Mock Panchayat Election

Students of grade 7 CBSE have many lessons on Democracy where they learn, what is Democracy? How is it different from other forms of government? Why is it considered to be the best form of government? What are the different aspects of Democracy that make it best from the rest? In this they learn how in a democracy the actual power is in the hands of the people as they get to elect their own representatives and leaders. As the lesson about Democracy was going on in full swing, a great opportunity came along when the Gram Panchayat elections to elect ward members and Sarpanch from various villages of Andhra Pradesh commenced. Hence we decided to hold mock elections for Gram Panchayat on the lines of the Andhra Pradesh Gram Panchayat elections in the School, so that the students could have a practical exposure of their learning. For this each class was declared as one village and the class was further divided into three groups, each group representing one political party. The groups were then asked to choose a candidate from their party to contest in the elections, prepare an election manifesto, design an election campaign, prepare a nomination paper for the candidate, file it with the Returning Officer and then finally contest the elections. The political parties went for election campaigns to different classes and appealed to the voters to vote for them. Finally election was conducted through a secret ballot and then a winner from each class was declared. In all this, the groups were asked to look into the various aspects of elections being conducted like the eligibility criteria for the candidates, powers and function of the Village Sarpanch as the elections were being conducted for the same post, term of the post, procedure for filing nomination papers, the districts where the elections was being conducted and the results.

When the election campaigns were going on, the voters asked various questions to the candidates to ensure that the candidate was capable enough to get their votes and when it came to vote, they voted for the candidate who had the best speech and best election campaign. The student id cards were used as election id cards and those students who did not have their ID cards were not allowed to vote. This made them realize the fact that an election id card is needed to exercise their right to vote and those who do not have will be deprived of that right. They were also briefed about the eligibility criteria to obtain a voter ID card. 

Through it, the students were taught the process of parliamentary democracy. The students of grade VII enthusiastically conducted the mock elections in the school reception area which helped them to foster important acceptable behavior that would help shape their character beyond classroom. They were energized to remind their family members to cast their vote. Throughout the process students participation and enthusiasm were a treat to watch. Here are a few reflections of the students. 

Samanyu (Grade VII) - We had our Panchayat election project. It was a lot of fun contesting as we could make the charts, slogans, Logos, banners etc. for a party that we made up and contested in the elections in the same procedure they do in the real ones. The procedure- Nomination paper, Speech {contest}, Secret Ballot, ID proof and even the dot of ink to tell that you have voted .It was also informative as we could learn how elections take place, the procedure, eligibility criteria, facts etc. Although we did not win, it was a fantastic experience and was a lot of fun.

Suhrid Shah (Grade VII) - As we were getting used to the rigorous method of CBSE a breakthrough came when we had to do an easy, yet interesting and challenging social studies project on our topic, Democracy in Action. It was the first time we were actually doing a project that let us experience what is happening in real life. We contested election the way it is done at the local level, in the gram Panchayat. We were divided into three groups in every class, and each group had to form a party, following the tasks which included selecting a candidate, logo, slogan, party name etc. Each class represented a district. As I was a candidate of my party, I was totally nervous. As part of our election campaign we had to give speeches in a different section, and that section voted for us. The winner would then become the Sarpanch of the class, which represented a village, if he/she won. I lost, but learnt and improved various skills, which made me a much better person. I became more open minded, a better speaker, honest and confident. I conclude that this was a great learning experience. And I would thank Prabin sir and Upashna ma'am for it.

Vindhya Banda (Grade VII) - The mock elections held in grade 7 were truly an amazing experience for me. Each class was assigned a district, our district was Guntur! We were all divided into groups and each group had to make their own symbol name and write what they would do to help the district. Now it was starting to feel like we were actually participating in the village Panchayat elections! We had to select a representative who would tell the people our final plan towards making the district better and answer questions. My whole class was busy in planning their speeches and logos for campaigning. We were like a swarm of busy bees! JAt last came the final day, we were all really excited.  We went to campaign for our party in a different class. After the ‘people' heard our speeches they voted for the candidates they thought were best in handling the district's problems , by writing the candidate's name on a slip of paper and putting it in our very own ‘secret ballot'. We even got a mark on our pointers to note that we voted and could not vote again in those elections! At the end of the day the results were announced and the candidates who won were congratulated and had to say a speech in front of the grade in the MPH.I really enjoyed this wonderful experience and would love to have it again.

Siddh Jain (Grade VII) - As part of our Social project we had mock elections for Sarpanch. We were divided in 3 groups, each representing one political party. From each party one candidate had to give an election speech and the whole party had to design an election campaign and an election manifesto. After this the students voted for their favorite candidate through a secret ballot. The results were declared and the winning candidate had to give a thank you speech. All in all it was a great and practical learning experience for us.

Abhiram Reddy (Grade VII) - We had a mock Panchayat election for grade VII. The whole class represented as a Chilkur Constituency and formed three parties. Many of us got information, did group work and learnt the importance of the Panchayat at the local level. We learnt that many people are involved directly and indirectly in the election process. It was a good experience altogether.