The Prime Minister’s Office recently held a meeting with representatives of the Election Commission and the Law Ministry. The focus of this meeting was to explore the possibility of creating a common electoral roll for elections across various levels – panchayat, municipality, state assembly and the Lok Sabha.
Different Types of Electoral Rolls in India
Each State Election Commission (SEC) in India is governed by a unique state Act. Some state laws permit the SEC to utilize the Election Commission of India’s voter rolls for local body elections, while others use the EC’s voters list as the foundation for preparing and revising rolls for municipality and panchayat elections. However, several states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, as well as the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have distinct electoral rolls not adopted from EC for local body polls. This variation arises from the fact that election supervision and conduct are delegated to two constitutional authorities — the Election Commission (EC) of India and the State Election Commissions (SECs).
Election Commission (EC) of India
Established in 1950, the EC shoulders the responsibility of conducting roles to offices of the President and Vice-President of India, Parliament, the state assemblies, and the legislative councils.
State Election Commissions (SECs)
SECs, on the other hand, oversee municipal and panchayat elections. They have the freedom to create their own electoral rolls for local body elections without any need for coordination with the EC.
Push for Common Electoral Roll
The call for a common electoral roll comes from the view that it could save enormous effort and expenditure, as making separate voter lists results in duplication of efforts and costs. This recommendation for a single electoral roll was already put forward by the Law Commission in its 255th report in 2015.
Process of Implementation
To implement a common electoral roll, amendments would be needed to Articles 243K and 243ZA. These articles are related to elections to panchayats and municipalities in the states and give SECs the independence to prepare their own rolls for local elections. The proposed amendment would make it mandatory to have a single electoral roll for all elections in India.
Challenges in Implementation
A major impediment lies in the fact that the boundaries of EC’s polling stations might not necessarily align with that of the wards. This change would need massive consensus-building among states, which is a challenging task.
A Possible Approach Forward
A rational approach suggests that states should adopt the EC’s voter list. Doing so will require a significant consensus-building exercise between the states and the center. The EC’s voters list will need to be made compatible with the SEC’s wards, which may be a tedious task but feasible with the help of technology.
