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Process of Government Formation in India
Process of Government Formation in India

India is a parliamentary democracy and has a federal structure, whereby it is run by elected officials at both national and state levels. There are several factors that decide the government-formation.  Here is a quick look : Forming Government at the Centre As the existing strength of the Lok Sabha is 543, the magic figure comes to 272 that ensures a party or alliance’s majority in the House, necessary to form the government. With large number of regional parties coming in the fray and contesting Lok Sabha elections, it generally becomes difficult for a single party to reach [...]Read more

What is Article 17 of Indian Constitution
What is Article 17 of Indian Constitution

One of the vital steps that independent India took was the effort towards eradication of untouchability. Finally, the Indian Constitution abolished the practice of untouchability in 1950. The lawmakers included provisions within the Constitution that can provide measures for positive discrimination in both educational institutions and public services for the socially backward groups. Article 17 of the Indian Constitution is a legislation that abolishes practice of untouchability in any form. According to the provision of Article 17, “enforcement of any disability arising out of untouchability” is a punishable offence in accordance with law. Purpose of Article 17 [...]Read more

What are the Voting Rights for NRIs in India
What are the Voting Rights for NRIs in India

According to the provisions of Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2010, an individual, who is a citizen of India and residing in any foreign country for the purpose of employment, education or other commitments is eligible to be a voter in the constituency where his residence in India is located. It is to be noted that NRIs who have acquired the citizenship of any other country are not eligible to be registered as voters. Application for the Enrollment of NRIs in Electoral Roll For the overseas Indians, the first step to get registered as a voter [...]Read more

Article 15 of Indian Constitution
Article 15 of the Indian Constitution

In order to uphold the spirit of a secular nation and create a society based on equality, the Constitution makers of India have incorporated various provisions in the Indian Constitution. Article 15 is one such legislation. The Concept of Article 15 The concept and purpose of this Article is to prevent the government from making discrimination on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex, or birth place. One of the clauses clearly states that no citizen shall be subject to “any disability, liability, restriction or condition” on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex, and place of [...]Read more

Local Body Election Process in India
Process for election of local body

In the second week of November 2014, the Gujarat government made it mandatory for the voters to exercise their franchise and vote during the local body elections. That somehow sums up the importance of such elections. Since India has long been an exponent of “democracy at the grassroots level”, the elections to the rural and urban local bodies carry great significance. Like Parliamentary and Assembly polls, the elections to Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, District Panchayats, Gram Panchayats and other local bodies follow a distinct process.  Model Code of Conduct for Local Body Elections It’s to be noted that [...]Read more

What is the Procedure for Trust Vote in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha
Procedure for Trust Vote in Indian Lok Sabha

It’s a fact that a democratically elected government must enjoy the confidence of Parliament or State Assembly in order to stay in power. At times, certain political equations put a question mark on the credibility of the ruling party and that’s when the party finds it obligatory to know whether it still enjoys the confidence of the House. In Lok Sabha, trust vote is generally sought during the first session with the newly elected government at the helm. This voting is considered as the ideal mechanism to understand whether a party or a coalition commands a majority [...]Read more

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Types and Procedures of Elections in India

Elections form the backbone of democracy wherein people elect their political representatives and decide the composition of the government. Holding free and fair elections on a state and national level is integral to upholding the principles of democratic set up in India. From parliamentary elections to the presidential polls, India goes through the electoral process at regular intervals. Apart from the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act of 1952 and the Representation of the People Act of 1951, elections are conducted as per the provisions of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. It’s interesting to note how each [...]Read more

Should Candidates Meet Educational Criteria to Contest Elections ?
Should Candidates Meet Educational Criteria to Contest Elections

It’s not uncommon to see candidates with no academic qualification contesting or even winning elections. Take the case of Delhi. At least one-third of the candidates who contested the Lok Sabha elections had educational qualification of class 12 or below and some of them were illiterate. Even during the Haryana Assembly elections, the instances of illiterate candidates given the poll ticket were too many. In Defense of No Academic Qualification Criteria Sociologists and political observers are of the opinion that making education qualification mandatory for election candidates would be discriminatory since that would naturally deprive citizens of [...]Read more

Jammu & Kashmir : Refugees and Their Right to Vote
Jammu & Kashmir Refugees and Their Right to Vote

With Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections round the corner, the demand for voting rights has again resurfaced among the refugees in the state. Most of them had migrated to the state during the wars of 1947, 1965 and 1971 from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). Let alone the property rights, this chunk of population doesn’t have the right to vote during the state elections and contribute towards the greater consensus when it comes to electing people’s representatives. However, these refugees have voting rights for the parliamentary elections. The Legal Complications regarding Voting Rights in J & K Those [...]Read more

How to Contest Elections as an Independent Candidate ?
How to Contest Elections as an Independent Candidate

Common citizens contesting elections and surfacing as an alternative to the established political parties is a growing phenomenon that saw its emergence in the 1980s. Since then, there has been a huge rise in the number of independent candidates who tried to fill in the void that the big political parties couldn’t. Often candidates decide to contest elections alone since they don’t find any political party aligned to their political beliefs. Eligibility Criteria for Independent Candidates to Contest Elections Whether the independent candidate wants to contest the Lok Sabha elections or the Assembly elections, he has to [...]Read more

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