NCERT Solutions for Class 9th Social Science Chapter 7 Elections
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
Elections are the means by which citizens choose their representatives and hold them accountable. Fig. 7.1 lists four things elections secure — representation, accountability, equality and legitimacy . India elects the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha by direct election under the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system; the President, Vice President, Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishad are chosen by indirect election under proportional representation with a single transferable vote. The Representation of the People Act, 1950 covers seats, delimitation and electoral rolls; the Representation of the People Act, 1951 covers nominations, campaigns, polling, electoral offences and disputes. The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952 covers those two offices. The Delimitation Commission (Art
- Chapter opener
- Why do Elections Matter?
- Fig. 7.1 Importance of elections in a democracy
- The Electoral System
- Delimitation Commission
- ECI creates the electoral roll
- Political Parties
- Multi-party system and defection
- Criteria for National and State Party Recognition
- Alliances in Indian elections
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Direct election | Citizens vote directly to choose their representatives or leaders. | Page 161 — Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Panchayats and municipal corporations |
| Indirect election | Citizens vote for representatives who then choose or elect the leaders. | Page 161 — President, Vice President, Rajya Sabha |
| Psephology | The scientific study of elections; from Greek psēphos (pebble) and logy (systematic study). | DON'T MISS OUT, page 162 |
| First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) | The plurality system: the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins, even with less than 50% of the votes polled. | Page 163 and the Electoral Systems table, page 164 |
| Proportional representation (PR) | Voters vote for a party; seats are allotted in proportion to the votes each party receives. | Electoral Systems table, page 164 |
| Single transferable vote | PR by preference voting: candidates who reach the quota are elected, the lowest is eliminated and their votes are transferred by second preference. | Fig. 7.3, page 165 — used for the Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishad |
| Quota | [Total valid votes ÷ (Seats to be filled + 1)] + 1 — the minimum votes needed to win under the single transferable vote. | Fig. 7.3, page 165 |
| RPA 1950 | Deals with allocation of seats, delimitation of constituencies, electoral rolls, and the right of every citizen of 18 and above to vote without discrimination. | The Laws, page 165 |
| RPA 1951 | Deals with nominations, campaigns, voting procedures, post-election disputes, electoral offences and corrupt practices. | The Laws, pages 165–166 |
| Delimitation | Determining the number of seats and fixing constituency boundaries in each State, so seats match population. | Delimitation Commission, page 166 |
| Special Intensive Revision (SIR) | Updating, verifying and correcting the electoral roll so no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is included. | ECI functions, pages 167–168 |
| ETPBS | Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System, for service voters posted outside their own constituency. | LET'S EXPLORE page 168; Fig. 7.6, page 170 |
| Model Code of Conduct | The rules of conduct during an election; violations can be reported through the cVIGIL app. | Fig. 7.6, page 170; page 178 |
| VVPAT | Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail — the printed slip a voter can see after voting on the EVM. | Page 178 and the case study, page 180 |
| Defection | Abandoning or switching from the party under whose banner a candidate was elected. | Page 175; Anti-Defection Law, 52nd Amendment, 1985 |
| RUPP | Registered Unrecognised Political Parties — parties without enough vote share, or that have never contested since registration. | Fig. 7.12, page 176 |
Exercises
- Chapter opener — The Big Questions Page 161
- Why do Elections Matter? — In-text Questions Page 161
- Fig. 7.1 Importance of elections in a democracy — In-text Questions Page 162
- The Electoral System — LET'S EXPLORE Page 165
- Delimitation Commission — DON'T MISS OUT Page 166
- ECI creates the electoral roll — THINK ABOUT IT Page 168
- ECI creates the electoral roll — LET'S EXPLORE Page 168
- Political Parties — In-text Questions Page 172
- Political Parties — LET'S MAP Page 173–174
- Multi-party system and defection — In-text Questions Page 175
- Criteria for National and State Party Recognition — LET'S EXPLORE Page 176
- Alliances in Indian elections — LET'S EXPLORE Page 177
- Challenges to Free and Fair Elections — LET'S ANALYSE Page 178
- End of chapter — Questions and activities Page 179–182