NCERT Solutions Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections

F R E E S T U D Y M AT E R I A L F O R E V E R Y S T U D E N T

CLASS 9 · SOCIAL SCIENCE

NCERT Solutions

Chapter 7: Elections

NCERT Textbook — Understanding Society: India And Beyond

BOOK PAGES SECTIONS QUESTIONS MEDIUM

161 – 182 14 37 English

Solutions, notes, sample papers & more at 51 pages

Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

CLASS 9 · SOCIAL SCIENCE · UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY: INDIA AND BEYOND

NCERT Solutions — Chapter 7: Elections
This chapter opens up India's election machinery — the electoral system that turns votes into seats, the
laws that govern the contest, the Election Commission of India that runs it, the political parties that offer
voters a choice, and the challenges that stand in the way of free and fair elections.

TEXTBOOK BOOK PAGES

Understanding Society: India and Beyond (Class 161 – 182
9)

SECTIONS QUESTIONS

14 37

MEDIUM

English

The Big Questions — Page 161
Chapter opener

THE BIG QUESTIONS

Q1 Why are elections essential to a democratic system?

Because in a democracy the people do not govern directly — they govern through
representatives, and an election is the only regular, peaceful way of appointing those
representatives and of removing them.
The chapter builds the argument in four steps.

Elections create representation. India is too large for every citizen to make every decision.
Members of the Lok Sabha, the Vidhan Sabha and local bodies are elected directly so that
every constituency has a voice in the law-making body.
Elections create accountability. The chapter puts it plainly: "Elected representatives are
accountable to the people." A representative who knows the term ends in five years must
answer for what was done in those five years.
Elections create equality. One adult citizen has one vote, and the RPA 1950 secures that
right for "every citizen above 18 years of age and above… without discrimination". At the ballot
no vote is worth more than another.
Elections create legitimacy. A government that has just won a mandate can claim the
authority to make binding decisions for everyone, including those who voted against it.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The chapter tests the idea with a case you already know. Gurmat was elected class
representative in Grade 8 — can she simply continue in Grade 9 without a fresh election? Can a
government stay on beyond its term? Can you exercise a choice if only one party is contesting?
The answer to all three is No, and each "No" points to one of the four things above.

Why it happens: An election is not just a headcount. It is the moment when power
returns to the citizens and has to be asked for again. That is why the chapter says
regular and periodic elections lie at the core of democracy — the word "periodic" is
doing as much work as the word "elections".

Q2 How do electoral systems and rules shape political representation and fairness?

An electoral system is the rule that converts votes into seats — and different rules turn the
same votes into very different legislatures. The chapter compares three systems through three
imaginary countries.

FEATURE HARITBHUMI — FPTP RATNADWEEP — SWARNALOK — PR
MAJORITY

Seats 25 25 100 (nationwide list)

How voting One candidate per A winner must cross 50%; Voters vote for a party;
works constituency; the one with if not, the top two fight a seats are allotted in
the most votes wins, even second round proportion to votes
below 50%

Sample A 40%, B 35%, C 25% X 45%, Y 40%, Z 15% M 40%, N 35%, O 15%, P
vote share 10%

Result Party A forms the government Round 2: Party Y wins with M 40, N 35, O 15, P 10
55% seats

Now work the numbers out, because that is where the difference shows.

Haritbhumi: winner's share = 40%

Votes that did not go to the winner = 100% − 40% = 60%

Ratnadweep round 1: highest = 45%, still below 50% → second round

Round 2 winner = 55%, so the other candidate = 100% − 55% = 45%

Swarnalok: 100 seats, so 40% of 100 = 40 seats; 35% → 35; 15% → 15; 10% → 10

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Haritbhumi (FPTP) — vote share Swarnalok (PR) — vote share

40% 40%
35% 35%

25%

15%
10%

A B C M N O P
A alone forms the government on 40% Seats out of 100: 40, 35, 15, 10 —
power is shared

The same kind of vote split produces one-party government under FPTP and a shared house under
PR. Values from the Electoral Systems table, page 164.

So the rules shape three things:

Who gets in. Under FPTP a party can govern on 40% of the votes; under PR a party with 40%
of the votes gets 40% of the seats and must work with others.
How much a losing vote counts. In Haritbhumi 60% of votes elected nobody in the winning
column. In Swarnalok every 1% of the vote earned a seat.
Whether the winner must reach a majority. Ratnadweep's second round forces the winner
past 50% — notice that Party X led round 1 with 45% and still lost, because in round 2 the
supporters of the eliminated Party Z had to choose between X and Y.

The question is contested: which system is "fairer" is genuinely debated, and the
chapter does not settle it. Supporters of FPTP argue it is simple to understand, gives
each constituency one identifiable representative, and usually produces a stable
single-party government. Supporters of PR argue it wastes fewer votes and mirrors
the country's diversity more closely, but it can produce fragmented houses that
depend on coalitions. India's Constituent Assembly discussed both and chose FPTP
for the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha, while keeping PR for the Rajya Sabha, the
Vidhan Parishad, the President and the Vice President.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections
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What role do institutions and laws play in ensuring free and fair elections?
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LAW OR INSTITUTION WHAT IT PROVIDES

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Presidential Elections Act,
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Delimitation Commission
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votes against the party whip, to give the elected government stability

Three of the RPA 1951 offences show how precisely the law works. It is an offence to make any
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gift, offer or promise to a person to make them contest, withdraw, vote or refrain from voting;
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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The ECI ties it all together. It is an autonomous permanent constitutional body set up on 25
January 1950, and it conducts the elections to the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha, the Vidhan
Sabha, the Vidhan Parishad, the President and the Vice President. At the State level the Chief
Electoral Officer supervises the work, and District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Magistrates and
Tahsildars are designated District Election Officers, Returning Officers and Electoral Registration
Officers for the poll.

Q4 What challenges do elections face in practice, and how can these challenges affect
democracy?

The chapter draws the challenges as potholes on the road to free and fair elections (Fig. 7.13).
Three are named on the road itself — misinformation, fake news and intimidation — and the
remaining potholes are left empty for you to fill.
The challenges the chapter identifies

Misinformation and fake news — false claims about candidates, parties or the voting
process, spread faster than they can be corrected.
Intimidation — pressure or threats that stop people from voting freely, or from voting at all.
Inducements and money power — the gifts, offers and promises listed as corrupt practices
under RPA 1951.
Appeals on religion, caste, race, community or language — also an offence under RPA
1951.
Misuse of official machinery — taking assistance from government-related personnel,
prohibited by the same Act.
Accessibility barriers — the chapter notes that when some participants face difficulties in
exercising their right to vote, the democratic value of the election is reduced even though
the election was held.
Sheer scale — over 96.8 crore electors in 2024, thousands of polling stations, hundreds of
political parties, spread across diverse regions and terrains.

How they damage democracy. The chapter's own reasoning is the sharpest answer: if fairness
is not ensured, "public confidence in electoral institutions may gradually weaken". If candidates are
influenced by personal favours, if votes are not counted accurately, or if some people cannot
reach the booth, then "although elections may be held, their democratic value is reduced". In other
words, the damage is not usually that the election stops happening — it is that the election
stops meaning anything. A result that people do not trust cannot give a government legitimacy,
and a vote cast on a false story is not really a free choice.
What is done about them. The ECI works through RPA 1950 and 1951, the Model Code of
Conduct, EVMs, the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), voters' awareness campaigns and
the cVIGIL app, through which any voter can report a Model Code violation within minutes and a

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

flying squad reaches the spot using auto-location. The chapter closes on the condition that
makes all this work: "With constant vigilance and active citizen participation, elections can become
more representative and the democracy more robust."

In-text Questions — Page 161
Why do Elections Matter?

Q1 You read about a case in Grade 8 where Gurmat was elected as class representative
(CR). Can we allow her to continue as the CR in Grade 9 without facing a fresh
election?

No. Gurmat's mandate was given by the class of Grade 8 for that year only; it does not carry
over.
Two things have changed. First, the class itself has changed — new classmates have joined,
and they never had a say in choosing her. Second, a year of work now exists to be judged: her
classmates can look at what she actually did as CR and decide whether to return her or replace
her. If she continued without a fresh election, both the new voters and the verdict on her record
would simply be lost.

Why it happens: a representative's authority is borrowed, not owned. It comes from
the people who elected her, for the period they elected her. The chapter makes the
same point about governments — this is why democracy insists on periodic
elections and not just on one founding election.

Q2 Similarly, can the government continue beyond the prescribed term without
seeking the people's mandate again?

No. The Lok Sabha, the Vidhan Sabhas and local bodies are elected for a fixed term of five years,
and at the end of that term the government must go back to the voters.
The chapter states the rule from the other side too: when the constitutionally mandated term of
a legislature ends, or when the legislature is dissolved before completing its term, the ECI
activates the machinery needed to conduct an election. The Commission does not wait to be
asked by the government of the day — the trigger is the calendar and the Constitution.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why it happens: a fixed term is what makes accountability real. If a government
could extend itself, the threat of being voted out would disappear, and with it the
main reason a government has to listen to citizens between elections.

Q3 And can we exercise our choice if only one political party is contesting the election?

No. Marking a ballot when there is only one option is not a choice; it is only a formality.
An election does two jobs — it lets citizens select and it lets them reject. With a single party in
the field the second job becomes impossible, so voters cannot remove a non-performing
representative, and the party has no rival forcing it to explain its programme. The chapter's later
section on political parties makes the same point positively: parties matter because they "offer
voters meaningful choices" and "enable voters to make informed decisions" — and a choice needs at
least two real alternatives.

