Election Commission

India is the largest democracy in the world. Our country functions with a vibrant form of parliamentary government. Election Commission is one of the essential pillars of democracy, and it plays a vital role in strengthening the roots of democracy in the country. As of March 2019, Sunil Arora is the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner of India. The Election Commissioner is responsible for conducting fair elections in the country. The official enumerators prepare the electoral rolls and the Election Commission monitors them.

Election Laws

The two primary election laws in India are the Representation of Peoples Act, 1950 and Representation of Peoples Act, 1951. The 1950 Act is linked with the preparation and revision of the electoral rolls. The 1951  act deals with conducting the elections smoothly.

Right to Vote

The citizens of India can utilize their right to vote by registering as voters in their respective constituencies if they fulfill the eligibility criteria. Individuals who have been disqualified from the electoral roll for corrupt practices are not eligible for voting. Also, mentally challenged individuals are not eligible to vote.

Electoral Rolls

Electoral Roll/Voting List is a list of individuals who are entitled to exercise their right to vote and participate in the elections. According to Article 82 of the Indian Constitution, the Parliament has to enact the Delimitation Act after each census. The Delimitation Act is used to democratize the parliamentary constituencies. India has 543 parliamentary constituencies which were created based on the census of 2001.

Citizens, whose names are present in the electoral roll, are eligible for voting. The electoral roll is revised on a yearly basis for reasons like adding the details of voters who have recently become eligible for voting, subtracting the details of the deceased voters and also include/exclude citizens who have moved to a different constituency. The Election commission states that no voter should travel more than 2 km to cast their votes and no polling booth should have more than 1500 members. If an eligible voter is unable to find his/her name on the electoral roll, then they are required to file a claim application through Form 6 in the Electoral Registration Office in their constituency. For deleting an individual's name from the electoral roll, the individual is required to submit Form 7. Form 8 must be filed to make any changes in the name, address or age of the voter. Form 8A must be submitted to intimate the commission regarding any changes in the address in the same constituency. The operation of electoral rolls continues even after the electoral roll has been published, so there's no need to panic if there are any mistakes in the details provided by while filling up the voter  ID application. The elector can identify themselves through the EPIC provided to them by the Election Commission of India. However, the elector is required to have his/her name listed in the electoral roll as well to cast a vote during elections

Polling

To ensure law and order during elections, polling is conducted on different days in different constituencies. The list of candidates is drawn up by the Returning Officer and the complete list of candidates is released to the voters on the official website. Ballot papers are printed including the name and symbol of the candidate. Candidates hailing from recognized parties are provided the symbols of their respective parties.

The Election commission of India fixes the date and time of polling. The polling booths are set up in all the public institutions across the country. The elector is provided a ballot paper and he/she has to indicate the choice on the ballot paper and put it inside the ballot box with the stamp of the candidate he/she supports. The ECI has advocated the use of EVMs instead of ballot boxes to cast the votes. ECI appoints many observers for the smooth conduct of elections. After entering the polling station, the elector is required to go to the First Polling Officer who is in charge of the process of identification of the voter. The next step is to proceed towards the second polling officer who marks the left forefinger of the voter with ink. The voter is then required to sign the register of voters and the Second Polling officer will provide him/her with the voter's slip. The elector is required to provide the slip to the Third Polling Officer, who will be pressing the ballot button on the voting machine. The elector must proceed to the voting compartment and cast their vote. The Returning Officers do the counting of votes and announce the name of the winners.

Credentials of Competing Candidates

ECI has turned it mandatory for all the candidates to file their affidavits along with nomination forms with details of their assets, liabilities and their criminal antecedents. If they wish to, then all the citizens in the country can acquire copies of the affidavits submitted by the candidates.

Corrupt Electoral Practices

Practices that are considered to be corrupt electoral practices are listed below:

• Accepting any form of gratification to vote for a candidate

• Offering free conveyance to the voters as an inducement to affect their voting decisions

• Offering inducements based on caste, religion or birthplace

• Threatening the electors

• It is important to note that the voters must not disclose the candidate that they have voted for. The voter who violates the secrecy will be booked under Section 128 of the Representation of Peoples Act 1951.

Grievance Redressal Mechanisms

If the elector has any issues linked with the election, they can contact the officials listed below:

Officer	Level
Chief Electoral Officer	State
District Election Officer	District
Returning Officer	Constituency
Assistant Returning Officer	Taluka
Electoral Registration Officer	Constituency
Presiding Officer	1 Polling Station
Zonal Officer	Polling Stations