This report provides a professional level evaluation of India in regards to its democratic system in saying that it is both strong in its foundations and challenging in its present aspects. It proves that India is a democratic nation that enjoys a strong constitutional setup in which the Preamble is a beacon of light and where the Doctrine of the Basic Structure, adhered to and observed by the court, becomes like a silver bullet against excessive parliamentary abuse. The report outlines the Indian democracy working machinery, as well as that of the Election Commission of India in ensuring that there is regular and free deemed election accompanied by high voter turnover. It observes dynamism in the multi-party system of India and institutionalization of grassroots democracy the 73 rd and the 74 th Constitutional Amendments. Nevertheless, the analysis does not just focus on a procedural approach but reflects on the mounting pressure on the system concerning the issues that are straining it. It demonstrates a worrying paradox in that, in a society enjoying a high level of vibrant electoral participation, there exists a sense of deteriorating quality of democratic governance. The report has evidence of major difficulties such as criminalization of politics as reported by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and loss of civil liberties and press freedom as reported by groups of international organizations like Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders. It engages in the academic discussion as to whether India is a competitive authoritarian regime or rather a flawed democracy and presents counter-arguments that are based on the lack of consistency in recent election outcomes. It is concluded in the report that India is not a static democracy but a contested, living reality of a democracy in India. It will be resilient depending upon whether its institutions, civil society and individuals can require transparency general and guard the substance of their democratic ideals.
OM OM (Mon,) studied this question.