Link it forward: this is exactly why the chapter says India's multi-party system, in
which many parties exist and compete, reflects the country's diversity of languages,
cultures, religions and regions. Competition among parties is not a nuisance in a
democracy; it is the thing that gives a vote its power.

In-text Questions — Page 162

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Fig. 7.1 Importance of elections in a democracy

Q1 Fig. 7.1. Importance of elections in a democracy. (Fill in the two empty boxes to
indicate why elections are important for democratic functioning, and discuss how
each one of them is ensured through elections.)

Accountability Representation

Legitimacy Elections Equality

? ?
(fill in) (fill in)

Fig. 7.1, page 162 — redrawn. A ring of six sectors around the word Elections. Four are
printed with their names; the two pale, dashed sectors are blank in the book and are
the boxes you have to fill in.

The wheel already prints four segments around the word Elections — Accountability,
Representation, Equality and Legitimacy — and leaves two segments blank. Two good fillings,
both taken from ideas the chapter itself uses, are Participation and Peaceful Change of
Government.

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SEGMENT WHAT IT MEANS HOW THE ELECTION ITSELF ENSURES IT

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LET'S EXPLORE — Page 165
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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The Electoral System

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 Different democracies use different electoral systems. Make groups of 5–6 students.
Each group will select six countries from different continents. Prepare and present
a case study on the type of electoral system(s) operating in those countries, and
discuss their latest election results of those countries.

This is a group research and presentation task, so what follows is the method, the checklist a
good case study must meet, and one sample entry you can use as a model.
Method

1. Divide into groups of 5–6. Pick six countries from six different continents so that the
comparison is genuinely global — for example one each from Asia, Africa, Europe, North
America, South America and Oceania.
2. For each country find out one thing first: how are votes converted into seats? Classify it
against the three types in the chapter's table — FPTP (plurality), majority (two-round), or
proportional representation. Some countries use a mixed system, and some use one system
for the lower house and another for the upper house, exactly as India does.
3. Use only sources you can name — the country's own election management body, its
constitution, or an international body such as International IDEA, which the chapter
mentions as an ECI partner.
4. For the latest election, record the same four things for every country so the comparison is
fair: date, turnout, vote share of the main parties, and seats won.
5. Present it as one comparison table plus one short paragraph per country, and end with a
discussion.

What a good case study must contain

The name of the electoral system and the rule in one sentence ("the candidate with most
votes wins", "seats in proportion to votes", "two rounds if nobody crosses 50%").
Whether the system is used for the whole legislature or only part of it.
Vote share and seat share side by side — this is the single most revealing column, because
the gap between the two shows what the system is doing.
Whether the result was a single-party government or a coalition, and whether that follows
from the system.
Your sources, listed at the end.

Sample answer:

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

COUNTRY CONTINENT SYSTEM FOR THE LOWER WHAT TO RECORD FROM
HOUSE THE LATEST ELECTION

India Asia FPTP for the Lok Sabha; PR with Vote share and seats of each
single transferable vote for the recognised party, from the ECI's
Rajya Sabha statistical report

Written out, the India entry would read: India uses the First-Past-The-Post system for the Lok Sabha
and the Vidhan Sabhas, which means the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins even
without crossing 50%. The Rajya Sabha, the Vidhan Parishad, the President and the Vice President are
elected indirectly, under proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. The
Election Commission of India, a permanent constitutional body set up on 25 January 1950, conducts
all of these. For the latest Lok Sabha election our group compared each party's vote share with its seat
share using the ECI's own statistical report, and found that… — and here you fill in the figures you
actually looked up, with the source cited.

Tip: do not quote election figures from memory or from a social media post. Take
every number from the election commission of that country, and write the source
next to it. The chapter's whole point about misinformation applies to your own
presentation too.

DON'T MISS OUT — Page 166
Delimitation Commission

DON'T MISS OUT

Q1 Article 82 of the Constitution of India mandates the establishment of a Delimitation
Commission. India has had four Delimitation Commissions—in 1952, 1963, 1973, and
2002. Can you find out the reason for the long interval between 1973 and 2002 with
the help of your teacher?

First, count the gaps, because the pattern is the clue.

1952 → 1963 : gap of 11 years

1963 → 1973 : gap of 10 years

1973 → 2002 : gap of 29 years

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

So the first three Commissions came roughly once a decade, after each Census, and then the
sequence stopped for nearly three decades. That break was deliberate, and made by a
constitutional amendment — not an oversight.
The reason. Delimitation redistributes seats according to population. States whose population
grew fastest would gain seats; States that had brought their population growth down would
lose seats. That would have meant that a State was penalised in Parliament for succeeding at
family planning. To remove that penalty, the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among the States
was frozen on the basis of the 1971 Census, so no fresh Commission was needed. The freeze
was later extended, and the 2002 Commission worked within it: it redrew the boundaries of
constituencies inside each State using the 2001 Census figures, but did not change the number
of seats allotted to each State.

Why it matters for the chapter's argument: the chapter says delimitation exists so
that the ratio of seats to population is as nearly equal as possible — one MP for five
lakh people and another for twenty-five lakh defeats equal representation. The
freeze shows that this principle can pull against another one, namely not
disadvantaging States for a national policy they carried out. Balancing two good
principles against each other is a normal, and difficult, part of constitutional design.

Check it yourself: read Article 82 of the Constitution, and ask your teacher to show
you which amendments extended the freeze and until when. Note the article and
amendment numbers in your notebook rather than relying on a summary.

THINK ABOUT IT — Page 168
ECI creates the electoral roll

THINK ABOUT IT

Q1 You will turn 18 in a few years. As a responsible citizen, you should register yourself
as a voter. Find out the various steps of the procedure for registration and the list of
required documents for the same. Discuss, with anyone who has just turned 18 and
has registered as a voter, the ease or difficulty faced in the voter registration
process.

This has three parts — find out the steps, list the documents, and interview a first-time voter.
Here is how to do each, and a model write-up.
1. Find out the steps. Use the ECI's own sources, not hearsay: the Voters' Service Portal, the
Voter Helpline App that the chapter describes in Fig. 7.6 as a multipurpose app for registration,
transposition and verification, or your Electoral Registration Officer's office. The broad sequence

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

is:

1. Check that you are eligible — a citizen of India who is 18 years of age or above on the
qualifying date, and ordinarily resident in that constituency.
2. Check whether your name is already on the roll, by searching the electoral roll for your
polling station.
3. Fill the form for inclusion of a new elector (Form 6), online through the portal or the app, or
on paper at the ERO's office.
4. Attach proof of age, proof of address and a recent photograph, and submit.
5. The Booth Level Officer verifies the details at your address; the claim is then published for
objections.
6. Once accepted, your name appears on the roll and the Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is
issued.

2. List the documents. Write down exactly what your ERO's list says, under three heads: proof
of age (such as a birth certificate or a school leaving certificate showing date of birth), proof of
ordinary residence (such as a utility bill, bank passbook or a document in a parent's name
along with a declaration), and a passport-size photograph. Copy the list from the official form
itself — the accepted documents are printed on it.
3. Interview a first-time voter. Ask a fixed set of questions so the answers can be compared:
How did you apply — online or on paper? How long did it take from application to your name
appearing? Did the Booth Level Officer visit? What was the hardest part? Did anything have to
be corrected?
Sample answer: I spoke to my cousin, who turned 18 last year and registered through the Voters'
Service Portal. She said filling Form 6 online took about twenty minutes and the hardest part was
arranging address proof, because the electricity bill is in her father's name, so she had to attach his
document with a declaration. The Booth Level Officer came home three weeks later to verify. Her
name appeared in the revised roll after about a month, and the EPIC arrived by post. Her advice was
to apply well before an election is announced, because the offices are far busier once the schedule is
out.

Why the chapter puts this here: it comes immediately after the paragraph on the
Special Intensive Revision, whose purpose is that no eligible citizen is left out —
and the chapter notes that young voters who have just turned 18 are exactly the
group most likely to be left out for lack of awareness. Registering yourself, and
helping one other person register, is the small, concrete version of that whole idea.

LET'S EXPLORE — Page 168

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ECI creates the electoral roll
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LET'S EXPLORE

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Do you know what ETPBS is?
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ETPBS stands for the Electronically Transmitted
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electronically received postal ballot from their preferred location, which is outside their originally

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assigned voting constituency." And in Fig. 7.6, the digital ecosystem chart: it was "developed for

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Why it was needed: the old postal ballot had to travel both ways by post. For a
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Find out who are classified as service voters and who can vote using ETPBS?
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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Persons employed under the Government of India in a post outside India, such as staff at
Indian missions abroad.
The wife of a service voter ordinarily residing with them is also entitled to be registered as
a service voter.

Such electors are entered in a separate part of the electoral roll of their home constituency, and
they vote there by postal ballot — which is why ETPBS matters to them.
Who votes using ETPBS. Service voters registered as such, who are posted outside their home
constituency, receive the postal ballot electronically under ETPBS. Note two limits so you do not
overstate the answer: the ballot goes out electronically, but the marked ballot comes back by
post; and ETPBS is meant for service voters, not for ordinary voters who happen to be travelling.

Check it yourself: the exact categories are defined in the Representation of the
People Act, 1950 — the very Act the chapter names as dealing with electoral rolls.
Look up the ECI website's page on service voters and copy the categories as they are
officially worded, along with the date you accessed it.

