Elections Class 9: Notes and Questions

What Elections is about

Weightage: CBSE has not yet published marks for Class 9 Social Science 2026-27: its syllabus says the course structure "will be provided shortly". Class 9 is a school examination (80 marks annual paper + 20 internal assessment), so your school sets the paper.Source: CBSE Social Science syllabus, Class IX 2026-27

Key concepts

Why elections matter

NCERT section Why do Elections Matter?

Regular, periodic elections are at the core of democracy. They let us choose who decides on our behalf and hold them accountable; our vote is the main way to exercise this right.

• Direct elections: citizens vote directly for representatives. In India: Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and local bodies, every five years.
• Indirect elections: citizens' representatives elect the leaders: the President, Vice President and Rajya Sabha.

The chapter's test: can a class representative stay on next year without a new election? Can a government continue beyond its term? Is there a real choice if only one party contests? The answer to each is no, because periodic, competitive elections are essential.

Elections ensure equality (one person, one vote), representation, accountability and legitimacy (the government's right to rule comes from the people's mandate).

Psephology = the scientific study of elections, from Greek psēphos ('pebble'), because ancient Greeks voted with pebbles.

Worked example

Distinguish between direct and indirect elections with two Indian examples of each. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Direct: citizens vote for representatives themselves: Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, panchayats.
2. Indirect: elected representatives choose the leaders: President, Vice President, Rajya Sabha.

Answer: In direct elections citizens vote for their representatives themselves, e.g. members of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha (and local bodies). In indirect elections citizens' representatives elect the office-holders, e.g. the President and members of the Rajya Sabha (and the Vice President).

Electoral systems: FPTP, majority and PR

NCERT section The Electoral System

An electoral system decides how votes become seats. The book compares three imaginary countries:

System	How it works	Book's example result
First-Past-The-Post (plurality)	one vote per voter for a candidate; the candidate with most votes wins, even below 50%	Haritbhumi: A 40%, B 35%, C 25% → A forms government
Majority (two-round)	winner needs more than 50%; else the top two face a second round	Ratnadweep: X 45%, Y 40%, Z 15% → round 2, Y wins with 55%
Proportional representation	voters choose a party; seats shared in proportion to votes	Swarnalok (100 seats): M 40, N 35, O 15, P 10 → power shared

India uses FPTP for the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas, and PR for the Rajya Sabha, President and Vice President.

Single transferable vote (STV): voters mark preferences; candidates reaching the quota win; the lowest candidate is eliminated and those votes go to second preferences; repeat until seats are filled.

Quota = (total valid votes ÷ (seats to be filled + 1)) + 1.

Bicameral States (six): Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh have a Vidhan Parishad (upper house), elected by Vidhan Sabha members, local bodies, graduates and teachers (by STV), plus members nominated by the Governor.

Worked example

In an STV election 3 seats are to be filled and 2,000 valid votes are cast. What is the quota? (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Quota = (total valid votes ÷ (seats + 1)) + 1.
2. = (2,000 ÷ 4) + 1 = 500 + 1 = 501.

Answer: Quota = 2,000 ÷ (3 + 1) + 1 = 501 votes. Any candidate with 501 first-preference votes is elected.

Election laws: RPA 1950 and RPA 1951

NCERT section The Laws

Two main laws (plus the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952):

• RPA 1950: allocation of seats and delimitation of constituencies; preparing and revising electoral rolls; the right of every citizen of 18 and above to vote without discrimination.
• RPA 1951: everything else about conducting elections: nominations, campaigns, voting procedures and post-election disputes; it also lists electoral offences and corrupt practices, for example:
• any gift, offer or promise to make someone contest, withdraw, vote or not vote;
• appeals to vote or not vote on grounds of religion, caste, race, community or language;
• taking help from government personnel (gazetted officers, judges, magistrates, armed forces, police, excise officers).

Together they ensure integrity, transparency and accountability.

Worked example

A candidate's worker offers each family a free gas cylinder if they vote for him. Which law does this break and how is it classified? (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Offering gifts to influence votes.
2. RPA 1951 lists it as a corrupt practice.

