Splits, mergers and alliances have frequently disrupted the
compositions of political parties. This has led to a number of disputes
over which section of a divided party gets to keep the party symbol, and
how to classify the resulting parties in terms of national and state
parties. The Election Commission has to resolve these disputes, although
its decisions can be challenged in the courts. As of 1998 there are 7
National Parties, and 35 State Parties, with 620
registered-unrecognised parties.
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Any elector or candidate can file an election petition if he or she
thinks there has been malpractice during the election. An election
petition is not an ordinary civil suit, but treated as a contest in
which the whole constituency is involved. Election petitions are tried
by the High Court of the State involved, and if upheld can even lead to
the restaging of the election in that constituency. In the 1996 general
election xx election petitions were upheld, and in x constituencies the
result was countermanded and bye-elections held.
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The Election Commission appoints a large number of Observers to ensure
that the campaign is conducted fairly, and that people are free to vote
as they choose. Election expenditure Observers keeps a check on the
amount that each candidate and party spends on the election.
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After the polling has finished, the votes are counted under the
supervision of Returning Officers and Observers appointed by the
Election Commission. After the counting of votes is over, the Returning
Officer declares the name of the candidate to whom the largest number of
votes have been given as the winner, and as having been returned by the
constituency to the concerned house.
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In order to bring as much transparency as possible to the electoral
process, the media are encouraged and provided with facilities to cover
the election, although subject to maintaining the secrecy of the vote.
Media persons are given special passes to enter polling stations to
cover the poll process and the counting halls during the actual counting
of votes.
Media are also free to conduct Opinion Polls and Exit Polls. By a
recent set of Guideline issued, the Election Commission has stipulated
that the results of opinion polls can not be published between two days
before the start of polling and after the close of poll in any of the
constituencies. Results of exit polls can only be published or made
otherwise known only after half an hour of the end of polling hours on
the last day of poll 28th of February in the present election of 1998.
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The Parliament of the Union consists of the President, the Lok Sabha
(House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States). The
President is the head of state, and he appoints the Prime Minister, who
runs the government, according to the political composition of the Lok
Sabha. Although the government is headed by a Prime Minister, the
Cabinet is the central decision making body of the government. Members
of more than one party can make up a government, and although the
governing parties may be a minority in the Lok Sabha, they can only
govern as long as they have the confidence of a majority of MPs, the
members of the Lok Sabha. As well as being the body, which determines
whom, makes up the government, the Lok Sabha is the main legislative
body, along with the Rajya Sabha.
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