UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Plea seeks biometric verification of voters at polling stations

Q1. In the context of Indian elections, the abbreviation 'EPIC' most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Electors Photo Identity Card issued to registered electors to facilitate identification and prevent impersonation at the poll
  • B. Electronic Polling Integrity Certificate issued to each polling station before the poll
  • C. Electoral Process Integrity Code prescribing the conduct of officials during polling
  • D. Elector Proxy Identification Certificate issued to authorise proxy voting

Q2. The Election Commission of India derives its power of superintendence, direction and control of the conduct of elections from which one of the following provisions of the Constitution?

  • A. Article 324
  • B. Article 326
  • C. Article 329
  • D. Article 243K

Q3. Regarding the Supreme Court's 2026 order on the plea seeking biometric verification of voters at polling stations, which one of the following statements is correct?

  • A. The Court declined to entertain the plea and dismissed it outright at the threshold
  • B. The Court directed that biometric verification be made mandatory for all imminent elections without exception
  • C. The Court issued notice to the Union Government and the ECI, observing that the proposal could be examined before a future general election
  • D. The Court held that biometric verification can be introduced without any change in existing election law

Q4. The 2026 public interest litigation before the Supreme Court seeking finger and iris biometric verification of voters was principally moved by which one of the following?

  • A. Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay
  • B. Prashant Bhushan
  • C. Association for Democratic Reforms
  • D. N. Gopalaswami

Q5. The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) was used with EVMs for the first time in India at a constituency in which one of the following States?

  • A. Nagaland
  • B. Sikkim
  • C. Mizoram
  • D. Manipur

Q6. The use of VVPAT with Electronic Voting Machines was enabled through an amendment to which one of the following?

  • A. The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961
  • B. The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960
  • C. The Representation of the People Act, 1951
  • D. The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968

Q7. In the context of electoral offences in India, 'personation' at an election refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Voting, or applying for a ballot paper, in the name of another person whether living, dead or fictitious
  • B. Casting more than one vote in one's own name at different polling stations
  • C. Inducing an elector to abstain from voting through intimidation or threat
  • D. Publishing a false statement relating to the personal character of a candidate

Q8. The principal physical safeguard applied at Indian polling stations to prevent an elector from voting more than once is which one of the following?

  • A. Marking the elector's left forefinger with indelible ink
  • B. Issuing a VVPAT slip to each elector after voting
  • C. Matching the elector against the EPIC photograph in the marked copy of the roll
  • D. Recording the elector under the tendered ballot procedure

Q9. Under Section 23 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (as amended by the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021), which authority is empowered to require an elector to furnish the Aadhaar number for authentication of electoral roll entries?

  • A. The Electoral Registration Officer
  • B. The Returning Officer
  • C. The Presiding Officer
  • D. The Chief Electoral Officer