Answer: It breaks the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Any gift, offer or promise made by a candidate or with his consent to make a person vote is a corrupt practice under that Act.

Delimitation

NCERT section Delimitation Commission

Constituency boundaries are not permanent; they change as population shifts. Without delimitation one MP might represent 5 lakh people and another 25 lakh, which breaks equal representation.

Delimitation = fixing the number of seats and the territorial boundaries of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha constituencies in each State, so that the ratio of seats to population is as equal as possible.

Article 82 mandates a Delimitation Commission. India has had four: 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002. (The book asks you to find out why there was a long gap between 1973 and 2002.)

Worked example

Why is delimitation necessary for equal representation? (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Population changes unevenly across areas.
2. Without redrawing, MPs represent very different numbers; votes count unequally.

Answer: Population grows and moves unevenly, so old boundaries leave some constituencies far bigger than others; one MP might represent 5 lakh people and another 25 lakh. Delimitation redraws boundaries so each representative stands for roughly the same number of people, keeping votes equal in value.

Election Commission of India and its functions

NCERT section Election Commission of India (ECI)

The ECI is an autonomous, permanent constitutional body set up on 25 January 1950 (now National Voters' Day). Articles 324-329 provide for it. It has superintendence, direction and control of elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Vidhan Sabhas, Vidhan Parishads, and of the President and Vice President.

At State level a Chief Electoral Officer (a civil servant appointed by the ECI in consultation with the State) supervises; DMs, SDMs and tahsildars act as District Election Officers, Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers.

Functions:
1. Creates electoral rolls: enumerators visit households; rolls prepared polling-station-wise; only listed names can vote. Special Intensive Revision (SIR) updates, verifies and corrects rolls: adds new voters (especially those just 18) and removes names for death, change of residence, duplication or being permanently untraceable; claims and objections are settled before the final roll.
2. Decides the schedule when a House's five-year term ends or it is dissolved, considering weather, farming cycles, exams and festivals.
3. Registers parties and allots symbols; insists on inner-party elections; classifies parties as national, State or registered-unrecognised; acts as a quasi-judicial body in disputes on recognition and symbols.
4. Ensures free and fair elections, including inclusion.

The ECI also runs the International Election Visitors' Programme, with MoUs with 28 election bodies and three international organisations.

Worked example

What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)? Give its objectives. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. SIR = updating, verifying and correcting electoral rolls.
2. Add eligible voters, especially new 18-year-olds.
3. Delete names for death, shifting, duplication, permanently untraceable; settle claims and objections before final roll.

Answer: SIR is the ECI's exercise to update, verify and correct the electoral rolls. Its objectives are to make sure no eligible citizen, especially a young voter who has just turned 18, is left out; to remove names of voters who have died, shifted, are enrolled twice or are permanently untraceable; and to settle claims and objections before the final roll is published.

Making elections inclusive: ECI initiatives and technology

NCERT section Election Commission of India (ECI)

Fairness also means everyone can vote. Under the slogan 'No Voter to Be Left Behind' the ECI has:

• EVMs with Braille and accessible infrastructure for Persons with Disabilities;
• voting from home for senior citizens above 85 and PwDs with 40% benchmark disability, extended across India for the first time in the 2024 General Elections;
• focus on senior citizens, transgender persons and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

Digital tools:

• ETPBS: Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System for service voters, outside their constituency.
• Voter Helpline App: registration, transposition, verification, election news.
• cVIGIL: report Model Code of Conduct violations within minutes; flying squads reach the spot using auto-location.
• ERONET: processes forms and maintains e-rolls.
• Sugam: manages vehicles requisitioned for election work.
• Suvidha: for candidates and parties: nomination forms, permissions for rallies and loudspeakers.
• Saksham: helps PwDs register and find polling stations.

Other safeguards: Model Code of Conduct, EVMs, VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) and awareness campaigns.

Worked example

Name the ECI measure that helps each group vote: (a) a soldier posted away from home (b) a 90-year-old (c) a visually impaired voter (d) a citizen who sees cash being distributed. (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Service voter: ETPBS.
2. Above 85: voting from home.
3. Visually impaired: EVM with Braille (Saksham for registration).
4. Report misconduct: cVIGIL.

