Transforming India’s Electoral Landscape | 23 Aug 2025

Source: PIB   

Why in News? 

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has undertaken several initiatives to streamline the electoral process, enhance transparency, strengthen voter participation, and uphold the credibility of India’s democratic framework.

What are the Key Reforms Undertaken to Strengthen India’s Electoral Process?

• Electoral Roll Management: The Election Commission has identified 476 inactive Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) for delisting, ensuring that the list of political parties remains accurate and up-to-date.  
  • Electoral rolls were revised ahead of by-elections in four states through a special summary revision, marking the first such exercise in two decades.  
  • Also, a special intensive revision of the electoral roll in Bihar was carried out to ensure that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible names remain.  
  • Duplicate EPIC (voter) cards were eliminated nationwide, giving each voter a unique identification number and reducing errors in voter lists. 
• Technology-Driven Transparency and Monitoring: The Election Commission launched ECINET, a one-stop digital platform, which brings together over 40 applications and websites used by electors, voters, election officials, and political parties.  
  • Digital index cards and reports were introduced to make election-related data more accessible at the constituency level, supporting informed decision-making.  
  • 100% webcasting of polling stations was implemented to monitor key activities and ensure that the polling process is conducted smoothly and without violations. 
• Booth-Level Improvements: Standard photo ID cards were issued to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to improve field-level transparency and enhance public trust in the election process.  
  • Polling stations were limited to 1,200 voters each, reducing crowding, shortening queues, and allowing additional booths in high-rise residential complexes and societies. 
• Voter Verification and Accuracy: Mandatory VVPAT  slip counting was enforced in cases of mismatch between Form 17C (account of votes recorded at a polling station) and EVM data, and wherever mock poll data was not erased, to ensure the accuracy and credibility of vote counting. 

What are the Major Challenges Confronting India’s Electoral Process? 

• Escalating Election Expenditure: The gap between actual expenses incurred in elections and the legally permitted limit is widening.  
  • Candidates and parties often overshoot spending ceilings, leading to underreporting and shadow financing. 
  • This fuels corruption and contributes to the generation of black money. 
• Criminalisation of Politics: Many criminal-background candidates contest and win, as the politician-criminal nexus thrives on funds and muscle power. 
  • In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 251 of 543 newly elected MPs (46%) face criminal cases. 
• Voter Disenfranchisement and Turnout Issues: Despite robust machinery, challenges like bogus voting, missing names in electoral rolls, and low urban turnout persist.  
  • Internal migrants, the elderly, and differently-abled citizens face barriers to exercising their democratic rights, weakening inclusivity. 
• Freebie Politics and Populist Promises: The growing culture of unsustainable freebies during elections undermines fiscal discipline and responsible governance.  
  • Voters are swayed by short-term gains rather than long-term developmental agendas.  
  • Absence of clear guidelines makes it difficult to distinguish between welfare schemes and fiscal populism. 
• Electoral Violence and Booth-Level Vulnerabilities: Electoral Violence and Booth-Level Vulnerabilities: Though reduced, sporadic violence, intimidation of voters, and disclosure of booth-level voting patterns still occur.  
  • Weak booth management in sensitive constituencies undermines free and fair elections.  
  • Absence of totalizer machines further exposes communities to post-poll reprisals. 
• Technological and Cyber Threats: The emergence of deepfakes, misinformation, and algorithm-driven manipulation on social media poses a new-age threat to electoral integrity. 
• Electoral Roll Manipulation: Electoral roll manipulation allegations and duplicate EPIC numbers across states undermine voter list credibility and public trust. 
• Lack of Inner-Party Democracy: Political parties continue to function in a highly centralised and opaque manner with dynastic dominance, lack of transparent candidate selection, and weak accountability.  
  • This contradicts the democratic ethos and restricts genuine leadership from emerging. 

What Steps are Required to Further Strengthen India’s Electoral Framework?

• Electoral Finance Reform: Introduce partial state funding (as suggested by the 2nd ARC) with reimbursement of legitimate expenses, mandatory digital disclosure of donations above a threshold, regulation of anonymous corporate funding, stronger CAG/ECI audits, and a public election expenditure portal to curb money power and enhance voter trust. 
  • Also, the idea of bringing political parties under Right to Information Act, 2005 should be explored. 
• Promoting Inner Party Democracy: Political parties are the backbone of democracy, yet most function as closed, family-controlled units.  
  • The law must mandate regular internal elections, transparent candidate selection processes, and audited party constitutions. 
  • Also, the 1999 Law Commission Report recommended a regulatory framework for inner party democracy. 
• Regulating Digital Campaigns & Deepfakes: Mandate traceable disclosure labels on all political ads (sponsor, funding, geo-targeting).  
  • Establish a National Deepfake Detection Cell (with IITs & CERT-In) to scan social media in real time.  
  • Enforce strict takedown protocols with penalties for non-compliant platforms. Launch voter literacy drives to counter algorithmic bias, deepfakes, and misinformation. 
• Strengthening the ECI: Election Commission must enjoy financial autonomy, with its budget charged to the Consolidated Fund of India.  
  • Regional EC cells with permanent staff can ensure robust monitoring across India’s vast constituencies. 
  • Regular performance audits of electoral processes by parliamentary committees would enhance credibility and strengthen the ECI as guardian of free and fair elections. 
  • ECI should establish a permanent, independent cadre of officers to ensure autonomy and impartiality, reduce dependence on central/state governments, eliminate conflict of interest, and protect the sanctity of the electoral process. 
• Electoral Process Reforms: Expand use of totalizer machines nationwide to mix votes across booths, preventing disclosure of booth-level patterns.  
  • Ensure uniform electoral rolls, stricter adherence to the Model Code of Conduct, and cap campaign duration to maintain a level playing field and boost voter confidence. 
• Towards Simultaneous & Sustainable Elections: Pilot One Nation, One Election at local/state levels. Implement a permanent national electoral roll and common voter ID to reduce duplication.  
  • Redirect savings from simultaneous polls to governance, and gradually introduce a fixed electoral calendar for cost-efficient, time-efficient, and governance-friendly elections. 

Conclusion: 

A resilient democracy rests on the strength of its electoral foundations. Strengthening independence of institutions, enhancing transparency, widening voter participation, deepening inner-party democracy, and embracing technology are indispensable. Only through such holistic and sustained efforts can India safeguard the integrity, credibility, and fairness of its electoral system and truly uphold the spirit of a vibrant democracy.