"Electoral Roll Revisions Raise Transparency Questions"
GS Paper II: Indian Polity and Governance, specifically Electoral System, Election Commission of India, and Constitutional provisions on voting rights.
Prelims:
Mains:
Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
A door-to-door verification drive to update electoral rolls, stricter than routine annual revision.
ASDD
Four categories for deletion from rolls, Absent, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) was established on 25 January 1950 as an autonomous constitutional body. Article 324 gives it the power of superintendence, direction, and control over elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President. It is a three-member body: a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners, all appointed by the President. Article 326 guarantees universal adult suffrage. It makes the electoral roll the gateway to the right to vote. Only a citizen whose name appears on the roll can cast a ballot. The 61st Constitutional Amendment (1988) lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years under Article 326, significantly expanding the electorate.
The Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RPA 1950) sets out detailed rules for preparing and revising electoral rolls. Section 21 requires the government to update rolls regularly. Section 22 requires an Electoral Registration Officer to give a person a chance to be heard before deleting their name. This procedural safeguard is central to the current controversy. India's first electoral rolls had their own inclusion problem. Nearly 28 lakh women were left out because they were recorded only through their relationship to a male family member. Active correction brought about 85% of them back onto the rolls by the 1957 elections. That episode established a principle: accurate, inclusive rolls require active correction, not passive data collection.
A Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a stricter, door-to-door verification of every entry on the rolls. It differs from the routine annual revision, which mainly adds new 18-year-olds and removes names of people who have died or moved. SIRs are periodic exercises meant to remove duplicate, deceased, or shifted voters while keeping every eligible citizen enrolled. Recent SIR exercises in several major states, including Bihar and Delhi, have reopened a long-standing debate about which problem is bigger: inflated rolls or wrongful exclusions.
During an SIR, officials visit homes to verify voter information and prepare a draft list. Names may be removed under four categories, commonly called ASDD: Absent, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate. The draft list is published for public scrutiny. Citizens can raise claims and objections before a final list is issued. This two-stage process is designed to prevent both fake entries and wrongful exclusions. The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) is the key official responsible for maintaining the roll in each constituency.
The ECI has two separate statutory forms for different purposes. Form 6 is the form for first-time registration. It is meant only for a person who has never been enrolled before. It carries a declaration that the applicant is applying for the first time. …
Consider the following statements:
1.The Election Commission of India is a five-member body.
2.Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections.
3.Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognised political parties.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Examine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees, with particular reference to the 'one nation-one election' principle.
Consider the following statements regarding the Election Commission of India (ECI): 1. It is a constitutional body established under Article 324. 2. It is a three-member body comprising a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. 3. It has no role in resolving disputes relating to splits or mergers of recognised political parties. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to the Anoop Baranwal vs. Union of India (2023) judgment and its aftermath, consider the following statements: 1. The Supreme Court prescribed an interim committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India to select Election Commissioners. 2. Parliament subsequently enacted a law retaining the Chief Justice of India as a permanent member of this committee. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match List-I (Article of the Constitution) with List-II (Subject matter) and select the correct answer using the codes given below:
List-I:
A.Article 324
B.Article 325
C.Article 326
D.Article 329
List-II:
1.Bar to interference by courts in electoral matters
2.Adult suffrage for elections to the House of the People and State Assemblies
3.Superintendence, direction and control of elections vested in the ECI
4.No special electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex
The power of the Election Commission of India to decide which faction of a split political party is entitled to retain its name and symbol flows from which of the following?
Which of the following statements about the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 is correct?
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