Answer: (a) ETPBS (electronic postal ballot for service voters). (b) Voting from home for senior citizens above 85. (c) EVMs with Braille (and the Saksham app for PwDs). (d) The cVIGIL app to report Model Code of Conduct violations.

Political parties, defection and recognition

NCERT section Political Parties

Why parties matter: they help voters make informed decisions, organise public opinion, campaign on issues and offer meaningful choices. The winning party forms the government and implements policies; the opposition ensures accountability through debates and committees. Parties prepare manifestos. Independent candidates may also contest.

Defection: leaving, or acting against, the party on whose ticket one was elected (e.g. voting against the party whip). The book presents two views: political opportunism that threatens stability, or a way to follow conscience. The Anti-Defection Law (52nd Amendment, 1985) allows such a member to be disqualified; the Speaker or Chairman decides.

Recognition criteria (any one condition):

• State party: e.g. 6% of valid votes in the Assembly election plus 2 Assembly seats; or 6% in the Lok Sabha election from the State plus 1 Lok Sabha seat; or 3% of Assembly seats or 3 seats (whichever more); or 1 Lok Sabha seat per 25 seats of the State; or 8% of valid votes in the State.
• National party: 6% of valid votes in four or more States plus 4 Lok Sabha seats; or 2% of Lok Sabha seats from at least three States; or recognised as a State party in four States.
• Registered unrecognised parties: registered but not meeting these, or never contested.

Coalitions: from 1967 single-party dominance ended in several States; in 1977 parties united as the Janata Party, forming the first national coalition government after the Emergency. Since the late 1990s the NDA (led by the BJP) and the UPA (led by the INC till 2023, then reconstituted as the INDIA alliance) have been the major alliances.

Worked example

Give three differences between national and State parties based on the ECI criteria. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Spread: national needs support in several States; State party in one State.
2. Thresholds: e.g. national: 6% in four or more States + 4 Lok Sabha seats; State: 6% in that State + 2 Assembly seats.
3. Alternative route: national = recognised as State party in four States.

Answer: 1. A national party must have support across several States (e.g. 6% of valid votes in four or more States), while a State party needs support within one State. 2. A national party may qualify by winning 2% of Lok Sabha seats from at least three States; a State party may qualify by winning 3% (or at least three) of the State's Assembly seats. 3. A party recognised as a State party in four States becomes a national party, so a national party's base is wider and its agenda usually national, while a State party focuses on regional issues.

Elections in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Election Commission of India, Election Laws and Delimitation
• Electoral Systems: FPTP, Majority and Proportional Representation

Elections: key facts

Direct vs indirect in India

Direct: Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, local bodies (every 5 years) | Indirect: President, Vice President, Rajya Sabha

Systems

FPTP	most votes wins
Majority	>50%, else run-off of top two
PR	seats ∝ party vote share

India: FPTP for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha; PR for Rajya Sabha, President, Vice President, Vidhan Parishad (STV).

STV quota

Quota = [Total valid votes ÷ (Seats + 1)] + 1

Lowest candidate eliminated; votes move to next preference.

Laws

RPA 1950	seats, delimitation, rolls, 18+ franchise
RPA 1951	conduct, offences, corrupt practices, disputes
1952 Act	President and Vice President

ECI basics

• •Est. 25 Jan 1950 (National Voters' Day)
• •Articles 324-329
• •Delimitation: Article 82 (1952, 1963, 1973, 2002)
• •Anti-defection: 52nd Amendment, 1985

Inclusion tools

ETPBS	service voters
cVIGIL	report MCC violations
Saksham	PwDs
	Voter Helpline
Suvidha	candidates
Sugam	vehicles
ERONET	rolls
home voting 85+ and PwD 40%	2024

How the school exam asks Elections

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Elections

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• FPTP is a race

  First Past The Post = like a race: whoever is ahead at the finish wins, even without half the votes.

  Use it when: Explaining FPTP.

• RPA years

  1950 = Before voting (rolls, seats, boundaries); 1951 = During and after voting (conduct, offences, disputes).

  Use it when: RPA 1950 vs 1951.

