Question

How is people's participation in election measured? How can it be said that elections are becoming popular in India and drawing people's attention.

Answer 1

People's participation in election is usually measured by voter turnout figures. Turnout indicates the per cent of eligible voters who actually cast their vote. Over the last fifty years in India the turnout has either remained stable or actually gone up.
(a) In India the poor, illiterate and underprivileged people vote in larger proportion as compared to the rich and privileged sections. This is in contrast to western democracies. For example in the United states of America, poor people, African Americans and Hispanics vote much less than the rich and the white people.
(b) Common people in India attach a lot of importance to elections. They feel that through elections they can bring pressure on political parties to adopt policies and programmes favourable to them. They also feel that their vote matters in the way things are run in the country.
(c) The interests of voters in election related activities have been increasing over the years. During the 2004 elections, more than one third voters Wok part in campaign-related activities.