Single general electoral roll
Also called: Article 325 · Topic: Elections and the Electoral System · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Article 325 says there must be one general electoral roll (voters' list) for every territorial constituency. No person can be left off this list, or put on a special list, only because of religion, race, caste or sex. This rule ended the colonial idea of separate voters' lists for different communities. It means all citizens in an area vote together as one body, which supports equality and national unity.
Example
In a constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes, voters of every caste and religion appear on the same list and all of them vote. Only the candidates must be from the SC community.
Don't confuse with
- Universal adult franchise (Art. 326): this rule decides who gets the vote: every adult citizen. Article 325 decides how voters are listed: on one common list, with no communal divisions.