In-text Questions — Page 172
Political Parties

Q1 How do we learn about various issues that affect citizens in their daily lives?

Mainly through political parties and the media platforms on which they argue.
The chapter's answer is that parties do not only fight elections — between elections they
organise public opinion and campaign on specific issues (Fig. 7.9). When a party takes up a
question of price, employment, schooling, water or safety, it turns a private difficulty that many
households face separately into a public issue that has to be answered in the legislature. The
chapter adds that parties "discuss and debate on issues of local, state, national, and international
concern through various media platforms" — so newspapers, television and the internet carry the
argument to citizens who were never at the rally.

Why parties, and not only the news: reporting can tell you that something has
happened. A party has to go further and say what should be done about it, and then
defend that position against rivals who say something else. That clash is how a
citizen gets to hear more than one side of the same problem.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q2 How do voters get to know about the candidates contesting elections?

Mostly through the party the candidate belongs to. The chapter says there are often dozens
of contestants for each constituency, most candidates belong to a political party though some
contest independently, and voters learn about candidates "their policies, their vision for
development, and their positions on various social, economic, cultural, and political issues primarily
through the political parties."
The concrete channels are:

the party's manifesto, which sets out its promises for that election;
election rallies, where the agenda is presented and the promises elaborated;
door-to-door canvassing, pamphlets, posters and wall writing;
debates and interviews on media platforms;
the election symbol, allotted by the ECI, which lets a voter identify a party's candidate on
the ballot even without reading the name.

Did you know? The ECI also runs the Suvidha app for contesting candidates and
parties, through which they get nomination forms and apply for permission for
meetings, rallies, vehicles and loudspeakers, and can check the permission status in
real time (Fig. 7.6). So even the campaigning you see on the street has passed
through an official permission system.

Q3 How is the election agenda set?

The agenda is set by a two-way traffic between citizens and parties, and Fig. 7.11 draws it
exactly that way — the arrow starts at Citizens, goes to Political Parties (Organise Public
Opinion), and only then to Contest Elections (Plan Campaigns and Prepare Manifestos).

1. Parties work at the grassroots level, as Fig. 7.9 says, and pick up what people are actually
worried about.
2. They organise these scattered concerns into a smaller set of issues they choose to campaign
on.
3. These issues are written into the manifesto and repeated in rallies and on media platforms.
4. Rival parties respond with their own priorities, and the issues that survive that argument
become the agenda of the election.

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Why the direction of the arrow matters: if the agenda were set only by parties, an
election would be a choice between slogans that nobody asked for. Because parties
depend on votes, they have a standing reason to notice what citizens raise. That is
what the chapter means by saying parties help the democracy function by providing
governance, accountability, representation and public engagement.

Q4 What role do political parties play in elections?

Fig. 7.9 lists four roles, and Fig. 7.11 shows what happens after the votes are counted.

ROLE (FIG. 7.9) WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN AN ELECTION

Organise public opinion Turn scattered individual concerns into public issues that can be voted
on

Campaign on specific issues Rallies, manifestos and media debates on named questions, not vague
appeals

Offer voters meaningful choices Put up candidates with different programmes, so a vote is a real
decision

Enable voters to make informed Supply the information about candidates, policies and positions on
decisions which a voter judges

After the result, Fig. 7.11 splits the parties into two paths that are both necessary:

the winning party forms the government and then formulates and implements policies;
the opposition party ensures accountability and participates in debates and committees.

Why the Opposition is on the same chart: losing an election does not end a party's
role in the democracy. The chapter places "Ensures Accountability" on the
Opposition's branch, which means the losers of the election are given a job by the
system itself — to question the government continuously, and not only at the next
poll.

LET'S MAP — Pages 173–174

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Political Parties

LET'S MAP

Q1 Choose any three states (including yours). Find the symbols of state parties
belonging to those states and plot them on the given map of India. List down their
major agenda, as mentioned in their manifesto in the latest Lok Sabha/Vidhan
Sabha/Local Body Elections.

Fig. 7.10, page 173 — described here; see the textbook for the map itself. The book prints
a full-page blank political outline map of India: state and union-territory boundaries are
drawn in thin lines, with the international boundary heavier, and nothing is named,
coloured or shaded. It is a worksheet — you shade each of your three chosen states and
draw that state party’s symbol inside it. The map is not redrawn here, because India’s
official boundaries cannot be reproduced accurately by hand; use the map printed on
page 173, or an outline map of India published by the Survey of India.

Use this table alongside the map, one row per state:

STATE STATE PARTY (AS ITS ELECTION MAJOR AGENDA FROM
RECOGNISED BY THE SYMBOL ITS LATEST MANIFESTO
ECI)

1. (your
own state)

2.

3.

This is a map-work and research task on Fig. 7.10, so here is the method, the checklist, and a
worked model of one row. Fill in the actual parties and agendas yourself from the sources
named below — and use the same three states throughout, so your map and your table match.
Method

1. Pick three states, one of which must be your own. Choosing states from different regions
makes the comparison more interesting.
2. Go to the Election Commission of India website and open its list of recognised State
parties. This is the only list that decides whether a party counts as a "state party" for this
exercise — Fig. 7.12 gives the criteria the ECI applies.
3. For each state, note the party's full name, its reserved symbol and the state it is recognised
in.

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4. On the outline map (Fig. 7.10), first shade or outline your three states. Then draw the symbol
co m
se
neatly inside each state and add a small numbered key in the margin: 1 – state, 2 – party
m.
o m l a
g Vidhan Sabha or
.c open the party's own manifesto for the latest Lok Sabha,
name, 3 – symbol. Do not crowd the map with text; the details belong in the table below it.
5. For them a
e election, and pick three to five of its main promises. Write them in the party's
sbody
agenda,
l a
agown words or as a close paraphrase, and cite the manifesto and its date.
local

com ag
What a good answer must contain
.
a s emlocated on the map.
Three states, one of them yours, correctly
Each symbol drawn accurately — l reserved symbol as the ECI prints it, not an
agthe
approximation.

. c om
The agenda taken from the manifesto itself, not from a news headline or a social media post.

s e m
A neutral, factual tone. You are recording what a party promises, not recommending it. Do

c m opinion about any party in this table.
not addoyour
. a gla
Ae
s m line under the table: name of document, publisher, date accessed.
a
source
gl
a Sample answer: the format of one completed row would look like this —
om a s
. c agl
STATE RECOGNISED RESERVED MAJOR AGENDA SOURCE
STATE PARTY
a s
SYMBOL
em FROM ITS

agl
LATEST
MANIFESTO

(name exactly as in 1. (promise on
. c ommanifesto,
Party
m Vidhan Sabha
(your (draw the symbol on
state)
m parties)
the ECI list of State the map and name it schooling)
ase election, (year); ECI
.co
here, e.g. "lamp",
a
2. (promise on
g l
a s em "cycle", "star") farming or list of State parties,

ag l employment)
3. (promise on
accessed (date)

health)
se m
com g l a
. a
4. (promise on

m
ase
water or roads)

agl
Tip: the chapter itself prints six party symbols in Question 7 on page 180 — hand,

c om
elephant, broom, book, hammer-sickle-and-star, and lotus. Look at how simple and
.
s e m cannot read the
bold each one is. A symbol has to be recognisable to a voter who
a clear object.
om on the ballot, which is why the ECI keeps them toagalsingle
cname
.
as em
agl c
m .
m a s e
e m . co agl
g l as
a

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m .
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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q2 Form groups of 4–6 students. Identify and compare the policy preferences on the
following parameters for two political parties in the last Lok Sabha Elections using
credible sources like party manifestos, newspapers, etc. Present the points of
comparison in a poster using bullet points, symbols, colour coding, etc. Policy area
— Education, National security, Social welfare, Environment, Economy, Health.

The printed table has four columns — Policy area, Party's viewpoint, Any policy/law that
aligns with the party's viewpoint, Source — and six rows. Fill one such table for each of the
two parties, then build the poster from the two tables.
Method

1. Choose two parties that contested the last Lok Sabha election. Recognised national or state
parties are easiest, because their manifestos are published.
2. Download both manifestos. This is your primary source. Newspapers are a secondary
source, useful for checking a fact, not for deciding what a party's position is.
3. For each of the six policy areas, find the paragraph in the manifesto that deals with it, and
compress it into two or three factual bullet points.
4. In column three, name an actual policy, scheme or law that matches that stated viewpoint —
and say plainly if you cannot find one.
5. In column four, give the source precisely: document name, page or section number, and the
date you accessed it.
6. Build the poster: one colour per party, one icon per policy area, the two parties' bullets
placed side by side under each area so a reader can compare at a glance.

What a good comparison must do

Compare like with like — the same six areas, the same election, the same kind of source for
both parties.
Use the parties' own words. Quote or paraphrase closely; do not summarise a position into
a slogan.
Give both parties equal space on the poster. Unequal space is itself a form of bias.
Stay descriptive. Your task is to show what each party says, not to judge which is right.
Leave the judgement to the reader — that is what a voter does at the ballot.
Mark clearly anything you could not find, instead of filling the gap with a guess.

Sample answer: a completed row, shown with the wording pattern rather than a real party's
content —

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

POLICY PARTY'S VIEWPOINT ANY POLICY/LAW THAT SOURCE
AREA ALIGNS WITH THE
PARTY'S VIEWPOINT

Education "The manifesto states that (Name the existing scheme or Party manifesto, Lok
it will (raise / restructure / Act that matches, e.g. a school Sabha election (year),
expand) …, and commits to education programme, with its section on Education, p.
(a named target)." official name) __, accessed (date)

Environment "The manifesto commits to (Name the relevant mission, Same manifesto, section
(a named target on energy, rule or Act) on Environment, p. __
forests, water or air
quality)."