• Delimitation years

  52, 63, 73, 02: 'fifty-two, sixty-three, seventy-three, then two-thousand-two'.

  Use it when: Delimitation commissions.

• ECI articles

  324 to 329: 'three-two-four, the ECI door'.

  Use it when: Constitutional basis of ECI.

• Indirect trio

  PVR: President, Vice President, Rajya Sabha are chosen indirectly.

  Use it when: Direct vs indirect.

Elections: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section E style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In a school exam set on the board pattern this is a 4-mark question split into 1 + 1 + 2 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Elections

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Saying the Lok Sabha is elected by proportional representation

  PR is mentioned for other bodies.

  Wrong working

  Lok Sabha members are elected by PR.

  Right working

  Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas use FPTP; Rajya Sabha, President and Vice President use PR.

  ✓Do this: People's houses = FPTP.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Thinking an FPTP winner needs over 50%

  Confusing FPTP with the majority system.

  Wrong working

  Under FPTP a candidate must get more than half the votes.

  Right working

  Under FPTP the candidate with the most votes wins, even with less than 50%.

  ✓Do this: Plurality, not majority.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Mixing up RPA 1950 and 1951

  Similar names.

  Wrong working

  RPA 1950 lists corrupt practices.

  Right working

  RPA 1951 lists electoral offences and corrupt practices; RPA 1950 deals with seats, delimitation and rolls.

  ✓Do this: Learn the 'before/during' trick.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Wrong STV quota working

  Forgetting +1 in the denominator or at the end.

  Wrong working

  Quota = 2,000 ÷ 3 = 667.

  Right working

  Quota = 2,000 ÷ (3 + 1) + 1 = 501.

  ✓Do this: Write the formula first, then substitute.

  Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

• ✗Mistake: Stating opinions about parties as facts

  Political topics invite personal views.

  Wrong working

  Party X is the best because...

  Right working

  Compare parties only on documented points (manifesto, vote share, seats), citing sources, as the NCERT activity asks.

  ✓Do this: Stay factual and neutral.

  Usually costs: Marks for objectivity in project work.

NCERT exercise guide: Elections

What each exercise in the NCERT chapter tests, how to approach it, and a question of the same kind solved step by step. Questions here are written in our own words.

Practice questions on Elections

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level

   Which system elects the Rajya Sabha?
   (a) FPTP (b) Majority system (c) Proportional representation (d) Direct election by voters

   Hint

   Indirect, by representatives.

   Answer

   (c) Proportional representation

2. Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level

   Which day is National Voters' Day and why?

   Hint

   ECI's foundation.

   Answer

   25 January, the day the ECI was established in 1950.

3. Q3 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level

   What does the cVIGIL app do?

   Hint

   Reporting.

   Answer

   Lets voters report Model Code of Conduct violations within minutes; flying squads respond using auto-location.

4. Q4 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder exam level

   Assertion (A): In FPTP a party can form government with less than half the votes.
   Reason (R): In FPTP the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins.
   Choose (a)-(d).

   Hint

   Haritbhumi.

   Answer

   (a) Both true and R explains A (Party A formed the government with 40%).

5. Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

   Why must the ECI consider farming cycles and exams while fixing election dates? (2 marks)

   Hint

   Participation.

   Answer

   Elections should not clash with sowing or harvesting, exams or festivals, so that farmers, students, teachers (often polling staff) and families can take part and the polls run smoothly.

6. Q6 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

   Calculate the STV quota when 4 seats are filled and 5,000 valid votes are cast. (2 marks)

   Hint

   Divide by seats + 1, then add 1.

   Answer

   5,000 ÷ (4 + 1) + 1 = 1,000 + 1 = 1,001 votes.

7. Q7 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   Why are appeals to vote on the basis of caste or religion treated as corrupt practices? (2 marks)

   Hint

   Equality and fair choice.

   Answer

   They divide voters by identity instead of issues and performance, undermining equality and informed choice; the RPA 1951 therefore treats them as corrupt practices.

8. Q8 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

   Give four roles political parties play in a democracy. (4 marks)

   Hint

   Fig. 7.9 and 7.11.

