ভারতের গণতান্ত্রিক নির্বাচনে অর্থ, পেশীশক্তি ও হিংসার ব্যবহারের একটি সমালোচনাধর্মী মূল্যায়ন
Volume-XIII, Issue-III, April 2025 > Volume-XIII, Issue-IV, July 2025
Volume-XIII, Issue-IV, July 2025 |
Received: 16.06.2025 | Accepted: 24.06.2025 | ||||
Published Online: 31.07.2025 | Page No: 21-29 | ||||
DOI: 10.64031/pratidhwanitheecho.vol.13.issue.04W.004 | |||||
ভারতের গণতান্ত্রিক নির্বাচনে অর্থ, পেশীশক্তি ও হিংসার ব্যবহারের একটি সমালোচনাধর্মী মূল্যায়ন
সুদীপ্ত মণ্ডল, স্বাধীন গবেষক, সোনারপুর, কলকাতা, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
A Critical Evaluation of the Use of Money, Muscle Power, and Violence in Democratic Elections in India Sudipta Mondal, Independent Researcher, Sonarpur, Kolkata, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
This study critically investigates the structural distortions in India’s democratic electoral process caused by the systemic deployment of money power, muscle power, and political violence. Despite being hailed as the world’s largest democracy, India exhibits deep contradictions between its constitutional ideals and electoral practices. Drawing on theoretical insights from democratic erosion and elite capture literature, this paper explores how these undemocratic forces undermine electoral integrity, marginalize genuine political representation, and erode public trust in democratic institutions. Using qualitative analysis of secondary data, electoral reports, and existing literature, the research highlights how elections are increasingly influenced by illicit financing, criminal networks, and coercive strategies. These practices entrench oligarchic dominance, hinder level playing fields, and perpetuate socio-economic inequalities in political participation. The study also evaluates the limitations of institutional safeguards such as the Election Commission and legal frameworks, which remain insufficient to curtail the nexus of crime, capital, and politics. The paper argues that India’s democratic deficit is not merely procedural but structural, requiring more than technocratic reform. It calls for normative shifts toward ethical political leadership, civic education, and grassroots mobilization to counter elite domination. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on democratic backsliding in postcolonial contexts and underscore the urgency of redefining democratic consolidation in terms of both participation and accountability. | ||
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