Why the "Source" column is the most important one: the chapter's section on
challenges puts misinformation and fake news at the top of the list. The habit that
protects you from both is exactly this — never write a claim on your poster that you
cannot point back to a document. If your group cannot fill the source cell, delete the
claim.

In-text Questions — Page 175
Multi-party system and defection

Q1 If there are so many political parties, can someone simply leave one party and join
another whenever they wish?

Yes — a person may leave one party and join another. But once someone has been elected
on a particular party's ticket, leaving that party is called defection, and the law then attaches
consequences to it.
The chapter defines defection as abandoning or switching from the party under whose banner
the candidate was elected. It includes joining another party, and also "choosing to act
independently of the party's decisions, particularly in matters such as voting in the legislature."
The chapter deliberately gives you both readings of the same act:

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READ THROUGH PARTY DISCIPLINE AND READ THROUGH CONSCIENCE AND PUBLIC
STABILITY EXPECTATIONS

The voter chose the candidate partly because of A member may come to believe the party is
the party's programme. Switching afterwards wrong, or that opinion in the constituency has
changes what the voter bought without asking moved. On this reading, obeying one's conscience
them, so it is seen as political opportunism, and or responding to changing public expectations is
repeated switching can bring down governments a legitimate part of representing people rather
and make policy unstable. than a betrayal.

What the law does. The Anti-Defection Law was passed in 1985 through the 52nd
Constitutional Amendment Act, to prevent defection and give the elected government
stability. Under it, a member of Parliament or of a State Assembly who voluntarily gives up
party membership, or votes against the party's instructions (whip), can be disqualified from
the House. The Speaker or Chairman of the House decides such cases.

Why this is a genuine dilemma, not a settled question: the law buys stability by
reducing a legislator's freedom to vote against their own party. Both things are
valuable in a democracy, and strengthening one weakens the other. The chapter
presents both sides without deciding between them, and so should you when you
write about it.

LET'S EXPLORE — Page 176
Criteria for National and State Party Recognition

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 Find out the number of State parties and Registered Unrecognised Political Parties
(RUPP). You may visit the website of ECI.

These two numbers change after every general election, so the answer is a method plus a
dated record, not a number to memorise. The chapter itself gives no figure, and you should not
supply one from memory.
Where to look

1. Open the Election Commission of India website and find the section on Political Parties and
Symbols.
2. Open the latest notification of the List of Political Parties and Election Symbols. It is
arranged in three parts: national parties, State parties, and registered unrecognised parties.
3. Count the entries under State parties. Count, or read off the total given for, the RUPP list.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

4. Write the date of the notification next to each number. A number without its date is useless,
because the list is revised.

Sample answer: record it in this form —

CATEGORY NUMBER AS ON (DATE OF ECI NOTIFICATION)

Recognised National parties ___ ___

Recognised State parties ___ ___

Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPP) ___ ___

Now read the numbers, don't just collect them. You will find that RUPPs vastly outnumber
recognised parties. Fig. 7.12 explains why: a party becomes an RUPP if it "has not secured enough
percentage of votes in the Legislative Assembly or the General Elections", or if it "has never contested
elections since their registration." Registering a party is open to citizens, so the register is long;
recognition is what is hard, because it must be earned by votes and seats.

Why recognition matters at all: the chapter says national and State parties are
allotted election symbols, and that the ECI acts as a quasi-judicial body in disputes
about recognition and symbols. A recognised party's voters can find it on the ballot
by a settled symbol; an unrecognised party's candidates take a free symbol for that
election only. Recognition is therefore not a title of honour — it is a working
advantage that the criteria in Fig. 7.12 make a party earn.

LET'S EXPLORE — Page 177
Alliances in Indian elections

LET'S EXPLORE

Q1 Find out the name and the composition (number and name of the national and
state parties) of the alliances that won in the following elections to the Lok Sabha.
(Year: 1977, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2024 — Alliance Won / National parties /
State parties)

This is a documentary research task with a seven-row table. Fill it only from sources you can cite;
the chapter gives you the background and one row's worth of information, and expects you to
find the rest.
What the chapter itself tells you

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1967 ended the era of single-party dominated elections in India, and an era of alliances
co m
began.
se m.
o m l a
gcoalition
.c an alliance as the Janata Party, which formed the first
In 1977, against the backdrop of the National Emergency (1975–1977), various political
partiesm a
se
formed
l a
ag
government at the national level, popularly known as the Janata Government.
Since the late 1990s the two major alliances have been the National Democratic Alliance

m
(NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA),
. co ag
m
led by the Indian National Congress (INC) until the UPA's dissolution in 2023 and its

as e
l
subsequent reconstitution as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.

Method for the remaining rows a g

c o m
1. Use the ECI's Statistical Report on the General Elections for each of the years listed. There
.
s emmember parties
is one report per Lok Sabha election and it gives party-wise seats and vote share.
m a
. coto see which alliance formed the government.
2. The reports list parties, not alliances, so you must add up the
a gl
seats of the

a s em
yourself

agl3. For the composition, use the ECI's list of political parties for that year to sort each member
into national or State party — the categories in Fig. 7.12. A party can move between

a s
com agl
categories from one election to the next, so use the list of that year, not today's list.

m .
e
4. Count the members and write the number and the names in the correct column.

g l as for every row.
5. Cite the report and the date of access
a
Sample answer: the first row can be started from the chapter itself —

. comSOURCE
YEAR ALLIANCE WON NATIONAL STATE
e m
m l as
.co g
PARTIES PARTIES

m
e1977 a
a s
gl
Janata Party — the first (list the constituent (list, with ECI Statistical

a coalition government at the parties from the ECI the Report,
report for 1977, with number) General
se m
national level, formed against
the backdrop of the
c o mthe number) Election 1977
g l a
m . a
ase
Emergency (1975–1977)

1999 · 2004
· 2009 ·
agl
(NDA or UPA / INDIA, as the
ECI report and the party lists
(number and names) (number
and
ECI Statistical
Report for that

com
2014 · 2019 show) names) year
· 2024
m .
om
cKeep gl alliance, and nothing ase
. a
a s em it factual. This exercise is a record of who was in which

agl more. Do not add praise, criticism or predictions about any party or alliance — the
c
historical composition of an alliance is a checkable fact, and that is exactly what the
m .
m a s e
co agl
question asks for. Where two sources disagree about whether a small party was a

m .
e
member, note both and say which you followed.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Why alliances appear at all: India has a multi-party system, and under FPTP a party
needs a majority of seats to govern, not a majority of votes. When no single party
wins enough seats, parties that can agree on a common programme combine
before or after the poll. That is why the chapter tells this story right after explaining
the FPTP system and the multi-party system — the alliance era is a consequence of
both.

LET'S ANALYSE — Page 178

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Challenges to Free and Fair Elections

LET'S ANALYSE

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?

Free and Fair
Polling Booth
Elections

Intimidation

? Fake News
?

Misinformation
?

the voter starts here
Three potholes are named in the book; the three dashed ones are left empty for
you to fill in.

Fig. 7.13, page 178 — the book’s illustration redrawn as a schematic. A winding road runs
from the voter, at the bottom right, past a signpost reading Free and Fair Elections, up to
the polling booth. Six potholes lie in the road: three are named in the book
(Misinformation, Intimidation, Fake News) and three are left empty for you to fill in. The
people, buildings and scenery of the printed illustration are not reproduced.

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.

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POTHOLE WHY IT DAMAGES A FREE HOW IT CAN BE OVERCOME
(CHALLENGE) AND FAIR ELECTION

Misinformation (printed) A vote cast on a false belief is not Voters' awareness campaigns; verify
a free choice from ECI sources; report through cVIGIL

Fake news (printed) Manufactured stories can swing Check the original document; official
opinion faster than they can be ECI clarifications; media literacy in
corrected school

Intimidation (printed) A frightened voter cannot vote Security at polling stations; secrecy of
according to conscience the ballot; complaints to the Returning
Officer and through cVIGIL

Money power and A gift, offer or promise to make Expenditure monitoring by the ECI;
inducements someone vote, withdraw or flying squads; report through cVIGIL;
refrain is a corrupt practice under refuse and report inducements
RPA 1951

Appeals on religion, Divides voters by identity instead Model Code of Conduct enforcement;
caste, race, community of by programme; an offence the voters' pledge to vote without such
or language under RPA 1951 influence

Misuse of official Assistance from government- RPA 1951's prohibition; the Model Code
machinery related personnel gives one side of Conduct, which applies from the day
the resources of the State the schedule is announced

Accessibility barriers The chapter notes that if some Ramps and wheelchairs, EVMs with
people cannot exercise their right Braille (Fig. 7.7), the Saksham app,
to vote, the democratic value of home voting for those above 85 and for
the election is reduced PwD with 40% benchmark disability
(Fig. 7.8)

Low voter turnout and A government elected by a small National Voters' Day on 25 January; the
apathy fraction of citizens represents voters' pledge; the Voter Helpline App;
fewer people school and community awareness
drives

Names missing from the Only those whose names appear Special Intensive Revision; the claims-
electoral roll on the roll are allowed to vote 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."

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

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.

