Selection of an AREA to work on

When the Design Process course started…I was looking for an area on which I can work further throughout the course. 

So I came up with all these:

a) Political System of India

b) Instant house building concept

c) Breastfeeding in public areas

d) Pune Railway Stations

e) Mirrors in washrooms

After few discussions with faculty, I selected the “POLITICAL SYSTEM OF INDIA” to work on.

What Indian Political System seems to me:

Brain Storming

My Brain Storming on "Political System of India":

Open this image in New Tab and then read.

Mind Mapping

I categorized the Political System of India in 4 parts on basis of my Brain Storming and mapped the words/notes further to analyse it.

Open this image in New Tab and then read.

The colour categorization as shown above is inspired from the colour wheel.
The white box in the middle of the image shows the main problems in Political System of India. 

Analyzing Mind Map

After making a Mind Map, I analysed it to come to some Problem Statements.
This image shows my Analysis on Mind Mapping:

Coming up with Problem Statement

After Analyzing Mind Map, here I come up with 2 Problem Statements to work on.

The first problem statement deals with common people and the second problem statement deals with the election system and party candidates.

Initial Problem Statement

My initial Problem Statement and it analysis by breaking it into questions:

This leads to 2 AIMS:

1) Re-Design Election System

2) Re-Design Electronic Voting Machine

My INITIAL CONTEXT of my Design Process

1. Scenario – a. Brain Storming

                    b. Categorization/Mapping

                    c. Area Selection

2. Problem Statement & Aims

3. Timeline

4. Brief/Summary of the Area

5. Objectives to be Achieved/Vision

6. Strategy formulated to achieve Objectives/Proposed Design Methodology

7. Information – 7.1 Desk Research - a. Preamble

                         b. Present functioning –

                            b.1. Government of India

                            b.2. Division of work in Parliament

                            b.3. Election Commission (EC)

                            b.4. Elections org. by EC

                            b.5. Electoral System

                                                       c. Analysis the all the above 5 functioning

                                                       d. Functioning of USA and Japan

                                                       f. Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)

                                                       e. Cases (apprx. 5-7)

                                                       f. Statistics/Data Collection

                               7.2 Field Research - a. User/Case study (people)

                                                             b. User/Case study (lawyers)

                                                             c. User/ Case study (law students)

                                                             d. User/Case study (candidates/political parties)

                                                             e. User/Case study (govt. officials)

8. Present Situation and Analyzing

9. SWOT Analysis – a. Strength

                             b. Weakness

                             c. Opportunities

                             d. Threats

10. Opportunity Matrix

11. Redefining – 11.1. Brief

                         11.2. Problem Statement

12. Solution Generation

13. Basic Idea – 13.1. Election System

                        13.2. Electronic Voting Machine

14. Validation/Feedback

15. Final Proposal – 15.1. Election System

                              15.2. General Elections 2019

                              15.3. Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)

16. Scope of Improvement

Initial planning followed

8^th April (Friday):           Making of initial design process according to which I can progress.

                                      Desk Research

                                      Making “Open Format” Questionnaire

9^th April (Saturday):       Field Research

Pic from www.mid-day.com

a) Pune Municipal Corporation, Near Mangla Theatre, Shivajinagar, Pune-411 005.

Ph. 020-25501000

E-mail: info@punecorporation.org

STATUS: Closed. Guard told to come on Monday. 10am-5pm

b) District Court Pune khed, District Court,, Rajgurunagar, Maharashtra 410505

STATUS: Everyone was busy because on Saturday there is something called “Lok Adalat”. 
Lawyers suggested to come and take an appointment on Monday or Tuesday; go to 1^st floor and meet Legal Head.

Pic from www.punescope.com

c) Congress Bhawan (INC), Shivaji Nagar

STATUS: All the members have gone to Nagpur because of a Public Meet of Rahul and Sonia Gandi in Nagpur-will be available from Tuesday (12.04.2016)-Only managing staffs were present-Instructed to Meet Youth Congress Members at 11am and President of that Branch at 6pm on Tuesday.

d) Rashtrawadi Congress Party Office (RCP), Mantri Market, Mohmmadwadi Road, Hadapsar Gaon, Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra 411028

STATUS: Closed. Neighbors said to meet on Monday-open timing-9am to 12pm & then 7pm to 9pm.

