The foundations of a responsible citizen should be laid from childhood. Parents have a significant role to play in this. The responsibility falls on their shoulders to teach their kids how to be good citizens.
If you are considering explaining the electoral process in India to your toddler, you must think of some kid-friendly way to do that. Indian politics is quite complicated given the country’s diversity. Neither will your toddler understand everything nor is there any need to explain everything. All you need is to go through the basics.
Elections are an expression of democracy. It is the fundamental right of every citizen of India. Of course, it would be an otherworldly concept for your kid. You might have to explain it several times. But it will be worth your time! Following are some points you might touch on while explaining.
Start with the basics!
Before explaining the electoral process in India explain a few basics. Start with something like “Our country doesn’t have Kings and Queens, but we have ministers!”. Explain that they make a “government” to run the county for 5 years. After that, you re-select a new group that does the same. This is done so that the ministers are answerable to the people for their actions. How? They enjoy the power only for a limited period. After that, they must ask the people for “votes.” That is the only way they can return to power. All of these may seem like too much explanation but it’s necessary. The importance of election should be known before understanding its process.
Votes
The next question that falls in line is what are votes.
Votes are essential tools of a democracy. It is an important part of the electoral process in India. It helps determine the most favourable candidate who we would like to take charge of a few important things.
The person who got the greatest number of votes will win. It means most people would like the candidate to hold the responsibility. The responsibility would include making crucial decisions affecting the nation at large.
Also Read: Measures by Election Commission for Smooth Polling
Who can vote?
There can be some obvious questions from your kid like “Who can vote?” or “Can I vote?”. Any citizen of India of age 18 years or above can vote. They must hold a valid voter ID. He/she should be mentally stable and not imprisoned at the time of the vote.
Electoral system in India
India is a “Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic”. Now, these are all quite heavy terms! To make your children understand the electoral system in India, you can start by explaining the basic anatomy of the government.
India has a parliamentary form of government. It is divided into two parts. One is the central government; the other is the state government. The central government is tasked with attending the national affairs. Then there are the state governments that work at the state level.
The parliament has two sections the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. General elections are held to select (or elect) the members of Lok Sabha. They are called the member of parliament (MP). The president of India is the ceremonial head. The real powers lie with the prime minister of India. He/she is elected by the members of Lok Sabha. The president appoints the different ministers on the direction of the prime minister.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024
Electoral process in India
Once you are done with the basics, it is time for you to address the most crucial thing. How are the elections conducted in India?
These occur in several steps:
- The registration of voters: Citizens will have to enrol themselves. This is done to ensure their participation in the voting process. This enrolment could be done online or by visiting the electoral registration office.
- Declaration of election: The president of Lok Sabha declares the notification for election. He does it on the advice of the election commissioner. This commences the election preparations.
- Filling up of the nominations: The people willing to contest the elections submit their nominations to the election officer. This includes their details and declaration of their assets.
- Verification: The nomination forms are scrutinised to ensure their correctness. During this period, the candidates are also allowed to withdraw their names.
- Campaign of election: During the election campaign, the candidates meet the voters and ask for their support. Further, his supporters organise rallies, speeches, and publicities. All of these are done under the watchful gaze of the election commission. This ensures proper adherence to all protocols.
- Voting: On the day of the vote the voters cast their votes for the candidate. If someone disfavours all candidates, he can go for NOTA (None of the Above).
- Counting: The counting of the votes starts after all voters have cast their votes. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes is considered to be the winner.
- Declaration of the result: The results of the counting are declared. The winning candidate gets to lead for 5 years.
The voice of the people is the voice of God. However, that voice is heard only when the people speak out! Elections are an essential expression of democracy. Every child must have a basic idea of the election and electoral process in India. Additionally, knowing the types of elections in India would also be helpful. Moreover, these are part of his fundamental rights.
Initially, your kid can have many questions about the electoral process in India. He might not understand the significance of everything, and that is very natural. Make him understand that with time, everything will become clear to him.
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