Sunday, August 25, 2019
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India was set up to conduct various elections in India, such as the Legislative Assembly, Lok Sabha, Presidential elections, in a fair manner. It is an autonomous body and was established on 25 January 1950. This institution is one of the most prominent organizations in India because it has the responsibility to ensure that the elections are conducted in a fair and transparent manner, along with this, various types of amendments are suggested by the Election Commission to the government in the election process.
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| Election Commission of India |
The Election Commission of India currently has one Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners, although from its formation till October 15, 1989, it held only the post of Chief Election Commissioner. The Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the President of India. This institution has a very big responsibility to conduct major elections like Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in India. The entire work is handled by the Election Commission before the election, from nomination to voting and announcement of election results. This is the reason why the Election Commission of India has been considered such an important institution in India.
Procedure of Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India has been given various powers by the Constitution of India. Which helps it to function autonomously during elections. The Election Commission is headed by the Chief Election Commissioner, along with the other two Election Commissioners to assist him. The Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners are appointed by the President of India. The post of the Chief Election Commissioner is also of equal pay and respect to the judge of the Supreme Court. The Chief Election Commissioner can also be removed only by impeachment of Parliament.
Functions and Powers of Election Commission
The Election Commission has the following powers, which help it to conduct elections smoothly.
1. The Election Commission has the responsibility to conduct the elections of the President, Vice-President, Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly in a fair manner at the time indicated by the Constitution.
2. Preparation and amendment of electoral rolls before elections.
3. Recognition of political parties at national or state level.
4. Issue of election symbols to political parties and independents.
5. To make suggestions to the President / Governor on disqualification of Sasand or MLA.
6. Disqualification of wrong election measures or rigging.
7. Maintenance of election system and getting election results declared.
Election Commission Structure of India
The Election Commission of India is headquartered in New Delhi, with a total staff of 300. The Chief Election Commissioner and the Director General are senior officers in this secretariat. The Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the President of India. The term of this post is considered to be 6 years or 65 years of age whichever is earlier and the Chief Election Commissioner's salary and post honors are equal to that of a judge of the Supreme Court. With this, the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from his post ahead of time only by impeachment.
Role of Election Commission in Indian elections
Indian elections cannot be imagined without the Election Commission of India. The Election Commission of India takes care that important elections like Lok Sabha, Legislative Assembly, President, Vice President must be held in the country at a fixed interval according to the rules. Successful conduct and implementation of these elections is both on the Election Commission itself.
That is why it is also very important to be autonomous because democratic elections in our country are not free from violence, that is why it also has the power to oversee people during the elections and punish the violators. The Election Commission of India can take action from an ordinary candidate to the Prime Minister. Along with this, the Election Commission also advises the government from time to time about important amendments in the election process.
There have been many amendments in the Indian electoral system so far and if anyone's main credit goes to them, it is the Election Commission of India. Such as implementing electronic voting machines to make the electoral process faster, transparent and even more reliable. To make voting identity card mandatory to prevent scam in voting from 2004 elections. To introduce the use of more transparent VVPAT machines from 2019 elections on the question of EVM machine etc.
Major Functions of Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India performs many important tasks. Without whom it would be absolutely impossible to conduct the elections properly and impartially. Some of these important works are discussed below.
Announcing election dates
This is the earliest and most important function of the election process. In which the election dates are announced a few days before the election by the Election Commission. According to which it is decided at which place and date elections will be held.
Naming
This is also an important part of the election process, which is overseen by the Election Commission. Under this, whoever fulfills the eligibility for election, can nominate him as a candidate. For this, first the name of the candidate should be presented to the District Election Officer by a certain number of voters. After this, the candidate has to fill his nomination form and submit his nomination after depositing the security deposit.
Withdraw nomination
If a candidate does not want to contest elections for any reason after enrolling, then there is a provision to withdraw the nomination for this. Under which he has to withdraw his nomination within the period prescribed by the Election Commission of India.
Election symbol
If the candidate is found to be contestable and he / she fulfills all the qualifications of the election process, then the Election Commission of India is allotted an election symbol, accepting the nomination of the candidate. However, if a candidate contests from a party, the election commission of the concerned party is provided to the person by confirming it by the Election Commission.
Maintenance of Code of Conduct
This task is one of the most important functions of the Election Commission of India because, while following the electoral process, the Election Commission also takes care that any candidate or party should propagate and behave according to the electoral rules. If the Election Commission finds a person in violation of these rules, then he can also take action on it as required.
Declaration of result
This is the last phase of the electoral process, which takes place a few days after the elections are over. Under this, the Election Commission of India declares the winning candidates by counting votes. This is the most important phase of the electoral process because on the basis of this, it is decided whose government will be formed in the country or state.
Election Commission of India gets special powers
The Election Commission of India enjoys many special powers as it is an important government body of India. According to the decision of the Supreme Court, the Election Commission has many special powers in Article 324 of the Constitution. Accordingly, the powers of the Election Commission cannot be controlled by the executive. However, the Election Commission cannot violate the law made by the legislature as its decisions are eligible for judicial review.
Along with this, the Election Commission determines the schedule of elections and also allocates election symbols to parties and independents. The Election Commission has the powers of elections and all related functions in India and that is its only function. The Election Commission has unlimited powers to conduct fair and honest elections at any place.
Election Commission of India required
The Election Commission of India has a big role to play in elections from fairness in India, that is why its need cannot be questioned. If this institution is not there, many problems will arise in conducting elections. If this work is given to any other government or non-governmental organization, then its autonomy can also be questioned because only the special powers of the Election Commission of India make it different from other institutions.
The Election Commission of India enjoys complete independence in matters related to elections. That is why it does everything from issuing the date of the election to the scheduled time to the election. Due to the vigilance and suggestions of this institution, the rigging in the elections has come down and many special reforms have taken place. These things prove that an organization like Election Commission of India is very important for fair and transparent elections in our country.
Importance of Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India is a very important institution in our country. Since independence, there have been many elections in our country. Which are headed by the Election Commission. As we all know that elections are necessary in any democracy at a fixed interval. Therefore, an organization is also needed to conduct elections in a fair manner, which is why the existence of Election Commission of India is very important for fair and transparent elections in our country.
The conclusion
The Election Commission of India was created to conduct elections in India in a fair manner. Since independence, there have been many elections in our country, which have been conducted very well by the Election Commission. Along with this, important changes like EVM machine, VVPAT, reduction in voting age have also taken place in the election process by the government on the recommendations of the Commission. The Election Commission of India has strengthened the democracy of the country through its contribution. That is why it is considered one of the most important institutions in India.