Pic by me (Pramod P Ranjan)

e) BJP Office, 64 Shahu College Road, Shahu College Road, Parvati Industrial Estate, Parvati Paytha, Pune, Maharashtra 411009

STATUS: President of the Branch was busy. Appointment taken on 11.04.16 (Monday)-@12pm.

10^th April (Sunday):         Desk Research

                              Compiling, Analyzing & Understanding Desk Research

                                        Finding Loop Holes/Problems

11^th April (Monday):       Field Research

I went to Municipal Corporation and 3 Party offices (11am – 5pm).

Talked to:

1) Algude Mikari Anna  

Deputy Mayor, Pune     

Regi. Office: S. N. 336 Old Wadarwadi, Pune 411 016.

Office No.: 020-25661314/25671314

Mob.: 9823031331

Meet: 11 April, 2016; 02:05pm-02:40pm

2) Ganesh Ghosh

President, Bharatiya Janta Party, Pune City

Office: 123/8, Shivdarshan Nagar, Parvati, Pune – 9

Mob.: 9850042141

Meet: 11 April, 2016; 3:10pm-4:20pm

12^th April (Tuesday):       Field Research

I went to Municipal Corporation and 1 Party offices. Unable to Talk to anyone.

Then I chatted with some common people.

15^th April (Friday):   Making Analytical Matrix

Compiling, Analyzing & Understanding Desk Research; and then I will be done with my core Desk Research.

Finding Loop Holes/Problems

Field Research Status on 14th April, 2016 (Thursday)

1) Algude Mikari Anna 

Deputy Mayor, Pune     

Regi. Office: S. N. 336 Old Wadarwadi, Pune 411 016.

Office No.: 020-25661314/25671314

Mob.: 9823031331

Meet: 11^th April, 2016; 02:05pm-02:40pm

2) Ganesh Ghosh

President, Bharatiya Janta Party, Pune City

Office: 123/8, Shivdarshan Nagar, Parvati, Pune – 9

Mob.: 9850042141

Meet: 11^th April, 2016; 3:10pm-4:20pm

3) Abhay Jadeja

President, Pune City Congress Party

Office: Congress Bhawan, Shivaji Nagar, Pune – 411005

Mob.: 9822023429

Status: Asked to call on Sunday

4) Sankar Datatray Kamse

Sabhagriah Leader, Pune Municipal Corporation

Office: S. No. 78, Shivdat, Plaza, P.M.T. Depojwal, Kothrud, Pune – 477038

Mob.: 9822901999

Appointment: Saturday - Morning

5) Ganesh Bidkar

Party Leader, Bharatiya Janta Party,

Pune Municipal Corporation, Ex. Chairman, Standing Committee

Resi.: 316, Somwar Peth, Kushal Classic Apart., Pune 11

Office: 100, Somwar Peth, Near Maharaja Lodge Chowk, Pune 11

PMC No.: 020-25501032

Mob.: 9890609999

Status: - (not picking call)

6) Arvind Shinde,

Opposition Leader, Pune Municipal Corporation &

Leader, National Congress Party,

Resi.: 99, Vilsan, Guard Road, Pune Station, Pune 411001

Office No.: 020-25501030

Mob.: 9822020005

Appointment: Saturday - 11am

7) Dr. Viswajeet Kadam

Former Lok Sabha Condidate, Congress Party, & Indian Youth Congress Leader, Pune

Resi.: Sinhgad Bunglow,

Opp. BMCC  College (Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce), Pune 411004

Ph.: 020-25655188, 020-25656797

Peon Mob.: 8888193999

Status: Asked to call on Monday

8) Anil Shirole,

Lok Sabha Condidate, Bharatiya Janta Party, Pune

Resi.: C/O. Hotel Parichay, 1199/1A, Ferguson College Road, Pune 41004

Ph.: 020-25534200

Status: Asked to call on Saturday at 5pm

9) Saurabh Rao,

Collector, Pune

Office: New Council Hall Building, Vidhan Sabha, Station Road, Pune 411001

Ph.: 020-26114949, 26123370, 26123928

Status: - (not picking call)

Political System

FEDERAL SYSTEM: India a union of states is a Sovereign, Secular, and Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of Government. The Indian Polity is governed in terms of the constitution, which came into force on 26th Nov, 1950.

