Is India an ‘electoral democracy’?
India’s elections are neither free nor fair, and therefore India cannot really be called an “electoral democracy.” It is but natural that international agencies and watchdogs describe India as a part-free nation with its democratic process “on a path of steep decline” that could turn the country into an “electoral autocracy.”
Published on: 15 August 2022, 12:51 pm
India's elections are neither free nor fair, and therefore India cannot really be called an "electoral democracy." It is but natural that international agencies and watchdogs describe India as a part-free nation with its democratic process "on a path of steep decline" that could turn the country into an "electoral autocracy."
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AS U.S. President Joe Biden hosted the 'Summit for Democracy' on December 9 and 10 last year, the uninvited China staked its claim as the "world's largest democracy", a title India has taken for granted for long. As proof, a white paper put out by the Chinese government stated this: "In 2016 and 2017, more than 900 million voters participated in elections to people's congresses at the township and county-levels—the world's largest direct elections." Of course, everyone knows that China is a single-party autocracy.
The number of voters in India during the 2019 Parliament election was almost the same, but participation was less at 67.47 per cent of the total electorate.
“Significant exclusion has been noticed of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups from electoral rolls.
Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "I am proud to represent the world's largest democracy at this Summit. The democratic spirit is integral to our civilization ethos." Adding that the structural feature of multi-party election is an important instrument of India's democracy, he offered to share its expertise in holding free and fair elections. Pray, are India's elections 'free and fair'?
