promise to make someone vote, withdraw or refrain is a corrupt practice under RPA 1951 | Expenditure monitoring by the ECI; flying squads; report through cVIGIL; refuse and report inducements |
| Appeals on religion, caste, race, community or language | Divides voters by identity instead of by programme; an offence under RPA 1951 | Model Code of Conduct enforcement; the voters' pledge to vote without such influence |
| Misuse of official machinery | Assistance from government-related personnel gives one side the resources of the State | RPA 1951's prohibition; the Model Code of Conduct, which applies from the day the schedule is announced |
| Accessibility barriers | The chapter notes that if some people cannot exercise their right to vote, the democratic value of the election is reduced | Ramps and wheelchairs, EVMs with Braille (Fig. 7.7), the Saksham app, home voting for those above 85 and for PwD with 40% benchmark disability (Fig. 7.8) |
| Low voter turnout and apathy | A government elected by a small fraction of citizens represents fewer people | National Voters' Day on 25 January; the voters' pledge; the Voter Helpline App; school and community awareness drives |
| Names missing from the electoral roll | Only those whose names appear on the roll are allowed to vote | Special Intensive Revision; the claims-and-objections period before the final roll is published; ERONET for clean roll management |
The general repair. Notice what all the remedies have in common: a law that names the wrong, an institution that can act on it, a technology that makes acting quick, and a citizen willing to use it. Remove the last one and the other three go slack — which is why the chapter ends the section by saying that "with constant vigilance and active citizen participation, elections can become more representative and the democracy more robust."
Try this: when you discuss this with your teacher and parents, ask them for one challenge they have actually seen at a polling station, and one thing that has visibly improved since they first voted. Add both to your road drawing — a pothole and a stretch of repaired road.