Questions and activities — Pages 179–182
End of chapter

QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

Q1 What reforms have been introduced by the ECI to make voting more inclusive for
the following groups? a. People with Disabilities b. Service Voters c. Senior Citizens
— above 85 years of age d. Prisoners e. Persons in preventive detention

The chapter says the ECI's inclusion measures work along two lines — infrastructure
accessibility and technology-assisted inclusion — aimed particularly at Persons with Disabilities
(PwDs), senior citizens, transgender persons and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
Group by group:
a. People with Disabilities (PwDs)

Accessible polling stations — ramps, wheelchairs and volunteers to guide voters to the
booth, as the case study in Question 8 describes.
EVMs with Braille (Fig. 7.7), so a voter with a visual impairment can identify the candidate's
position on the machine independently.
The Saksham App, which the chapter says offers customised services to ease voter
identification and registration for PwDs, and helps them register and find their polling
station.
Voting from home for PwDs with a benchmark disability of 40%, which the chapter records
was extended across India for the first time during the 2024 General Elections.

b. Service Voters

ETPBS — the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System. It was developed for service
voters and allows them to receive and cast their postal ballot electronically from anywhere
outside their own constituency. The ballot is transmitted electronically and returned by post,
which gives a voter on distant duty enough time to actually use it.

c. Senior citizens above 85 years of age

Voting from home (Fig. 7.8), also extended across India for the first time during the 2024
General Elections. A polling team visits the elector's residence with the ballot, so age or
frailty no longer decides whether the vote is cast.

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d. Prisoners
c o m
.
mto invent one.
s e
The chapter describes no inclusion measure for this group, and it is important not
a as governing
. c om
Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 — the Act the chapter lnames
a g
s e m
voting procedures — a person who is confined in a prison, whether under a sentence or
a or who is in the lawful custody of the police, is not entitled to vote at any election
agl
otherwise,
while that confinement lasts. So the position is a legal disqualification during confinement, not a
facility that has been extended.
co m
e. Persons in preventive detention
e m . ag
g l as
a
Preventive detention is treated differently from imprisonment. A person under preventive
detention retains the right to vote, and votes by postal ballot rather than in person, since

m
they cannot come to the polling station. The distinction is deliberate: preventive detention is not
co
m.
punishment for a proved offence, so the electoral right is preserved and only the manner of

m as e
.co l
voting changes.
a g
a s emcommon thread: in every case the ECI's approach is to change the route to the
gl
The
a ballot — a ramp, a Braille panel, an electronic transmission, a home visit, a postal

m
ballot — while keeping the vote itself exactly the same, secret and equal. That is
a s
m .co
what the chapter means when it says an election is only democratic if the process is
agl
l a se
inclusive, impartial and trustworthy, and gives the section the title "No Voter to Be
Left Behind". a g

com
m .
e
Check it yourself: for parts (d) and (e), read the relevant section of the
m l as
.co g
Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the ECI's instructions on postal ballots,

em a
s
and note the exact section number in your answer book.
l a
ag
se m
o m g l a
Q2
m .cthe conduct of free and fair elections? Explain.
What are the various functions of the Election Commission of India? Which of these
a
l a se
functions is most important for

ag

. com
The Constitution vests in the ECI the superintendence, direction and control of the entire

m a s em permanent
process for the conduct of elections (Articles 324–329). It is an autonomous

. co a gl the elections to the Lok
semSabha, the Rajya Sabha, the Vidhan Sabha, the Vidhan Parishad, the President and the Vice
constitutional body, established on 25 January 1950, and it conducts

a
agl President of India.
c
m .
Its functions, as the chapter sets them out
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FUNCTION WHAT IT INVOLVES

Creates the electoral Sends enumerators to every household, prepares rolls constituency-wise and
roll polling-station-wise, and conducts the Special Intensive Revision to add eligible
electors and delete names on grounds of death, change of residence, duplicate
enrolment or being permanently untraceable; hears claims and objections before
publishing the final roll

Decides the schedule Activates the machinery when a legislature's five-year term ends or it is dissolved
and date of the earlier, weighing weather, the agricultural cycle, school and university
election examinations and festivals

Registers political Only registered parties may contest; classifies parties as recognised national, State
parties and allots or regional, or registered-unrecognised; allots symbols; insists that parties hold
symbols organisational elections, thereby encouraging inner-party democracy

Acts as a quasi- Decides disputes about the recognition of political parties and the allotment of
judicial body symbols

Ensures free and fair Conducts the poll and the count, regulates campaigns, coordinates law
elections enforcement and security across States, declares results and resolves disputes,
and runs the inclusion measures and the digital ecosystem of Fig. 7.6

Supervises the Appoints the Chief Electoral Officer of each State from among the civil servants in
machinery at State consultation with the State Government, and designates District Magistrates,
level SDMs and Tahsildars as District Election Officers, Returning Officers and Electoral
Registration Officers

Which is most important? This calls for a judgement, so give one and defend it. The
preparation and revision of an accurate electoral roll is the foundation on which every
other function rests.

The reasoning: the chapter states the rule flatly — "Only those whose names appear
on the roll are allowed to vote." So the roll decides, before any campaigning begins,
who is inside the democracy and who is outside it. If an eligible citizen's name is
missing, no amount of fair counting, security or Model Code enforcement on polling
day can restore that lost vote; and if ineligible names remain, the count is corrupted
before a single vote is cast. That is exactly why the ECI runs the SIR — to ensure that
no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is included — and why it
publishes a draft roll and settles claims and objections before finalising it.

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A defensible alternative: you could argue instead that ensuring free and fair
conduct is the most important function, because a perfect roll is worthless if voters
are intimidated or votes are counted wrongly. Both answers are acceptable in an
examination as long as you argue from the chapter. The strongest version of the
argument notes that the two are linked: the roll decides who may vote, fair conduct
decides whether that vote counts, and an election needs both.

Q3 Elections are the soul of a democracy. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Yes — with one important qualification that the chapter itself supplies.
Why the statement is true. The chapter's recap puts it in these words: "Elections are the soul of
democracy as they give every citizen an equal voice in the formation of a government." Four things
follow, and none of them is available in any other way:

Consent. A government's right to rule comes from a mandate that has to be asked for, not
assumed.
Accountability. Because the term is fixed at five years, representatives must return to the
voters and answer for their record — which is why Gurmat cannot simply continue as CR,
and a government cannot continue beyond its term.
Equality. Every adult citizen has one vote, whatever their wealth, religion, caste, language or
region. Nowhere else in public life are people counted so exactly equally.
Peaceful change. A government can be replaced by counting votes instead of by force —
and the chapter shows even the losing side keeping a defined role, as the Opposition that
ensures accountability (Fig. 7.11).

The qualification. The chapter is careful not to say that holding an election is enough. On page
169 it warns that if candidates are influenced by personal favours, votes are not counted
accurately, or some people cannot exercise their right to vote, then "although elections may be
held, their democratic value is reduced. This shows that democracy is not only limited to conducting
elections, but also in ensuring that the electoral process is inclusive, impartial, and trustworthy." Page
161 adds the other half: with only one party contesting, a vote cannot express a choice at all.

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So the precise claim to make is this: elections are the soul of democracy, but a soul
needs a healthy body — an accurate electoral roll, an independent Election
Commission, enforceable laws, real competition among parties, and informed,
participating citizens. Take away the election and democracy stops existing; keep the
election but hollow out those supports, and it survives only as a form. That is why
the chapter follows its praise of elections immediately with a section on the
challenges to making them free and fair.

Q4 Explain at least three differences between the national and state/regional political
parties.

The differences follow from the recognition criteria the ECI applies (Fig. 7.12). Here are four.

POINT OF NATIONAL PARTY STATE / REGIONAL PARTY
DIFFERENCE

Spread of support Support must be shown across Support need only be shown in one State
required several States — 6% of valid votes in — the State concerned
four or more States, or candidates
elected from at least three States, or
recognition as a State party in four
States

Vote-share Not less than 6% of valid votes polled Not less than 6% in the State plus two
threshold in any four or more States at a Assembly seats, or 6% in the State plus
general election to the Lok Sabha or a one Lok Sabha seat from that State, or not
Legislative Assembly, and in addition less than 8% of valid votes polled in the
four Lok Sabha seats from one or State at a general election to the Lok
more States Sabha or to the Assembly

Seat-share At least 2% of the seats in the Lok At least 3% of the Assembly seats of that
threshold Sabha, with the candidates elected State, or at least three Assembly seats,
from at least three States whichever is more; or one Lok Sabha
seat for every 25 seats (or fraction
thereof) allotted to that State

Level at which it Contests across States and puts Contests mainly within one State and
operates forward a programme addressed to speaks to that State's particular concerns
the country as a whole — part of what the chapter calls a multi-
party system that "reflects the country's rich
diversity of languages, cultures, religions,
and regions"

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Work two of the thresholds out, so the wording becomes concrete.

"3% of Assembly seats, or three seats, whichever is more"

Assembly of 200 seats → 3% of 200 = 6 seats; 6 > 3, so the party needs 6

Assembly of 60 seats → 3% of 60 = 1.8; but 3 > 1.8, so the party needs 3

"1 Lok Sabha seat for every 25 seats or any fraction thereof allotted to the State"

A State allotted 40 Lok Sabha seats → 40 ÷ 25 = 1.6 → one full 25 plus a fraction → 2 seats

A State allotted 20 Lok Sabha seats → 20 ÷ 25 = 0.8 → a fraction of 25 → 1 seat

Why the rules are built this way: recognition is meant to certify real, tested
support, not ambition. A national party must prove that its support is not confined
to one region, which is why every route to national recognition mentions three or
four States. A State party must prove that it is a serious force inside one State, which
is why the "whichever is more" clause stops a party in a small Assembly from
qualifying on one or two seats. Everything that does not clear either bar stays a
Registered Unrecognised Political Party.

