This article has been written by Bijendra Shandilya, a student studying BBA-LLB from Indian institute of management, Rohtak . The author is a 1st year law student.
Let’s break the topic in two words for better understanding of topic, what is the meaning of universal & adult franchise. So, the definition of universal according to oxford dictionary is that done by or involving all the people in the world or in a particular group.
Franchise means to the right of the people to vote and choose their representatives. The word franchise comes from the French word “franc” which refer free. It involves using the freedom to choose one’s own representatives.
Adult franchise signify that the right to vote should be granted to all adult citizens without regard to caste, class, color, religion, race, gender.
Let us know more about the universal adult franchise:-
The right to vote for all adults who are 18 years old and older, regardless of caste, education, religion, race, or ethnicity, is known as universal adult franchise. The Universal Adult Suffrage is the foundation for elections to all levels of an elected government, according to Article 326 of the Indian Constitution.
According to Article 326 of the Indian constitution say that “Elections to the house of the people (Lok sabha) and to the legislative assemblies of states to be on the basis of adult suffrage the elections to the house of the people and to the legislative assembly of every state shall be on the basis of adult suffrage, but is to say every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than twenty one years of age on such date as may be fixed in the behalf by or under any law made by the appropriate legislature and is not otherwise disqualified under this constitution or any law made by the appropriate legislature on the ground of non residence, unsoundness of mind, crime or corrupt or illegal practice, shall be entitled to be registered as a voter at any such election”.
In a nutshell of Article 326 I say that The universal adult franchise has been approved by the Indian Constitution as the foundation for elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. Elections to all levels of elected government must be conducted on the basis of a universal adult franchise, according to Article 326. All citizens who are 18 years of age and older, regardless of caste, education, religion, race, or colour, are eligible to vote under the concept of the universal adult franchise.
Let’s see background of universal adult franchise:-
Only 13% of Indians were permitted to vote before to independence. One of the first reports to call for both equal rights for women and universal adult suffrage was the Motilal Nehru Report. To the Simon Commission, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar also requested universal adult suffrage. When the Constitution was passed in 1949 and put into effect on January 26th, 1949, India finally adopted universal adult suffrage.
India created a Constituent Assembly after winning its independence from the British in 1947, and this assembly drafted the Indian Constitution. In April 1947, it was decided that India would adhere to the Universal Adult Suffrage premise. Even though India had electoral institutions in the past, they were primarily used by the wealthy males. The Indian Constitution’s 61st Amendment altered Article 326 to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. All adults in India were given the right to vote immediately thanks to the instant suffrage campaign, but in other nations the concept gradually expanded.
Look at evolution of universal adult franchise in India:-
Indian citizens were not allowed to exercise the right to universal adult suffrage while living under British control. Only individuals who met specified requirements, such as income, education, and property, could vote under the Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935. Most citizens did not have access to the universal adult franchise for many years.
The demand for universal suffrage was sparked by an important phase of the Indian liberation movement. The first constitution to mention it was the Constitution of India bill of 1895, which gave every person the right to one vote when choosing a representative to the local legislative council and the parliament.
The two historical constitutions of the early 20th century did not take the 1895 bill into consideration. The first was the Lucknow Pact, which was signed in 1916 by the Muslim League and the Indian National Congress. They demanded the widest possible franchise. The Commonwealth of India Bill of 1925, drafted by a coalition of political parties, was the second. They suggested restricting voting privileges to individuals who met three requirements that mirrored British legalisation, namely education, income, and land.
Towards the end of the 1920s, things started to change. Indian leaders demanded the indian constitution be written by them and provide a universal adult franchise.
Constitutional provisions
- The voting age differ from country to country. The minimum age for exercising franchises in our country is now 18 years.
- The voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 years old by the 61th constitutional Amendment Act of 1989.
- In our country, there are certain requirements for becoming a voter. A registered voter follow :-
- Must be a citizen of India
- Must have attained 18 years of age
- Must not be of unsound mind
- Must not have been declared bankrupt by a competent court.
Relation between universal adult suffrage and Indian democracy:-
In its preamble, the Indian Constitution declares that India would be an independent, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. India is able to fulfil these commitments thanks to the Universal Suffrage principle. India views its citizens as sovereign since they are the country’s ultimate decision-makers and have the power to elect or overthrow the government. The term “republic” refers to a system in which the people and their elected representatives hold the ultimate power. This principle guarantees these rights, which are exercised by voting.
In India, socialism refers to a lack of discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, gender, or race, while secularism refers to a lack of discrimination on the basis of religion and a state that permits everyone to practise, profess, and spread their faith. By granting the right to vote to every sane adult without exception, universal adult suffrage enables every citizen to exercise their sovereign authority.
As was previously established, this idea is fundamental to democracy since it guarantees everyone the right to vote in elections to select their representatives. Thus, granting universal suffrage allows India to fulfil all of the Preamble’s commitments and turn it into a democracy.
Relevance in the context of India:-
- India only experienced democracy once universal suffrage was implemented.
- The constitutional discussions for the establishment of a universal adult franchise in April 1947 broke with colonial customs.
- It promotes gender equality.
- “The guarantee of minority rights” was the idea of free and fair voting.
- It enabled the underprivileged to choose their political leaders at will.
- It promoted greater wealth at the base and accelerated the construction of infrastructure.
In the conclusion of article, based on my understanding of the topic universal adult franchise is that One of the key decisions that improved India is often regarded as being universal adult suffrage. Giving everyone the same, unrestricted right to vote was a significant victory for the Indian constitution’s founding fathers. The universal adult franchise gave rise to democratisation, and free and fair elections were crucial in reestablishing an upper caste-dominated regime. It not only altered the character of our government and legislative system, but it also provided the underprivileged with an opportunity to speak for themselves in the legislature. It is based on the right to equality principle, which is the cornerstone of democracy. Voter participation enhanced people’s sense of dignity, self-worth, and accountability.
I fell that the system of universal adult franchise suffrage is the bedrock of a democratic system. People are called political sovereign because they possess the right to vote a government into power or to vote a government out of power.
REFERENCES
https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1620503/
https://prepp.in/news/e-492-universal-adult-franchise-indian-polity-notes
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