Prepare five linked areas: Articles 324–329; ECI composition and security; electoral rolls and franchise; FPTP versus proportional representation; election law and Bihar Assembly facts. Questions often use wrong pairs: ECI–municipal election, Article 325–voting age, RPA 1950–corrupt practice, or PR-STV–Lok Sabha. Current office-holders and schedules change, so this chapter teaches the durable constitutional and statutory framework.
2. Constitutional article map
Article
Core provision
Exam cue
324
Superintendence, direction and control of electoral rolls and elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, President and Vice-President vest in ECI.
Not Panchayat or Municipality elections.
325
One general electoral roll for every territorial constituency; no exclusion or special roll only on religion, race, caste or sex.
Common electorate, not voting age.
326
Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections on adult suffrage; citizen aged at least 18, subject to lawful disqualifications.
The 61st Amendment lowered 21 to 18.
327
Parliament may make law on elections to Parliament and State Legislatures, including rolls and delimitation.
Source of central election legislation.
328
A State Legislature may legislate for its own House/Houses where Parliament has not provided, subject to Constitution.
Residual and subordinate to parliamentary law.
329
Bars challenge to specified delimitation/allotment laws and ordinarily channels challenge to an election through an election petition.
Election process is not normally halted midway.
3. Scope of the Election Commission of India
Article 324 gives ECI constitutional responsibility for elections to Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, State Legislative Councils, and the offices of President and Vice-President. For Panchayats and Municipalities the authority is the State Election Commission under Articles 243K and 243ZA. Both are constitutional bodies, but their electoral fields differ.
ECI was established on 25 January 1950. It is a permanent constitutional body, not a ministry, tribunal or merely statutory commission. Article 324 permits a Chief Election Commissioner, such number of other Election Commissioners as the President may fix, and Regional Commissioners when appointed after consultation with ECI.
4. Appointment under the current law
Stage
Rule
Eligibility
A person holding or having held a post equivalent to Secretary to Government of India, with integrity and knowledge/experience in management and conduct of elections.
Search Committee
Union Minister of Law and Justice as head plus two members not below Secretary rank; prepares a panel of five.
Selection Committee
Prime Minister as Chairperson; Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (or leader of the single largest opposition party if no recognised LoP); and one Union Cabinet Minister nominated by Prime Minister.
Appointment
President appoints CEC and other Election Commissioners by warrant under hand and seal on Selection Committee recommendation.
Term
Six years from assumption of office or age 65, whichever is earlier; no reappointment. If an EC becomes CEC, aggregate service in both offices cannot exceed six years.
Salary
Equal to the salary of a Supreme Court Judge under the 2023 Act.
5. Removal and independence
Office
Removal safeguard
Chief Election Commissioner
Removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court Judge.
Other Election Commissioner
Cannot be removed except on recommendation of the CEC.
Regional Commissioner
Cannot be removed except on recommendation of the CEC.
6. What ECI does
Area
Operational role
Electoral rolls
Supervises preparation, revision and correction under Constitution, RPA 1950 and registration rules.
Election programme
Plans phases and schedule; supervises nomination, scrutiny, withdrawal, poll, counting and declaration according to law.
Parties and symbols
Registers political parties under RPA 1951 and applies the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
Level playing field
Deploys observers, monitors expenditure and media processes, and enforces the Model Code with applicable laws.
Corrective directions
May order a repoll or take other measures where law permits and electoral integrity requires it.
Advisory role
Gives the President or Governor an opinion in specified disqualification matters under Articles 103 and 192.
8. Electoral roll and right to vote
Rule
Meaning
Citizenship
Only an Indian citizen can be registered as an elector.
Age
At least 18 years on the legally applicable qualifying date.
Ordinary residence
Registration is tied to ordinary residence; merely owning a house does not by itself prove it.
One enrolment
A person cannot be registered in more than one constituency or more than once in a constituency.
Disqualification
Constitution/law may disqualify for non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime, or corrupt/illegal practice as applicable.
Nature
Adult suffrage is constitutional under Article 326; actual registration and voting operate through statutes and rules.
9. RPA 1950 and RPA 1951
Law
Main field
Memory line
Representation of the People Act, 1950
Allocation of seats, constituencies, voter qualifications and preparation of electoral rolls.
“Seats and rolls.”
Representation of the People Act, 1951
Conduct of elections; qualifications/disqualifications for membership; corrupt practices and offences; disputes and election petitions.
“Contest, conduct and challenge.”
10. FPTP and proportional representation
Point
First-Past-The-Post (FPTP)
Proportional Representation by STV
Basic rule
Candidate with the highest valid votes wins; an absolute majority is not required.
Voters rank preferences; quota and transfer operate under applicable rules.
Main use
Direct election to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
President, Vice-President, Rajya Sabha and specified Legislative Council elections.
Result logic
Usually one representative from a territorial constituency.
Uses preferences in an electoral college or multi-member election.
Trap
Winner need not cross 50%.
Electoral colleges differ across offices.
12. Reserved seats and delimitation
Concept
Correct understanding
SC/ST reservation
Articles 330 and 332 provide reserved seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies; only eligible category candidates contest, but all constituency electors vote.
Delimitation
Boundaries and allocation are determined through the constitutional/statutory framework, not by ECI at unfettered discretion.
Article 329(a)
Specified delimitation/allotment laws made or purported under Articles 327–328 are insulated from court challenge.
Reservation versus separate electorate
Reservation changes candidate eligibility; Article 325 retains one general electoral roll.
13. ECI and State Election Commission
Point
ECI
State Election Commission
Article
324
243K for Panchayats; 243ZA for Municipalities.
Field
Parliament, State Legislatures, President and Vice-President.
Rural and urban local-body elections.
Head appointed by
CEC/ECs appointed by President under current central law.
State Election Commissioner appointed by Governor.
Bihar example
Bihar Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.
Bihar Panchayat and municipal elections.
14. Bihar focus
Fact
Verified position
Bihar Legislative Assembly
243 elected constituencies.
Reserved seats
38 Scheduled Caste and 2 Scheduled Tribe; 203 unreserved.
Roll totals, turnout, schedule, candidates and office-holders require the current ECI/CEO Bihar release.
15. Model Code of Conduct
The Model Code is a consensus-based set of norms for parties and candidates. ECI says it operates from announcement of the election schedule until completion of the election process. It regulates campaign conduct, meetings, processions, poll-day behaviour and misuse of official machinery. Do not assume every breach is automatically a separate statutory offence; when conduct also violates RPA or another law, that law supplies the offence and penalty, while ECI uses constitutional and administrative authority to maintain electoral discipline.
16. Memory timeline
19. Official PYQ status
No question below is labelled an official BPSC PYQ because complete official wording and options were not verified. All are original BPSC-style practice questions.