CG Board Class 10 Social Science Chapter 15 Solutions: People’s Participation in Democracy (लोकतंत्र में जनसहभागिता) (2026-27)

An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is a digital device used to record votes. It consists of two units: a Control Unit (kept with the polling officer) and a Balloting Unit (kept inside the secret voting compartment). When the polling officer enables the Control Unit, the voter presses the blue button against the symbol of their chosen candidate or NOTA on the Balloting Unit, which records one vote secretly with a beep sound. No, not all eligible voters exercise their franchise; typically, around 60% of registered voters vote in Lok Sabha elections, while many abstain due to lack of interest, migration, or disillusionment.

In 1952, 10.60 crore people voted in the general elections while in 2004, the number of people who voted was 38.99 crore.

Based on Table 15.1

• Highest Voting Percentage: In the 1984 Lok Sabha election, the voting percentage was the highest at 63.56%.
• Lowest Voting Percentage: In the 1971 Lok Sabha election, the voting percentage was the lowest at 55.29%.

The sharp increase in registered voters in 1989 (rising from 37.38 crore in 1984 to 47.41 crore in 1989) occurred because the Indian Constitution was amended in 1989 (61st Constitutional Amendment) to lower the minimum voting age from 21 years to 18 years. This added millions of young citizens to the electoral roll for the first time.

According to Table 15.1, the average participation level of Indian voters in Lok Sabha elections hovers around 60%. Male voters consistently demonstrated higher participation (ranging between 60% and 68%) compared to female voters (ranging between 46% and 60%) across elections from 1952 to 2004.

In our area, key factors influencing voter behavior include: local developmental needs (roads, drinking water, healthcare), candidate credibility, government performance, election promises in party manifestos, as well as local caste dynamics and media campaigns.

Caste influences voters when candidates appeal to caste identity to secure a “vote bank”, or when voters choose candidates belonging to their own caste group believing that their caste representative will safeguard their community interests. However, political analysts note that during critical national crises or major national waves, voters look beyond narrow caste lines to vote on national interests.

In an ideal Lok Sabha, the percentage of women members should be at least 50%, reflecting the equal proportion of women in the country’s population.

To achieve this ideal 50% representation out of the total 543 elected Lok Sabha seats, the Lok Sabha should have approximately 272 women members.

According to Table 15.2, in the 16th Lok Sabha (2014), there were 66 women members (11.4% of total members).

True.** As shown in Table 15.2, the number of women members rose from 22 (4.5%) in 1951 to 66 (11.4%) in 2014. Although there were minor fluctuations in some years, the general long-term trend shows a steady increase.

Lowest Election: The 1971 Lok Sabha election saw the lowest number of women members elected, with only 19 women members** (3.5%).

• Reasons: Patriarchal social structures, lack of political party tickets awarded to women candidates (only 61 women contested in 1971), lack of campaign financial resources, and restricted social mobility for women at that time.

To shut down Karnataka Pulpwood Ltd (KPL) and save their village common lands, the farmers of Karnataka used constitutional and democratic protest methods

1. Submitting memorandums to the Chief Minister and state government.
2. Filing a legal petition in the Supreme Court.
3. Launching the peaceful Kitikho-Hachiko (uproot eucalyptus and plant fruit/fodder trees) satyagraha in Kunsur village in 1987.
4. Securing support from 70 state legislators to exert legislative pressure on the government.

Yes, local tribal and environmental agitation groups in Chhattisgarh have organized pressure demonstrations against mining expansion projects in dense forest areas (like Hasdeo Aranya) to protect indigenous land rights, local biodiversity, and traditional livelihoods.

Active women’s pressure groups include local Mahila Mandals, Self-Help Group (SHG) federations, and organizations like the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA). They campaign against domestic violence, demand complete liquor bans in residential areas, and advocate for female safety and equal wages.

Students should visit a local teachers’ union or post office workers’ union office. Learn that trade unions negotiate collective working hours, wage hikes, service security, and safety standards with employers or the government using memorandums and peaceful strikes.

The right to form associations (a Fundamental Right under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution) is vital because it allows citizens to organize collectively, express shared concerns, protect group rights, and hold government policies accountable. Without this right, isolated individuals cannot effectively influence state decisions.

Instances include

1. Local news channels covering broken bridges or contaminated drinking water supplies, forcing municipal officials to execute immediate repairs.
2. Media coverage of crop failure due to drought, prompting the state government to sanction relief packages for affected farmers.

Media is overall more beneficial because it serves as the fourth pillar of democracy, informing citizens, shaping public opinion, exposing government corruption, and providing a platform for citizen voices. However, its potential harms (sensationalism, fake news, corporate bias, and partisan propaganda) must be regulated through public critical awareness and ethical journalistic standards.

Yes, media has influenced my life

1. Educational news portals and social media study groups provide instant access to educational resources and examination updates.
2. Public awareness campaigns on television (such as health awareness drives) shaped my personal hygiene habits and civic responsibility.

Media influences my life by broadening my worldview beyond my local surroundings, making me aware of national issues like democratic rights and environmental protection. The media is responsible for this because audiovisual broadcasts and digital news platforms possess widespread reach and strong persuasive power to shape human perception and social values.

