POLL
Special
facilities in polling stations for women electors.
Election Commission's Order No.
576/11/ESO24/94-J.S.II Dated: 21st October, 1994
Subject: General elections to State
Legislative Assemblies - 1994 Special facilities in
polling stations for women electors.
----------------------------------------------------ORDER
Article 326 of the Constitution provides that the
elections to the House of the People and to the
Legislative Assembly of every State shall be on the
basis of universal adult suffrage. The said Article
provides as follows:-
326. ``Elections to the House of the People
and to the Legislative Assemblies of States to be on
the basis of adult suffrage. - The elections
to the House of the People and to the Legislative
Assembly of every State shall be on the basis of
adult suffrage; that is to say, every person who is a
citizen of India and who is not less than eighteen
years of age on such date as may be fixed in that
behalf by or under any law made by the appropriate
Legislature and is not otherwise disqualified under
this Constitution or any law made by the appropriate
Legislature on the ground of non-residence,
unsoundness of mind, crime or corrupt or illegal
practice, shall be entitled to be registered as a
voter at any such election."
2. It is further provided in Article 325 of the
Constitution that:-
325. ``No person to be ineligible for
inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a
special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race,
caste or sex. - There shall be one general
electoral roll for every territorial constituency for
election to either House of Parliament or to the
House or either House of the Legislature of a State
and no person shall be ineligible for inclusion in
any such roll or claim to be included in any special
electoral roll for any such constituency on grounds
only of religion, race, caste, sex or any of
them."
3. Thus, the female electors in the country have the
same electoral rights in the matter of elections to
the House of the People and the State Legislative
Assemblies as are granted to male electors.
4. But it has been observed that in certain States or
in certain areas of the States the participation of
female electors at the said elections has been
comparatively low in comparison to male electors.
5. There can be several reasons for such low
percentage of participation of women electors in
elections. Some of these reasons may be attributed to
social and religious taboos, particularly among the
purdahnasheen' women in a particular community or
women of certain other communities observing purdah
system in the presence of family and village elders,
or to sentimental reasons in some tribal areas,
especially in the North-Eastern region.
6. The Commission is anxiously concerned about such
low participation of women electors in elections. The
Commission would like all such steps to be taken as
would enable as large a number of women electors as
possible to fully participate in the electoral
process without reservations so that elections become
more meaningful and democratic. In particular, the
Commission would like to ensure that no woman elector
is deprived of, or feels inhibited in the exercise
of, her right of franchise on account of any lack of
facility in the polling station particularly in the
matter of identification or application of indelible
ink with full regard to privacy, dignity and decency
of women electors.
7. Rule 34 of the `Conduct of Elections, Rules, 1961
specifically provides that-
(1) Where a polling stations - is for both men and
women electors, the presiding officer may direct that
they shall be admitted into the polling station
alternately in separate batches.
(2) The Returning Officer or the Presiding Officer
may appoint a woman to serve as an attendant at any
polling station to assist women electors and also to
assist the Presiding Officer generally in taking the
poll in respect of women electors, and, in
particular, to help in searching any woman elector in
case it becomes necessary.
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