Tip: the chapter does not print the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, so do not
convert "2% of the seats in the Lok Sabha" into a figure from memory. Look up the
current strength of the House and do the arithmetic yourself, showing the working.

Q5 Why should you vote? Arrange the following in the descending order of your choice.
Discuss the reasons for your choice. a. Opportunity to choose my representative b.
Makes me a responsible person c. Opportunity to change the non-performing
representative d. Strengthens democracy

There is no single correct order here — the question asks for your ranking and, more
importantly, for the reasons behind it. What makes an answer good is that each position is
justified, and that the justification draws on the chapter rather than on feeling alone.
Method

1. Read all four options and ask of each: what would be lost if this reason disappeared?
2. Rank them by how much would be lost, not by which sounds best.
3. Write one sentence of reasoning per rank, and tie it to something the chapter says.

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4. Compare your order with a classmate's. If you disagree, work out whether you disagree
co m
about the facts or about what matters more — that difference is the discussion the question
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wants.

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Sample answer: my order is a → c → d → b.

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RANK OPTION MY REASON

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elect our representatives is exercised through periodic elections
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by doing (a) and (c).

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Q6 What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative of the ECI? Explain the

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The Special Intensive Revision is the ECI's exercise of updating, verifying and correcting

a s e re-checking of the list of voters rather than a routine addition
agl
the electoral rolls — a thorough
of new names.
Objectives

co m
m .
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.co


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To ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of the roll — in particular young voters who
have just turned 18, whom the chapter singles out as likely to be missed through lack of
awareness.
To ensure that no ineligible person is included. The SIR deletes names on four stated
grounds: death of the voter, change of residence, duplicate enrolment, and the voter
being permanently untraceable.
To settle disagreements fairly: the ECI gives time to raise claims or objections against the
revised roll and disposes of them before publishing the final electoral roll.

Why it is necessary

1. The roll is the gate to the vote. The chapter states that only those whose names appear on
the roll are allowed to vote. An omission is therefore not a clerical error — it is the loss of a
citizen's vote for that whole election.
2. A population does not stand still. Between two elections people turn 18, people die,
families move, and some get enrolled twice. A roll that is not revised drifts further from
reality every year.
3. Both kinds of mistake damage the result. Missing names shrink the electorate; duplicate
or dead names inflate it. The first weakens representation, the second weakens trust in the
count — and the chapter warns that when fairness is not ensured, "public confidence in
electoral institutions may gradually weaken."
4. Scale makes accuracy hard. India had over 96.8 crore eligible voters in 2024, spread across
diverse regions and terrains. A list that large cannot be kept correct by exception alone; it
needs a periodic intensive check.

Why the claims-and-objections stage matters most: it means the ECI does not
decide alone who is on the roll. A draft is published, any citizen may object to a
wrong entry or claim a missing one, and only after these are settled is the final roll
published. The correction of the roll is thus itself made public and contestable —
which is what makes it trustworthy.

Q7 Match the political party name with its symbol. (Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (Marxist)
[CPI (M)], Indian National Congress (INC), National People's Party (NPP))

The symbols printed in the right-hand column of the table on page 180, reading downwards,
are: a hand (open palm), an elephant, a broom, a book, a hammer, sickle and star, and a
lotus. Matched to the parties in the left-hand column:

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

POLITICAL PARTY SYMBOL

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Broom

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lotus

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Elephant

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)] Hammer, sickle and star

Indian National Congress (INC) Hand (open palm)

National People's Party (NPP) Book

Why symbols exist at all: the chapter says the ECI registers political parties and
allots election symbols, and acts as a quasi-judicial body in disputes over their
allotment. A reserved symbol lets a voter identify a party's candidate on the ballot
unit without having to read the name, and it stays with the party from election to
election so that recognition builds up over time. That is also why symbols are single,
bold, everyday objects — a hand, an elephant, a broom, a lotus — and why disputes
over who owns a symbol are decided by the Commission rather than by the parties
themselves.

Q8 Read the case study below and answer the following questions. (Ishani and her
mother were in the local market, day before the state assembly elections… she
narrated her entire experience to her 89-year-old grandmother, who cast her vote
from home.) a. What initiatives were taken by the ECI to enable the voters to cast
their vote? b. If Ishani was allowed to vote even without carrying her Voter ID card
or Aadhaar card, which other document might she be carrying that is valid for
voting? c. Cite the examples of violations of the Model Code of Conduct. d. Give a
suitable title to the passage. e. Find out how the police and army personnel cast
their votes.

a. Initiatives taken by the ECI to enable the voters to cast their vote
Read the passage line by line and each initiative shows up in it:

Online voter registration — Ishani "had registered to vote through the ECI's online portal", so
a first-time voter did not have to travel to an office to get on the roll.
Security at the polling station — the station was "well guarded by the police personnel", so
voters could come without fear. This answers the "intimidation" pothole of Fig. 7.13.

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Accessibility for PwDs — "A wheelchair was made available to them, and volunteers guided
them to the polling booth", for her disabled elder brother.
Alternative identity documents accepted — she had forgotten her voter ID card and
Aadhaar card, but "her identity was verified with an alternative document", so a missing card
did not cost her the vote.
VVPAT — "After casting her vote, she was also able to see the VVPAT slip", which lets a voter
verify that the vote was recorded for the intended candidate.
Home voting for the very elderly — her 89-year-old grandmother cast her vote from
home, the facility the chapter describes for senior citizens above 85 years of age.

b. Which other document might she be carrying that is valid for voting?
The ECI publishes a list of alternative photo identity documents that a polling officer may
accept when the EPIC is not produced. Any one of these would have served, provided it carries
her photograph — for example a passport, a driving licence, a PAN card, a bank or post
office passbook with photograph, a service identity card with photograph issued by a Central
or State Government, PSU or public limited company, a health insurance smart card, an
MGNREGA job card, a pension document with photograph, or a Unique Disability ID (UDID)
card. Since Ishani is a school or college student, the most likely one in her bag would be a photo
identity card issued by her school or college or her passport.

Note: the chapter says only that "an alternative document" was used and does not
print the list. Look up the ECI's current notification of alternative photo identity
documents before writing a full list in an examination, and cite it.

c. Examples of violations of the Model Code of Conduct
The passage is set the day before polling, and that timing is what makes the campaigning in it
a problem:

Campaigning during the silence period — pamphlet distribution and slogan-raising by
large groups of campaigners in the market on the day before the poll. Public campaigning
must stop 48 hours before the close of polling, so that voters have a quiet period in which to
make up their minds.
Defacement of property — "wall writing and campaign posters pasted everywhere". Writing on
and pasting posters on walls without the owner's permission, and on public property, is a
Model Code violation.
Large, unregulated gatherings — processions and loud slogan-raising in a crowded market
need prior permission; the chapter notes the ECI's Suvidha app exists precisely so that
candidates can apply for permission for meetings, rallies, vehicles and loudspeakers.

Two further violations that the RPA 1951 lists, and that a student should watch for even though
the passage does not show them, are any gift, offer or promise made to influence a vote, and
appeals on the basis of religion, caste, race, community or language. The chapter also
names the remedy: any voter can report a Model Code violation through the cVIGIL app within
minutes, and flying squads reach the spot using auto-location.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

d. A suitable title for the passage
"Ishani's First Vote" — it names the person, the event and the sense of a first time, which is
what holds the passage together.
Other good titles, each defensible: "No Voter to Be Left Behind" (the chapter's own phrase, which
fits the wheelchair, the alternative document and the grandmother's home vote), "A Day at the
Polling Station", or "Every Vote Finds a Way". When you give a title, add one line saying why it fits
— that is what earns the mark.
e. How police and army personnel cast their votes

Armed forces personnel are registered as service voters in their home constituency and
vote by postal ballot. Under ETPBS the ballot is transmitted to them electronically wherever
they are posted; they print it, mark it and return it by post in time for the count. Members of
a State armed police force serving outside their State, and government employees posted
outside India, are service voters on the same footing.
Police and other officials on election duty within their own State are usually not able to be
at their own polling station on polling day. They vote either by postal ballot, or on an
Election Duty Certificate, which allows a person on duty to vote at the polling station where
they are deployed instead of their own.

Why Ishani's question is a good one: she notices that the very people guarding the
poll are the people most likely to miss it. An election system that let its own staff fall
out of the electorate would fail its own test — which is exactly why the postal ballot,
the Election Duty Certificate and ETPBS exist. Verify the current procedure on the ECI
website before writing the details in an exam.

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co m
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A comparative chart of three countries is given below. Based on the information
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given in the chart, answer the questions.

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periodic elections,
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monarchy, no
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party to multi-party. political party. political party.