Politics in India take place within the framework of its constitution, as India is a federal parliamentary democratic republic, in which the President of India is the head of the country and the Prime Minister of India is the head of the government.

India follows the dual polity system, i.e. a double government which consists of the central authority at the centre and states at the periphery. The constitution defines the organization powers and limitations of both central and state governments, and it is well-recognized, rigid and considered supreme; i.e. laws of the nation must conform to it.

There is a provision for a bicameral Union legislature consisting of an Upper House, i.e. Rajya Sabha, which represents the states of the Indian federation and a lower house i.e. Lok Sabha, which represents the people of India as a whole. The Indian constitution provides for an independent Judiciary which is headed by the Supreme Court. The court's mandate is to protect the constitution, to settle disputes between the central government and the states, inter-state disputes, to nullify any central or state laws that go against the constitution and protect fundamental rights of citizens, issuing writs or their enforcement, in case of violation.

The governments, union or state, are formed through elections held every five years (unless otherwise specified), by parties that claim a majority of members in their respective lower houses (Lok Sabha in centre and Vidhan Sabha in states).

In recent decades, Indian politics has become a dynastic affair. The reasons for this state of affair could be the absence of a party organization, independent civil society associations that mobilize support for the party, and centralized financing of elections.

India is the largest Democratic & Republic country in the world. In a Democracy people have the privilege of being ruled by a government of their own choice as people choose their representatives through elections.

These elections should be held:                          

1. Freely                     

2. Fairly                      

3. Transparently                     

4. Impartially

Types of political parties

There are two types of political parties in India:

1. National Party

2. Regional/State Party

Every political party must bear a symbol and must be registered with the Election Commission of India. Symbols are used in Indian political system so that illiterate people can also vote by recognizing symbols of party.

In the current amendment to the Symbols Order, the Commission, has infused the following five principles, which, in its view, should govern the polity in the country, situate as it is in its present state:

1.    Legislative presence is a must for recognition as a National or State party.

2.    For a National party, it must be the legislative presence in the Lok Sabha and for a State party, the legislative presence must be reflected in the State Assembly.

3.    In any election, a party can set up a candidate only from amongst its own members.

4.    A party, that loses its recognition, shall not lose its symbol immediately, but shall be given the facility to use that symbol for some time to try and retrieve its status.

5.    Recognition should be given to a party only on the basis of its own performance in elections and not because it is a splinter group of some other recognized party.

Data from Wikipedia

49 RECOGNISED STATE PARTIES as of 16 September 2014.

24 UNRECOGNISED registered notable parties as of 16 September 2014.

For more details, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_India

Preamble of India

The 'Preamble' of the Constitution of India is a brief introductory statement that sets out the guiding purpose and principles of the document, and it indicates the source from which the document which derives its authority, meaning, the people. The hopes and aspiration of the people as well as the ideals before our nation are described in the preamble in clear cut words. It may be considered as the soul of Constitution. The preamble can be referred to as the preface which highlights the essence of the entire Constitution. It was adopted on 26 November, 1949 by the Constituent Assembly and came into effect from 26th January, 1950.

For more details, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHqE0R5dciI 

Power Differences and Divisions

Power difference b/w both the houses of Parliament:

   1. Motions of no confidence against the government can be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha has no power over such a motion, and hence no real power over the executive.
    2. Money bills can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha, and upon being passed, are sent to the Rajya Sabha, where it can be deliberated on for up to 14 days. If not rejected by the Rajya Sabha, or 14 days lapse from the introduction of the bill in the Rajya Sabha without any action by the House, or recommendations made by the Rajya Sabha are not accepted by the Lok Sabha, the bill is considered passed.
    3. Though the Constitution has placed both houses on the same footing in matters pertaining to non-financial (ordinary) bills, in reality it is the Lok Sabha's opinions that mostly prevails - due to its bigger numerical strength.
    4. If the Lok Sabha is dissolved before or after the declaration of a National Emergency, the Rajya Sabha becomes the sole Parliament which cannot be dissolved.

