61st Constitutional Amendment Act 1988
Also called: 61st Constitutional Amendment Act · Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 5 "Universal Franchise and India's Electoral System"; Class 11, Ch 3 "Election and Representation"; Class 11, Ch 9 "Constitution as a Living Document"
Meaning
The 61st Constitutional Amendment Act lowered the voting age in India from 21 to 18 years. It changed Article 326, which grants universal adult franchise, meaning every adult citizen gets one vote of equal value. Parliament passed it in 1988 and it came into force in March 1989. This added millions of young people to the voters' list in one step.
Example
Class 8 NCERT gives the year as 1988, when the amendment was passed. Class 11 NCERT gives 1989, when it came into force. Both dates are correct. A student who turned 18 in 1990 could vote, while before this change they would have waited until 21.
Don't confuse with
- Minimum age to contest: the 61st Amendment changed only the age to vote. A candidate must still be 25 for the Lok Sabha and assemblies, and 30 for the Rajya Sabha and legislative councils.
Related concepts
- Direct election
- Indirect election
- Free and fair elections
- Universal adult franchise
- Right to vote
- Secret ballot