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s em
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a sem
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party system and another with a .single-party
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countries would you like toastay
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m a s e
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co m
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m ase
.co


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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

QUESTION MULTI-PARTY (COUNTRY A) SINGLE PARTY (COUNTRY
B)

Is there a choice on Yes — rival parties with different Only candidates of the one
the ballot? programmes party

Can the voter reject Yes — there is an alternative ready to No — rejecting a candidate
the ruling group? replace it cannot change which party
governs

Is the agenda Yes — parties must defend their positions No rival is putting a different
contested? against rivals agenda to the voters

Is there an Yes — it ensures accountability and No organised alternative inside
Opposition after the participates in debates and committees the legislature
poll? (Fig. 7.11)

So in a multi-party system the vote is a choice and a check; in a single-party system it can at
most be an endorsement. The chapter states the principle at the very start of the chapter:
asked whether we can exercise our choice if only one political party is contesting, "the answer… is
No."
b. In which of the above countries would you like to stay and why?
This asks for a personal opinion, so the mark is for the reasoning, not the country. A good
answer must (i) use both dimensions in the chart, political and economic, (ii) say plainly what it
is trading away, and (iii) not simply assert that one country is better.
Sample answer: I would choose to stay in Country A. Its standard of living is only average, and both
B and C are materially better off, so I am giving something up. But Country A is the only one of the
three where I could take part in deciding how the country is run: it has periodic elections with more
than one party, so I could choose my representative, reject a non-performing one at the next election,
and hear more than one side of every public question. In Country B I would hold a vote but no real
choice, and in Country C I would have no vote at all. A high standard of living that I cannot influence
depends entirely on those in power continuing to provide it, whereas in Country A, if living standards
are poor, citizens have a lawful, peaceful way of demanding change — the next election. I value
keeping that power more than the difference in comfort.

The other side of the argument, stated fairly: a classmate could reasonably
answer that they would choose Country C for its high standard of living, and argue
that everyday security, work and health matter more to most people than the ability
to vote. That is a serious argument and should be answered rather than dismissed
— the reply is that material comfort granted from above can also be withdrawn from
above, and that in Country A citizens hold the means to change their own conditions.
Since this is an imaginary comparison, discuss the principles; do not attach the
labels A, B or C to any real country.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q10 What are the challenges to conducting free and fair elections?

The chapter frames the problem by scale first: conducting elections for over 96.8 crore voters
(in 2024), with thousands of polling stations and hundreds of political parties, spread across
diverse regions and socio-economic realities, is in itself a challenging task. Within that, the
specific challenges are these.

CHALLENGE WHERE THE HOW IT THREATENS A FREE AND FAIR
CHAPTER NAMES IT POLL

Misinformation Fig. 7.13; page 177 A vote cast on a false belief is not a free
choice

Fake news Fig. 7.13; page 177 Invented stories can move opinion faster
than they can be corrected

Intimidation Fig. 7.13; page 177 A voter who is afraid cannot vote by
conscience, or may not vote at all

Gifts, offers and promises to RPA 1951 offences, Turns an election into a transaction; the
influence a vote page 166 wealthier side gains an unfair advantage

Appeals on religion, caste, race, RPA 1951 offences, Splits voters by identity rather than by
community or language page 166 programme, which is why it is an offence

Assistance from government- RPA 1951 offences, Gives the party in office the resources of the
related personnel page 166 State, which belong to all citizens

Accessibility barriers Page 169 If some cannot reach the booth, the election
is held but its democratic value is reduced

Inaccurate electoral rolls Pages 167–168 Missing names lose votes; duplicate or dead
names undermine trust in the count

Unequal constituencies Delimitation, page 166 One MP for five lakh and another for twenty-
five lakh defeats equal representation

Defection after the result Page 175 Changes the meaning of a mandate after the
voters have given it

What is done about them. The chapter lists the ECI's response: the RPA 1950 and 1951, the
Model Code of Conduct, EVMs, the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), voters'
awareness campaigns and other measures, backed by the digital tools of Fig. 7.6 — cVIGIL for
reporting violations within minutes, ERONET for clean rolls, Suvidha for regulated campaign
permissions, and the Voter Helpline and Saksham apps for voters.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

The chapter's conclusion, and why it puts citizens last in the list: "With constant
vigilance and active citizen participation, elections can become more representative and
the democracy more robust." Laws can name a wrong and institutions can punish it,
but somebody has to notice it first. cVIGIL is the clearest example — it only works if a
voter who sees a violation takes out a phone and reports it.

Q11 On the Stage. Elections are to be held in your school for the posts of Head Girl,
Head Boy, and Sports Captain. Assume the roles of an Election Commissioner,
Returning Officer, Polling Agent, Candidate, Campaigner, Polling Officer, Police
Personnel, and a Journalist, and perform their roles while ensuring free, fair, and
transparent elections.

This is a role-play. Plan it as a real election with three phases — before, during and after the
poll — and give every role a written task so that nobody is merely standing on stage.
What each role does

ROLE JOB IN THE SCHOOL ELECTION

Election Announces the schedule; issues the code of conduct for the campaign; decides the
Commissioner eligibility rules; settles disputes; declares the result

Returning Officer Receives and scrutinises nomination papers; publishes the final list of candidates;
allots symbols; conducts the count and signs the result sheet

Polling Officer Checks each voter's name against the class roll; marks the finger; issues the ballot;
keeps the queue orderly and the ballot secret

Polling Agent Sits inside the booth on behalf of a candidate; watches that no unauthorised person
votes and that the ballot box is sealed before polling and opened only at the count

Candidate Files nomination; prepares a short manifesto; campaigns within the rules; accepts
the result publicly

Campaigner Presents the candidate's programme; obtains permission for posters and meetings;
stops all campaigning at the announced deadline

Police Personnel Keeps order outside the booth; ensures nobody is pressured; prevents crowding at
the entrance

Journalist Reports the campaign and the poll accurately; interviews candidates on their
manifestos; publishes a corrected version if a report turns out to be wrong

How to run it

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

1. Before: the Commissioner announces the dates and the code of conduct; the Returning
Officer prepares the roll of voters (the classes entitled to vote) and receives nominations;
candidates file papers and get symbols.
2. Campaign: a fixed number of days, with posters only in permitted places, no personal
attacks, no inducements of any kind — and a silence period on the day before the poll, as in
a real election.
3. Polling day: a sealed ballot box shown empty to all polling agents before polling begins; a
screened voting compartment for secrecy; one voter at a time; the box sealed again at the
close.
4. Count: in the presence of the polling agents and the Journalist; the result read out and
signed by the Returning Officer.
5. After: a short debrief. What worked? Did the code of conduct hold? What would you change
next year?

Sample answer — one line of a report the Journalist could file: Polling for Head Girl, Head Boy
and Sports Captain was held today in the school hall between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. The ballot box
was shown empty to all six polling agents before polling began and was sealed in their presence. Of
240 registered voters, 216 cast their votes, a turnout of 90%. The count began at 12.30 p.m. before
the polling agents; the Returning Officer announced the results at 1 p.m., and both losing candidates
congratulated the winners.

Turnout check: 216 ÷ 240 = 0.9 = 90%

What the exercise is really teaching: notice how many of the eight roles exist
purely to make the process watchable — the polling agent, the journalist, the
sealed box shown to everyone. A free and fair election is not one where officials are
simply trusted; it is one built so that anyone can see it being conducted honestly.
That is the same idea as the VVPAT slip and the cVIGIL app in the real system.

Q12 Try and make videos or audios on topics like: My Vote My Nation; No Voter to be
Left Behind; How to Eliminate the Ill of Money Power, etc.

Treat this as a short scripted piece — 60 to 90 seconds — with one clear message, one piece of
evidence from the chapter, and one thing you ask the listener to do.
Method

1. Pick one topic and write it as a single sentence you want the listener to remember.
2. Write a script first. Aim for about 150 words for a 60-second piece; do not improvise on
camera.

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3. Build it in four beats: hook → the fact → why it matters → the ask.
co m
4. Use only facts from the chapter or from the ECI website, and say your source aloud or on
e m.
m l as
.co g
screen. A video about misinformation must not itself carry an unverified claim.
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5. Keep it non-partisan. Never name a party, a leader or a candidate. The subject is the process,

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not the contest.
6. Record in a quiet room, add captions so it is accessible, and keep the file short enough to
share.
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At least one verifiable fact, correctly attributed.

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A clear call to action a listener can actually carry out.

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Accessible presentation — captions, clear speech, readable text.
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Strict neutrality between parties and candidates.

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Sample
a [Hook] Imagine reaching eighteen, being eligible to vote — and finding your name is not on the list.
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[Fact] India had over ninety-six crore eligible voters in 2024. Only those whose names appear on the

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electoral roll can vote. That is why the Election Commission conducts the Special Intensive Revision —

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to make sure no eligible citizen is left out, and no ineligible name is included.
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[Why it matters] For a voter with a disability there is an EVM with Braille and a wheelchair at the
booth. For a soldier posted far from home there is the electronically transmitted postal ballot. For a

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citizen above eighty-five there is voting from home, extended across India for the first time in the 2024

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[The ask]oSo check the roll. Check it for yourself when you turn eighteen l— a emcheck it today for your
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General Elections. The system is being redesigned so that no one is left behind.

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grandparents and your neighbours. One name restored is one voice restored.

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Election Commission of India.

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Tip for the "money power" topic: keep it to what the law actually says — that any
gift, offer or promise made
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refrain from voting is aacorrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act,

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1951 — and end with the cVIGIL app as the concrete thing a witness can do. Do not
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accuse anyone; describe the offence and the remedy.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q13 Select one national or state political party. Using authentic and reliable sources
such as the Election Commission of India (ECI) website, the official website of the
selected political party, and newspapers. Prepare a comparative chart of the last
two State Legislative Assembly elections. The chart should include the following
details for the chosen party: a. Some promises made in the Election manifesto b.
Percentage of votes polled c. Number of seats won d. Number of women who
contested e. Number of women candidates elected. Present the data for both
elections in a clear and comparative format, citing all sources used.

