Electoral rolls | The missing millions

Among the boldest promises any nation has made to its people—and one that does India proud—is enshrined in Article 326 of the Constitution. It guarantees that elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies will be based on adult suffrage. Every Indian citizen aged 18 or above, unless disqualified under the Constitution or any law on specified grounds, is “entitled to be registered as a voter”. “Entitled to be registered.” In those four words lies a non-negotiable constitutional principle: the vote is not a favour that the State bestows on its citizens; it is a right they possess. To translate that right into reality, the framers created a constitutional guardian in Article 324, vesting the “superintendence, direction and control” of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections in the Election Commission of India (ECI). The commission is thus not a creature of ordinary law but an independent constitutional body with a twofold responsibility: to conduct free and fair elections and to ensure that every eligible citizen is on the electoral roll and able to exercise the right to vote. Enrolment, therefore, is not merely the citizen’s entitlement, it is a constitutional obligation of the ECI.