   Answer

   1. Help voters make informed decisions by presenting programmes. 2. Organise public opinion. 3. Campaign on specific issues and prepare manifestos. 4. Offer meaningful choices; the winner forms the government and implements policies, while the opposition ensures accountability.

9. Q9 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   Suppose a party wins 8% of the valid votes polled in a State's Assembly election but no seats. Can it be recognised as a State party? Explain using the criteria. (2 marks)

   Hint

   Check the 8% condition.

   Answer

   Yes. One criterion recognises a party that secures not less than 8% of the valid votes polled in the State in a Lok Sabha or Assembly general election, with no seat condition; any one criterion is enough.

10. Q10 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

    Explain how the single transferable vote works in four steps. (3 marks)

    Hint

    Preferences, quota, elimination, transfer.

    Answer

    1. Voters mark preferences. 2. First preferences are counted; candidates reaching the quota are elected. 3. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and those votes go to the second preferences on the ballots. 4. This continues until all seats are filled.

11. Q11 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

    Arrange in your order of importance: (a) choose my representative (b) makes me responsible (c) change a non-performing representative (d) strengthens democracy. Justify your top choice. (3 marks)

    Hint

    NCERT question 5: any order with reasons.

    Answer

    Sample: (d), (c), (a), (b). Strengthening democracy comes first because every vote adds to the people's mandate that gives government legitimacy; the power to remove non-performers keeps it accountable. (Any order accepted with sound reasons.)

12. Q12 · 2 marks · Short answerExam level

    Why did 1977 matter in the history of Indian coalitions? (2 marks)

    Hint

    After the Emergency.

    Answer

    Against the backdrop of the Emergency, several parties joined as the Janata Party and formed the first coalition government at the national level.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.Who is elected indirectly in India?Show answer

   The President, Vice President and members of the Rajya Sabha.

2. 2.What is psephology?Show answer

   The scientific study of elections (from Greek psēphos, pebble).

3. 3.Which six States have a Vidhan Parishad?Show answer

   Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

4. 4.Which article mandates the Delimitation Commission?Show answer

   Article 82.

5. 5.When was the ECI established?Show answer

   25 January 1950.

6. 6.Which articles deal with the ECI?Show answer

   Articles 324 to 329.

7. 7.What does ETPBS stand for?Show answer

   Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System.

8. 8.Who can vote from home since the 2024 General Elections?Show answer

   Senior citizens above 85 and PwDs with a benchmark disability of 40%.

9. 9.When was the Anti-Defection Law passed?Show answer

   1985, by the 52nd Constitutional Amendment.

10. 10.What is VVPAT?Show answer

    Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail: a slip that lets the voter see the vote recorded.

11. 11.Which alliance formed the first coalition government at the national level?Show answer

    The Janata Party, in 1977.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Periodic elections = core of democracy; vote = main way to hold representatives accountable.
• ☐Direct: Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, local bodies; indirect: President, VP, Rajya Sabha.
• ☐Values: equality, representation, accountability, legitimacy.
• ☐FPTP (plurality) for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha; PR for Rajya Sabha, President, VP.
• ☐Majority system: >50% or run-off; PR: seats by vote share; STV with quota.
• ☐Six States bicameral; Vidhan Parishad by STV + Governor's nominees.
• ☐RPA 1950: seats, delimitation, rolls; RPA 1951: conduct, offences, disputes.
• ☐Corrupt practices: gifts, appeals on religion/caste/language, help from officials.
• ☐Delimitation (Art 82): 1952, 1963, 1973, 2002; equal population per seat.
• ☐ECI: 25 Jan 1950; Arts 324-329; rolls, SIR, schedule, parties and symbols, fairness.
• ☐Inclusion: Braille EVMs, home voting (85+, PwD 40%), ETPBS, Saksham, cVIGIL.
• ☐Parties: inform, organise opinion, campaign, offer choice; anti-defection 1985.
• ☐Recognition: State and national criteria; RUPPs.
• ☐Coalitions: 1967 end of single-party dominance in States; 1977 Janata; NDA, UPA/INDIA.
• ☐Challenges: misinformation, fake news, intimidation; MCC, EVM, VVPAT, awareness.

Elections: frequently asked questions