This is a data-collection task, and the whole value of it lies in the sourcing and the arithmetic.
Here is the method, the format, and a worked model of how to read the numbers once you have
them.
Where each item comes from

ITEM AUTHENTIC SOURCE

a. Promises in the manifesto The party's own manifesto for that Assembly election, on its official
website

b. Percentage of votes polled ECI Statistical Report for that Assembly election — the party-wise
performance table

c. Number of seats won Same ECI Statistical Report

d. Number of women who ECI Statistical Report — the section on participation of women
contested candidates

e. Number of women candidates Same section of the same report
elected

Format for the chart

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

DETAIL ASSEMBLY ELECTION ASSEMBLY CHANGE
(EARLIER YEAR) ELECTION (LATER
YEAR)

a. Three main 1. __ 2. __ 3. __ 1. __ 2. __ 3. __ Which promises were
manifesto promises repeated, which were
new?

b. Percentage of __ % __ % +/− __ percentage points
votes polled

c. Seats won __ of __ __ of __ +/− __ seats

d. Women who __ __ +/− __
contested

e. Women elected __ __ +/− __

Sample answer — how to work the numbers, using illustrative figures only
Suppose a party contested an Assembly of 90 seats and your report gives: earlier election —
32% of votes, 26 seats, 8 women contested, 3 women elected; later election — 36% of votes, 34
seats, 12 women contested, 6 women elected. Then:

Change in vote share = 36% − 32% = +4 percentage points
Change in seats = 34 − 26 = +8 seats

Seat share, earlier = 26 ÷ 90 = 0.2889 = 28.9%

Seat share, later = 34 ÷ 90 = 0.3778 = 37.8%

Women's strike rate, earlier = 3 ÷ 8 = 37.5%

Women's strike rate, later = 6 ÷ 12 = 50%

Reading these: a rise of 4 percentage points in votes produced a rise of about 9 percentage
points in seat share. That is the FPTP effect the chapter's Electoral Systems table illustrates —
under First-Past-The-Post, seats do not move in step with votes, because winning a seat by a
small margin counts exactly the same as winning it by a large one.

Rules for this chart: (i) recompute every percentage yourself from the raw seat and
vote figures — do not copy a percentage from a news report; (ii) give the Assembly's
total seats, or a seat count means nothing; (iii) write the source and date under every
column; (iv) keep the commentary factual — you are describing a change in
numbers, not praising or criticising a party.

Page 46 of 51

Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Q14 Do you think 'One Nation, One Election' can improve the efficiency of the electoral
process? Divide the class and discuss into two groups—one to examine its
potential advantages and the other to analyse its limitations.

This is a genuinely contested question and the chapter does not settle it. The task is a
structured class debate, so a good answer sets out the strongest form of each case and then
says honestly what the disagreement really turns on. Do not use it to argue for or against any
party's position.
What the idea means. "One Nation, One Election" is the proposal that elections to the Lok
Sabha and to the State Vidhan Sabhas (and in some versions to local bodies) be held together,
on a common schedule, instead of separately at different times through the five-year cycle as
they are now.
Group 1 — the case that it would improve efficiency

Cost and machinery. The chapter describes what one election demands: electoral rolls,
candidate nominations, campaign regulation, law enforcement, coordination among States,
extensive security arrangements, counting and dispute resolution. Doing this once instead of
several times would use that machinery fewer times.
Fewer disruptions to administration. The Model Code of Conduct applies from the
announcement of a schedule until the result; frequent, staggered elections mean it is in
force somewhere much of the time.
Teachers, police and officials. The chapter notes that District Magistrates, SDMs, Tahsildars
and police personnel are pulled into election duty. Fewer election cycles would mean fewer
such diversions from their regular work.
Voter fatigue. Turnout and attention may be higher when citizens are asked to vote less
often.
Scheduling. The ECI already has to weigh weather, agricultural cycles, examinations and
festivals; a single national window would reduce the number of times this puzzle must be
solved.

Group 2 — the case that its limitations are serious

Fixed terms are constitutionally protected. Legislatures are elected for five years and may
be dissolved earlier. Synchronising them would require either shortening or extending some
Houses' terms — and the chapter's own answer to "can a government continue beyond the
prescribed term?" is No.
What happens when a government falls mid-term? If an Assembly is dissolved after two
years, either it stays unrepresented until the next common date, or a fresh election restarts
the cycle and the synchronisation is lost again.
State issues may be crowded out. India's multi-party system, the chapter says, reflects its
diversity of languages, cultures, religions and regions. Held together with a national poll,
State and local questions could receive less attention in the campaign.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Accountability points would become fewer. Separate elections give voters several
occasions in five years to pass a verdict; a single date reduces those occasions to one.
Practical load. Polling everywhere at once needs far more EVMs, VVPATs, polling staff and
security personnel on the same days, for over 96.8 crore electors.

How to run the debate and close it

1. Each group prepares five points with evidence, not adjectives.
2. Each group must then state the other side's strongest point in its own words before replying
to it.
3. Close by identifying what the disagreement actually turns on. Here it turns on a trade-off
between administrative efficiency and the flexibility of fixed but separately-timed
terms, and on how much weight you give to State-level issues having an election of their
own.

Sample answer — a fair closing statement: Our class concluded that "One Nation,
One Election" would very likely reduce the cost and administrative burden of elections,
and that this is a real gain. We also concluded that the harder questions are
constitutional rather than practical: what is to be done when a House is dissolved before
its term, and whether reducing the number of occasions on which voters pass judgement
weakens accountability. Both groups agreed that efficiency is a good reason but not by
itself a sufficient one, and that the proposal has to be judged against the principle the
chapter states at the outset — that periodic elections are what keep representatives
answerable to the people. The question remains under discussion in the country, and we
did not take a side as a class.

Chapter at a glance
Elections are the means by which citizens choose their representatives and hold them
accountable. Fig. 7.1 lists four things elections secure — representation, accountability,
equality and legitimacy.
India elects the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha by direct election under the First-Past-
The-Post (FPTP) system; the President, Vice President, Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishad are
chosen by indirect election under proportional representation with a single transferable
vote.
The Representation of the People Act, 1950 covers seats, delimitation and electoral rolls;
the Representation of the People Act, 1951 covers nominations, campaigns, polling,
electoral offences and disputes. The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952
covers those two offices.
The Delimitation Commission (Article 82) redraws constituency boundaries so that the
ratio of seats to population stays as equal as possible. India has had four — in 1952, 1963,

Page 48 of 51

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections
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1973 and 2002.
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The Election Commission of India (established 25 January 1950; Articles 324–329) prepares
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electoral rolls including the Special Intensive Revision, fixes the schedule, registers parties

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electors.
Political parties organise public opinion, campaign on issues and offer voters meaningful

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choices. The ECI recognises them as national or state parties, or lists them as Registered
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Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPP).

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agthe ECI meets with the RPAs, the Model Code of Conduct,
The road to free and fair elections has potholes — misinformation, fake news and
intimidation (Fig. 7.13) — which
EVMs, VVPAT and voter awareness.

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Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

Quick revision

TERM WHAT IT MEANS WHERE IT APPEARS IN THE
CHAPTER

Direct election Citizens vote directly to choose their representatives or Page 161 — Lok Sabha, Vidhan
leaders. Sabha, Panchayats and
municipal corporations

Indirect election Citizens vote for representatives who then choose or elect Page 161 — President, Vice
the leaders. President, Rajya Sabha

Psephology The scientific study of elections; from Greek psēphos DON'T MISS OUT, page 162
(pebble) and logy (systematic study).

First-Past-The-Post The plurality system: the candidate with the most votes in Page 163 and the Electoral
(FPTP) a constituency wins, even with less than 50% of the votes Systems table, page 164
polled.

Proportional Voters vote for a party; seats are allotted in proportion to Electoral Systems table, page
representation (PR) the votes each party receives. 164

Single transferable PR by preference voting: candidates who reach the quota Fig. 7.3, page 165 — used for the
vote are elected, the lowest is eliminated and their votes are Rajya Sabha and Vidhan
transferred by second preference. Parishad

Quota [Total valid votes ÷ (Seats to be filled + 1)] + 1 — the Fig. 7.3, page 165
minimum votes needed to win under the single
transferable vote.

RPA 1950 Deals with allocation of seats, delimitation of The Laws, page 165
constituencies, electoral rolls, and the right of every
citizen of 18 and above to vote without discrimination.

RPA 1951 Deals with nominations, campaigns, voting procedures, The Laws, pages 165–166
post-election disputes, electoral offences and corrupt
practices.

Delimitation Determining the number of seats and fixing constituency Delimitation Commission, page
boundaries in each State, so seats match population. 166

Special Intensive Updating, verifying and correcting the electoral roll so no ECI functions, pages 167–168
Revision (SIR) eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is
included.

ETPBS Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System, for LET'S EXPLORE page 168; Fig. 7.6,
service voters posted outside their own constituency. page 170

Page 50 of 51

Class 9 Social Science Chapter 7 Elections AglaSem · NCERT Solutions

TERM WHAT IT MEANS WHERE IT APPEARS IN THE
CHAPTER

Model Code of The rules of conduct during an election; violations can be Fig. 7.6, page 170; page 178
Conduct reported through the cVIGIL app.

VVPAT Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail — the printed slip a Page 178 and the case study,
voter can see after voting on the EVM. page 180

Defection Abandoning or switching from the party under whose Page 175; Anti-Defection Law,
banner a candidate was elected. 52nd Amendment, 1985

RUPP Registered Unrecognised Political Parties — parties Fig. 7.12, page 176
without enough vote share, or that have never contested
since registration.

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