Amid electoral reforms debate in Parliament, a look at India’s election process

— Dileep P Chandran

After two days of standoff, the government and the Opposition in Parliament agreed on Tuesday (December 2) to hold a discussion on electoral reforms in which the Opposition would raise the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being undertaken by the Election Commission (EC) in nine states and three Union Territories.

The debate on electoral reforms, which will be held in the Lok Sabha on December 9 and 10, draws attention to some important questions: How do the Constitution of India and statutory institutions delegate electoral functions and responsibilities among various legal entities? What procedures ensure the free and fair conduct of elections? Is the multi-layered electoral administrative system that combines constitutional des