Two constitutional bodies have paved the way for shrinking democracy, leaving citizens to fend for themselves and each other. (Illustration: C R Sasikumar/File) 4 min readSep 10, 2026 06:26 AM IST First published on: Sep 10, 2026 at 06:26 AM IST
Our Constitution’s framers gave us democracy founded on adult suffrage. According to Article 326, every person who is a citizen of India and not less than 21 years of age (now 18), and is not otherwise disqualified under the Constitution or any law made by the legislature only on grounds of non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime or illegal practice, is entitled to be registered as a voter. Voting is thus not merely a statutory right. Ascertaining citizenship is not difficult when a vast majority of citizens possess at least one of several documents, such as Aadhaar, a driving licence, a voter card, a passport, a ration card, a birth certificate, or a secondary school certificate. Surely, the ECI cannot say that the 13 crore people are foreigners, because they were not identified as citizens by the Modi government in more than a decade.