Representative (or Indirect)

18

Registered (or Recognised)

Election Commission

Election Commission

Anglo-Indian

Universal adult

Rwanda

Frontal (or Associated / Sister)

Women’s

(3) He/she is declared ineligible to vote by a court.** (Note: Voters disqualified by courts for mental derangement, criminal record, or corrupt practices lose their franchise right).

(2) Media** (Note: Media highlighted the issue and maintained intense public pressure to amend the law).

(2) 61st**

(4) 2013/2014** (Reached 11.4% in 2014).

(2) 47**

(1) Local bodies** (or Panchayats and urban local bodies).

(1) Nirbhaya case**.

(1) Elections**.

(3) Attaining power**.

(1) Doctors’, teachers’, employees’ and officials’ groups.**

Universal adult suffrage means that every adult citizen of a country (aged 18 years and above in India), regardless of their caste, religion, gender, wealth, or educational status, possesses the equal right to vote, with one vote carrying one equal value.

The primary objective of a political party in a democracy is to contest elections, secure a political majority, and attain governmental power to implement its policies and programs.

The main reasons for the rise in eligible voters are population growth and, most significantly, the 1989 Constitutional Amendment which reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 years.

Voter behaviour refers to the psychological, economic, and socio-political factors that influence how a voter makes decisions regarding whether to cast a vote and which political candidate or party to vote for during an election.

Factors influencing voter behaviour include

1. National issues, government performance, and foreign policy.
2. Local development needs, infrastructure, and candidate credibility.
3. Narrow identity factors like caste, religion, language, and regionalism.
4. Media coverage, social media campaigns, and party manifestos.
5. Illicit allurements like money, alcohol, or local muscle power.

Apart from elections, people participate through

1. Forming or joining pressure groups, trade unions, and social movements.
2. Conducting peaceful demonstrations, rallies, strikes, and submitting memorandums.
3. Engaging with media, writing columns, and creating public awareness campaigns.
4. Exercising local provisions like the ‘Right to Recall’ in panchayats.

Six major political trade unions/organisations represent working classes

1. All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)
2. Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)
3. Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS)
4. Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)
5. Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS)
6. United Trade Union Congress (UTUC)

1. Goal: Political parties aim to contest elections and directly capture governmental power. Pressure groups do not seek political power; they only aim to influence policies.
2. Accountability: Political parties are directly accountable to the electorate during elections. Pressure groups are informal/formal non-electoral bodies and are not directly answerable to voters.
3. Scope: Political parties address a broad range of national issues. Pressure groups focus on specific sectoral interests (e.g., farmers, workers, teachers).

Different communication channels include print media (newspapers, magazines), electronic media (television, radio, cinema), and digital/social media (mobile phones, internet, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter).

A political party can form a government on the condition that it wins a majority of elected representative seats in the legislature (Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha) during general elections, or commands majority support through a post-election coalition.

The main reason for the sharp rise in eligible voters in India was the lowering of the voting age from 21 years to 18 years via the 61st Constitutional Amendment in 1989, combined with steady population growth.

People’s participation in democracy means active involvement of citizens in forming the government through elections, expressing views, organizing pressure groups, participating in social movements, and keeping the government accountable to the public.

(Identical to Question 8 above: Pressure groups seek policy changes without political office, whereas political parties contest elections to occupy public power).

The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 years in 1989 to enable the youth of the country to participate actively in the electoral process, making democratic governance more inclusive and representative of young aspirations.

Reasons include

1. Lack of awareness or disillusionment with contesting candidates.
2. Migration away from native voting constituencies for employment or education.
3. Errors or missing names in the electoral rolls.
4. Belief that a single vote will not change political outcomes.

The gap exists because voter registration is mandatory or automatic via official drives, but casting a vote is voluntary. Many registered voters refrain from voting due to out-station migration, lack of interest, voting booth distance, or dissatisfaction with all contesting options.

In local body elections (Panchayats/Municipalities), voters personally know the candidates and feel direct impact on daily neighborhood needs (drainage, roads, water). Intense personal connections drive high turnout. In contrast, Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections cover vast geographic regions, making voters feel distant from candidates and policy outcomes, resulting in lower turnouts.

Movement:* In 1984, the Karnataka government leased 30,000 hectares of village common land to Karnataka Pulpwood Ltd (KPL) to plant commercial eucalyptus trees. Farmers opposed this threat to their grazing lands. In 1987, they launched the peaceful Kitikho-Hachiko* (uproot and plant) satyagraha in Kunsur village, uprooting eucalyptus saplings and planting fruit and fodder trees.

• Impact: Supported by environmentalists and 70 state legislators, the pressure movement forced the government to shut down KPL in 1991, successfully restoring common land usage rights to the villagers.

If universal adult suffrage did not exist, democratic participation would be restricted to wealthy, educated, or privileged elites. Margins of poor, female, and working-class citizens would be excluded, leading to social inequality, widespread discontent, and loss of democratic legitimacy.

(Identical to Question 5 above: National security, leadership, government performance, local development, caste, religion, media influence, and monetary inducements).

Commercial and industrial pressure groups (such as Chambers of Commerce and Industry – FICCI, CII) as well as powerful professional unions possess significant financial resources, expertise, and lobbying capability, exerting the strongest influence on government policies and election funding.