Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System is a 22-page, very lengthy chapter. Preparing it without short notes is a big task. And to help you out, we have created “Short Notes: Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System.”

These Short notes are easy to learn, Easy to memorise, and easy to revise.

To get the maximum out of the short notes, read Chapter 5 from your NCERT textbook first.

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Table of Contents

Universal Adult Franchise

Means that – Every adult citizen gets ONE vote with EQUAL value

Age	Can Vote?
Below 18	❌
18+	✅

“UNIVERSAL” means:

No discrimination
by:

Caste
Religion
Gender
Education
Income
Race/Creed

IMPORTANT RULES

✅CAN VOTE IF:

Citizen of India
18 years or older
Registered voter in your
constituency

❌ CANNOT VOTE IF:

Convicted of serious crimes

Remember: No one can vote on your behalf!

WHERE IS IT USED?

Universal Franchise
is used for elections in:

Lok Sabha (Parliament)
State Legislative Assemblies
Local elections (villages & cities)

WHY IMPORTANT?

Cornerstone of
Indian democracy

Everyone has a voice
Equal rights for all
Democratic participation

Short Notes: Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System

Bridging Barriers, Enabling Participation: Ensuring Universal Franchise

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Democracy thrives when every eligible citizen can freely and fairly participate in voting
Voting = Expressing your will

THE CHALLENGE: India’s Size & Complexity

Comparison	Size
Population of voters	15x larger than UK
Geographic area	6x larger than France
Diversity	High – diverse & complex

Challenge: Organizing elections in such a large country! 😰

THE SOLUTION: Election Commission of India (ECI)

ECI’s Job: Organize elections fairly for everyone

ACCESSIBILITY MEASURES (Removing Barriers)

Rural Areas

Electoral officials travel to remote locations
Ensures every citizen can vote

Elderly & People with Disabilities

Can cast votes from home
Postal voting option available

Assistive Technologies

Technology	Purpose
Braille-enabled voter cards	For visually impaired
App-based requests	Request help (wheelchairs, ramps)
Wheelchairs & ramps	For the visually impaired

“No voter left behind.”
ECI ensures everyone can vote, no matter where they live or what challenges they face!

The Role of the Election Commission of India (ECI)

Election Commission of India —A brief introduction

WHAT IS ECI?

Aspect	Details
Full Name	Election Commission of India
Established	1950
Nature	Independent constitutional body
Main Job	Conduct free & fair elections
First Election	1951-52 (independent India)

Structure of the Election Commission of India

Election Commission of India

National Level

Chief Election Commissioner

Two Election Commissioners

State / UT Level

Chief Electoral Officer

District Level

District Election Officer

Returning Officer (RO)
conducts elections

Electoral Registration Officer (ERO)
manages voter list

Hierarchical Structure of Election Commission of India

ELECTIONS CONDUCTED BY ECI

Lok Sabha elections

Rajya Sabha elections

State Legislative Assemblies

President elections

Vice President elections

Managing the electoral process

A MASSIVE TASK

Example: Lok Sabha Elections

Challenge	Scale
Constituencies	543
Area	Entire India (huge & diverse)
Voters	Millions eligible
Election Officials	Many deployed
Timeline	Every year, multiple polls in different regions

Why? Elections happen at different times based on when they are due 🕐

Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

Purpose: Ensure free & fair elections ⚖️

RULES FOR
GOVERNMENT PARTIES:

No new schemes announced during elections
No projects announced that influence voters
No government resources used for campaigning

RULES FOR VOTERS:

NO GIFTS for votes = PUNISHABLE

ECI = Referee
of Elections

Makes sure everyone follows the rules
Keeps elections fair for everyone
Works for democracy! 🇮🇳

Understanding Elections in India —A Very Brief Overview

FESTIVAL OF DEMOCRACY

Citizens freely & fairly choose their representatives

INDIA’S ELECTION LEVELS

Level	Name	Elected as
National	Lok Sabha	MP (Member of Parliament)
State	Legislative Assembly	MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly)
Local	City/Village bodies	Local representatives

Election to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies

HOW IT WORKS:

“First-Past-the-Post”

Winner = Candidate with the MOST votes

Important Point: Can win with even less than 50% of the votes!

FACTS

543 constituencies divide India
State Election Commission conducts
local elections
- works in consultation with the ECI

The political party or coalition winning
A majority of the seats in the Lok Sabha form the national
government.

Coalition
“A group of two or more parties working together”

Leader of the majority = Prime Minister.

At the state level,
The leader of the majority party = Chief minister.

Election to the Rajya Sabha

INDIRECT ELECTION (Not direct voting)

Feature	Details
Total Members	245
Elected by	MLAs (233 members)
Nominated by	President (12 members)
Term Length	6 years
Retirement	1/3 retire every 2 years
Nickname	“Permanent House” (Never dissolved)

Dissolution
“Expiry or termination due to the end of its term or other Constitutional reason”

SEAT ALLOCATION

Based on the state population
More people = More seats
Example: Uttar Pradesh > Arunachal Pradesh

VOTING SYSTEM

Single Transferable Vote (STV)
Ensures Fair representation for smaller states

Election of the President of India

INDIRECT ELECTION (Electoral College)

WHO VOTES:

All MPs (Lok Sabha + Rajya Sabha)
All MLAs (States + Delhi & Puducherry)

WHO DOESN’T VOTE:

Nominated Rajya Sabha members (12)
Nominated State Legislative Assembly members
Members of the Legislative Councils
Nominated union territory members

Why? Only directly elected reps vote
Ans- To ensure Democratic Legitimacy

VOTING SYSTEM

Single Transferable Vote (STV)
More populous states = Greater say in the election.

Rajya Sabha: The Council of States

MLAs Vote in Indirect Elections

Elect 233 Rajya Sabha Members

President of India

Nominates 12 Members

Rajya Sabha members are elected by MLAs through indirect elections, while the President nominates 12 distinguished individuals.

Seat Allocation

🇮🇳

Seat allocation is based on state populations; more populous states like Uttar Pradesh have more seats.

↻

Permanent Body

Rajya Sabha is a permanent body; one-third of its members retire every two years, ensuring continuity.

🗳️

Voting Process

MLAs vote using a single transferable vote system, ranking candidates by preference.

Rajya Sabha – The Upper House of the Indian Parliament

Election of the Vice President of India

INDIRECT ELECTION

WHO VOTES:

Elected members of
both Houses of Parliament
Nominated members of
both Houses of Parliament

ROLE OF VICE PRESIDENT

Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha
Steps in if the President can’t work

VOTING SYSTEM

Single Transferable Vote (STV)

QUICK COMPARISON TABLE

Election	Who Votes?	Voting System	Winner is
Lok Sabha	All citizens 18+	First-Past-the-Post	MP
Rajya Sabha	MLAs	STV	MP
President	Electoral College	STV	Head of State
Vice President	Parliament Members	STV	Chairperson of RS

KEY DIFFERENCES

Direct Election	Indirect Election
Citizens vote directly	Elected reps vote
Lok Sabha	Rajya Sabha
State Assembly	President
	Vice President

Challenges and The Road Ahead

INDIA’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Celebrated as: World’s LARGEST DEMOCRATIC EXERCISE 🎉

BUT… It faces challenges! 😟

MAJOR CHALLENGES

Challenge	Problem
Money Power	Growing influence of money in elections
Criminal Records	Many candidates have criminal records
Voter Apathy	People don’t vote, esp. in cities

Question raised: Is our democracy healthy? 🤔

THE SOLUTION:

Empower Voters with Information

What do voters need? → Right information to make thoughtful & responsible choices