Exercise 7.1
Look at the road to free and fair elections above (Fig. ). Fill in the empty potholes with some more challenges after discussing them with your teachers and parents. How can we overcome these challenges?
The book prints no answer for this
NCERT publishes no answers for this textbook, so there is nothing in the book to check this working against. It has also not yet been read through by hand.
What the task asks for
Look at the road in Fig. $\displaystyle 7.13$, where three potholes are already labelled, and fill the empty potholes with further challenges after discussing them with your teachers and parents — then say how each one can be overcome.
The three the chapter has already filled in
Misinformation
Fake news
Intimidation
A worked example of further potholes you could add, each with its cure
Money power — bribery is an offence under RPA $\displaystyle 1951$, which forbids any gift, offer or promise made to a person to get them to contest, withdraw, vote or refrain from voting. Cure: expenditure limits enforced by the ECI, reporting through the cVIGIL app, and voters who refuse inducements.
Appeals to religion, caste, race, community or language — also listed as an offence in RPA 1951. Cure: the Model Code of Conduct, prompt ECI action, and the Voters' Pledge, which commits us to vote without being influenced by such considerations.
Misuse of government machinery — RPA $\displaystyle 1951$ bars candidates from taking help from gazetted officers, judges and magistrates, armed forces, police and excise officers. Cure: the Model Code of Conduct, which applies once the schedule is announced.
Voters left out of the electoral roll — only those on the roll may vote. Cure: Special Intensive Revision (SIR), plus the claims-and-objections window before the final roll is published.
Accessibility barriers — voters who cannot reach or use a booth. Cure: EVMs with Braille, home voting for senior citizens above $\displaystyle 85$ and for PwDs with $\displaystyle 40$% benchmark disability, the Saksham App, and ETPBS for service voters.
How to overcome them, in one line
The chapter's own answer: laws (RPA $\displaystyle 1950$ and $\displaystyle 1951$), the Model Code of Conduct, EVMs and VVPAT, voter awareness campaigns — and above all constant vigilance and active citizen participation.
What a good answer must contain
Each empty pothole named with a real challenge, not a vague word.
A cure written beside every challenge, matched to it.
At least two cures that a citizen can carry out, not only ones the ECI carries out.