Grassroots Democracy — Part 1: Governance

What democracy is, the three organs of government and what each does, the central, state and local levels, and how voting and majorities work.

Key ideas

• In a democracy people choose their government by voting, and the government works for them.
• The legislature makes laws, the executive carries them out, and the judiciary settles disputes and interprets laws.
• Keeping these jobs with separate organs (separation of powers) means no single group holds all the power.
• India has three levels of government: central (Union), state and local.
• Parliament has two houses, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha; most state legislatures are called the Vidhan Sabha.
• Universal adult franchise gives every citizen aged 18 or more the right to vote.
• A majority means more than half of the seats.

Remember

Watch out

• Mixing up the organs: the legislature makes laws, the executive carries them out.
• Taking exactly half as a majority: a majority must be more than half.
• Forgetting the local level when naming the three levels of government.

Worked example