Democracy means government by thepeople; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
Elections are the medium through which people choose their representatives, free and fair elections are precondition for the genuine democracy. Elections remain central to broader strategies for promoting democracy. First, competitive elections can catalyze profound political change in a society. Elections in societies in transition or crisis can be seminal events that, if successful, not only conferlegitimacy on governments but also can profoundly influence institutions, powerarrangements, and citizens’ expectations. Second, elections provide significant newopportunities for citizen involvement in public affairs. They are an opportunity to engagecivic organizations and citizens in democratic politics through voter education, electionmonitoring, policy research, and advocacy. They can provide an avenue for theparticipation of women, minorities, and disadvantaged groups, who traditionally have had
less access to politics and governance. Finally, competitive elections offer a means ofestablishing accountability, channeling political competition, and determining leadership succession. In India constitution provides an independent body ‘Election Commission’to conduct free and fair elections but the electoral system is not free from short comings .there are problems like boothcapturing, use of money and muscle power in electionsand also use of other unfair means .Which are the basic hurdle in conducting free and fair elections. Many committees gave their recommendations to these problems, which need to be implemented
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