Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America, aptly defined democracy as a government of the people, by the people and for the people. This definition clearly underlines the basic tenet that, in this form of government, people are supreme. The ultimate po!er is in their hands and they e"ercise it in the form of electing their representatives at the time of elections. #n modern times this type of democracy, !hich is representative in nature, is most suitable. The other type, the direct democracy in !hich the people themselves enact and implement la!s and run the administration, is no! not feasible as countries are large and their populations huge. #n a country li$e S!it%erland, !hich has comparatively small population, direct democracy can still be found.#ndia is the biggest democracy in the !orld, !ith a population of over one billion. #ndia, a union of states, is a sovereign socialist, secular, democratic, republic, !ith a parliamentary system of government. The republic is governed in terms of the &onstitution, !hich !as adopted on '6 (ovember, 1)*) and came into force on '6 +anuary, 1),-. .uring the past fiftythree years there have been regular elections to the Parliament and state legislatures. This reflects the maturity and!isdom of the #ndian electorate, in !hom the ultimate po!er and sovereignty rests. /ith the passage of time, #ndian voters have become more assertive and active as regards their participation in the process of democracy. The turnout of #ndian voters has significantly increased during the past elections. #t !as about ,'0 only during the Lo$ Sabha elections of 1),' !hich increased to 6*0 during the ninth Lo$ Sabha elections held in 1)1). Similarly during the last elections for Parliament, the voter2s turnout has been 3uite encouraging. This phenomenon reflects the gro!ing political a!areness and maturity of the #ndian masses, !hich, in turn, has made the various political parties more conscious of their responsibility and accountability to the people.#ndian democracy has been 3uite successful and its future seems 3uite bright. The #ndian voters have e"ercised their right to vote fearlessly and 4udiciously. 5ree, fair and fearless elections are one of the basic preconditions for the success of democracy. The 6lection &ommission, !hich isa &onstitutional authority, is responsible for conducting the elections. #t is headed by the &hief 6lection &ommissioner, !hose independence is sought to be preserved and protected by a special &onstitutional provision, to the effect that he cannot be removed from his office, e"cept in li$e manner, and on li$e grounds, as a. 4udge of the Supreme &ourt.#ndian democracy has very deep and strong foundations. The credit for this strong democratic foundation rightly belongs to our leaders li$e 7ahatma 8andhi, .r. 9a4endra Prasad, Pt. +a!aharlal Lai (ehru, Lai :ahadur Shastri, and #ndira 8andhi, etc. Their contributions to the success of #ndian democracy have been immeasurable.#ndian democracy is based on adult franchise and a healthy and competitive partysystem. There are a number of national and regional political parties, li$e #ndian (ational &ongress, :harathiya+anata Party, +anata.al,&.P.#,:ahaman Sama4 Party, &.P.7., Sama4vadi Party, Telugu .emas,7uslim League, Shiv Sena, ;erala &ongress, (ational &onference, and Al$ali .al, etc. These parties play a significant role in the elections and in the smooth functioning of the democracy. These political parties are the very lifeblood of #ndian democracy. The political parties, in opposition to the government, e"ercise certain chec$s in the form of criticism of the government so as to ensure that it does not degenerate into dictatorship and a rule of the fe!. They critici%e the government policies in a democratic and constructive spirit so that national integration, secularism, unity, liberty, and the rights of the people, etc. are preserved and further strengthened. They help in the formation of public opinion as !ell. Thus, political parties see that there is nothing against the spirit of democracy, freedom, e3uality and social 4ustice. #n the absence of political parties, !e cannot thin$ of smooth and effective functioning of a democracy. .ifferent political parties may have different ideologies but they all aim at the good of the people and the country. The party system in #ndia has been a great factor in giving meaning and life to democracy. /ith the passage of time, a ne! and healthy relationship has developed bet!een the ruling party and the opposition parties on the one hand and bet!een the public and the political parties on the other. #t is because of the enlightened #ndian voters and political parties in opposition that the government and the party in po!er have been more responsive and accountable to the people and their representatives.