Power division in Constitution:

Ideal Governance Structure

This is how a Governance Structure look like according to me:

Open this image in New Tab and then read.

Analytical Matrix

After some Desk and Field Research on Political and Election Scenario of India, I made a "Analytical Matrix" which helped me to define my area to work (General Elections) on and see the complete problem picture.

Words of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (drafted Indian Constitution) expressed the objectives of the Election Commission of India in the following words:

“Our country is vast, consisting of different races, languages, cultures, religions, classifications, etc. So, the Election Commission consisting of the Chief Election Commissioner for all India level is required to prevent injustice which may otherwise happen to mixed population. This central body works with free from local influence and shall have the control over the entire election machinery in the country.”

Election System of India

India has an asymmetric federal government, with elected officials at the federal, state and local levels.

At the national level, the head of government, Prime Minister, is elected by members of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament of India. The elections are conducted by the Election Commission of India. All members of the Lok Sabha, except two who can be nominated by the President of India, are directly elected through general elections which take place every five years, in normal circumstances, by universal adult suffrage and a first-past-the-post system.

Members of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, are elected by elected members of the legislative assemblies of the states and the Electoral College for the Union Territories of India.

2015 general elections involved an electorate of 863,500,000 people {including all peoples above 18 years} (larger than both EU and US elections combined). Declared expenditure has trebled since 1989 to almost $300 million, using more than one million electronic voting machines. The size of the huge electorate mandates that elections be conducted in a number of phases (there were nine phases in the 2014 general election). It involves a number of step-by-step processes from announcement of election dates to the announcement of results paving the way for the formation of the new government.

For more details, click here: http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/the_function.aspx

Election Period Overview

The Election Commission of India is an autonomous, constitutionally established federal authority responsible for administering all the electoral processes in the Republic of India.

The Election Commission has the power of superintendence, direction and control of all elections to:

    1. The Parliament of India (General Elections)

    2. The State Legislatures 

    3. The office of the President and the Vice-President of India

(Among the above, I have selected General Elections as my Core Area.)

The Election Procedure is broadly classified in 3 periods:

    1. Pre-Electoral Period

    2. Electoral Period

    3. Past-Electoral Period

Some Problems in Electoral System:

    Money & Muscle Power

    Misuse of Govt. Machinery

    Criminalisation of Politics

    Non-Serious Candidates

    Caste & Communalism

    Lack of Morality

    Paid News

    Low Voting Percentage

    Opportunistic Coalition Govt.

History of Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of the people chosen by direct election on the basis of the adult suffrage. The maximum strength of the House envisaged by the Constitution is 552, which is made up by election of up to 500 members to represent the States, up to 20 members to represent the Union Territories and not more than 2 members of the Anglo-Indian Community to be nominated by the President, if, in his/ her opinion, that community is not adequately represented in the lower house, Lok Sabha.

In 1952 Lok Sabha Elections there were 1874 candidates, which rose to 13952 candidates in 1996. However, in 2009 Lok Sabha Elections only 8070 candidates contested. Historical share of seats and votes of major political parties are ranked by the number of seats won.

Data from Wikipedia

Abbreviations:

·         AIADMK - All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

·         BJP - Bharatiya Janata Party

·         AAP - Aam Aadmi Party

·         BJS - Bharatiya Jana Sangh

·         BLD - Bharatiya Lok Dal

·         CPI - Communist Party of India

·         CPM - Communist Party of India (Marxist)

·         INC - Indian National Congress

·         INC(I) - Indian National Congress (Indira)

·         JD - Janata Dal

·         JNP(S) - Janata Party (Secular)

·         JP - Janata Party

·         PSP - Praja Socialist Party

·         RLD - Rashtrya Lok Dal

·         SOC - Socialist Party

·         SP - Samajwadi Party

·         SWA - Swatantra Party

·         TDP - Telugu Desam Party

·         TRS - Telangana Rashtra Samithi

·         YSRCP - YSR Congress Party

General Evolution of Administrative System