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Chapter 9

Electoral Reforms -

Way Forward

ndia's electoral management has advanced by 1950 no person can be registered as a voter in more than
degrees over the preceding seventy years since when one cons tuency (Sec on 17) and, further, no person can
Ithe Representa on of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951 be registered more than once in any cons tuency for the
were enacted ahead of the First General Elec ons (1951- purpose of vo ng (Sec on 18). The newly passed Bill also
52). The process has drawn upon experience gained by ensures gender parity at a me when many women are
events; incorporated many progressive ideas; and working in transferrable jobs, and their husbands tend to
integrated several new technologies. follow them in the place of their pos ng. The ordinary
Even as this book was going for print, the Elec on Laws residency status for voter enrollment could henceforth be
(Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by both Houses of defined by that of husband or wife, in case two are different.
Parliament, thereby amending several provisions of the Previously, it was defined only by that of the husband. The
Representa on of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951. gender neutral word “spouse” has been used in the Bill.
Amongst them are provisions like replacing the single The road to perfec on, however, is always under
(January 1) qualifying date every year for fulfilling minimum construc on. Elec on Commission of India is confident
age requirement of 18 years to be enrolled for elec ons, that elec ons in future will be be er than elec ons at
with four qualifying dates (January 1, April 1, July 1 and present. This chapter peeps into the prospects of
October 1). Records show that Elec on Commission of India elec ons in the years ahead.
has been pitching for this reform since the early 1970s
(when the minimum qualifying age was 21 years) to The Strategic Plan 2016-2025, a document prepared by
minimize exclusions based on age criteria, especially in the the Elec on Commission, envisages how India should
crucial elec on years. The recently passed Bill will also prepare for elec ons of the future. The Plan iden fies 15
improve the integrity of the Electoral Roll by linking the strategic pillars or priority areas of strategic planning that
are required to be fulfilled in order to actualise the
Electors Photo Iden fica on Number (EPIC Number) with
UID (Aadhar) Number in a secured manner thereby mission and vision of the Elec on Commission. These are
minimizing errors of duplica on/omission in the Electoral a) Legal Framework
Roll. According to the Representa on of the People Act, b) Opera onal Framework

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