UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The crisis of urban electoral disenfranchisement

Q1. Under Phase-II of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ordered by the Election Commission of India, how many Assembly Constituencies were covered?

  • A. 1,843
  • B. 1,543
  • C. 2,343
  • D. 543

Q2. Which State was the first to undergo the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR), completed before the exercise was extended to 9 States and 3 Union Territories under Phase-II?

  • A. Uttar Pradesh
  • B. Bihar
  • C. West Bengal
  • D. Assam

Q3. Under Article 326 of the Constitution, a citizen may be denied registration as a voter only on certain specified grounds. Consider the following: 1. Non-residence 2. Unsoundness of mind 3. Illiteracy 4. Corrupt or illegal practice Which of the above is/are correctly identified as grounds of disqualification under Article 326?

  1. Non-residence
  2. Unsoundness of mind
  3. Illiteracy
  4. Corrupt or illegal practice
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding the constitutional basis of adult franchise in India: 1. Article 325 bars a person's exclusion from the electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex. 2. The 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years. 3. Article 326 bases elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies on universal adult suffrage. 4. The Constitution, as originally adopted in 1950, fixed the minimum voting age at 18 years. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Article 325 bars exclusion from the roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex.
  2. The 61st Amendment Act, 1988 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years.
  3. Article 326 bases elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies on universal adult suffrage.
  4. The Constitution, as originally adopted in 1950, fixed the minimum voting age at 18 years.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q5. Who was the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, appointed to head the Election Commission constituted under Article 324 in 1950?

  • A. Sukumar Sen
  • B. T.N. Seshan
  • C. K.V.K. Sundaram
  • D. S.P. Sen Verma

Q6. From which statutory provision, read with Article 324, did the Supreme Court affirm that the Election Commission derives its power to order a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls?

  • A. Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950
  • B. Section 62 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951
  • C. Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951
  • D. Section 14 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951

Q7. In the context of electoral roll revision, the 'Special Summary Revision (SSR)' is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A routine, periodic revision of rolls tied to a fixed qualifying date, without house-to-house field verification
  • B. An intensive door-to-door re-verification of every elector against the 2003 rolls
  • C. The redrawing of constituency boundaries on the basis of census figures
  • D. The judicial scrutiny of deletions ordered during an election petition

Q8. Which one of the following forms of electoral roll revision is the most intensive, involving house-to-house enumeration by Booth Level Officers and document-based verification of electors?

  • A. Special Summary Revision
  • B. Continuous updation of rolls
  • C. Special Intensive Revision
  • D. Annual Summary Revision

Q9. Consider the following statements regarding documentation under the 2025 Special Intensive Revision (SIR): 1. The SIR initially prescribed a list of 11 documents for verification of electors. 2. The Supreme Court directed the ECI to accept Aadhaar as an admissible document during the claims-and-objections stage. 3. The onus of establishing inclusion shifted onto the elector filling the enumeration form. 4. Aadhaar was accepted by the ECI as conclusive proof of citizenship for enrolment. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The SIR initially prescribed a list of 11 documents for verification.
  2. The Supreme Court directed the ECI to accept Aadhaar during the claims stage.
  3. The onus of establishing inclusion shifted onto the elector filling the enumeration form.
  4. Aadhaar was accepted as conclusive proof of citizenship for enrolment.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 4
  • D. 4 only

Q10. Which organisation was the lead petitioner before the Supreme Court in the principal challenge to the 2025 Special Intensive Revision of Bihar's electoral rolls?

  • A. People's Union for Civil Liberties
  • B. Association for Democratic Reforms
  • C. Common Cause
  • D. Lok Prahari

Q11. The task of enrolling and including urban migrant and homeless voters in the electoral rolls is operationalised by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • B. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
  • C. Election Commission of India
  • D. NITI Aayog

Q12. The observation that urban voter apathy, more than in rural areas, accounts for lower polling percentages was publicly made in December 2025 by which authority?

  • A. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India
  • B. The Chief Election Commissioner
  • C. The Registrar General of India
  • D. The Chairperson of NITI Aayog