Page 66 - Leap of Faith inside pages with cover (1)

Leap of Faith Journey of Indian Elections

The electoral scenario in India came to be dominated by
poli cal par es. This was not exactly a new development
as poli cal par es had existed even in colonial era, besides
being a global trend. Poli cal par es have their
advantages in Parliamentary democracy like a) ease in
mobilising public opinion b) ease of government
forma on c) delivering responsible governance and d)
building a responsive opposi on. The word “poli cal
party”, however, was conspicuously absent in the
Representa on of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951. It was
An excerpt from the Representation of the People Act, 1951 first entered into Representa on of the People Act, 1951
(as originally enacted on July 18, 1951) through an amendment enacted on March 15, 1989 – vide
Sec on 5 of Representa on of the People (Amendment)

An excerpt from the Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance,
1992 (subsequently Act) promulgated on January 4, 1992 wherein the word
“recognised political party” modified the section
Communist party election campaigners in New Delhi, 1952

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