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REET L2 · Social Studies

Election Process: India's Electoral System

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This page covers India's election process — the Election Commission, constitutional provisions, EVM-VVPAT and voter rights — from a REET exam perspective. REET 2024 asked direct questions on constitutional articles and amendments from this topic, so precise, fine-grained facts matter here.

  • 4 questions in REET 2024
  • Class 6–8 level
  • 9 min read
Verified 17 September 2026 · Source: Election Commission of India — Article 324 (Constitution of India)

How REET asks this topic

REET 2024 asked questions built directly on constitutional articles — for instance, the number of SC/ST reserved seats in the Lok Sabha (in the context of Article 334), and the constitutional amendment that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. The style of questioning here is factual and precise, number-based, so article numbers, amendment numbers and statistics need to be remembered exactly right.

The Election Commission: its constitutional setup

Responsibility for conducting free and fair elections in India rests with the Election Commission of India, established under Article 324 of the Constitution. It is a permanent, independent constitutional body responsible for preparing electoral rolls and conducting elections to the offices of President and Vice-President, as well as to Parliament and the state legislative assemblies.

The Election Commission currently functions as a multi-member body — one Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two other Election Commissioners. Under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, they are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a selection committee, which comprises the Prime Minister (as chairperson), the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Minister nominated by the Prime Minister. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only through the same process as a Supreme Court judge (impeachment), which is what safeguards the Commission's independence.

Key articles related to elections

ArticleSubject
324Establishment of the Election Commission, and superintendence, direction and control of elections
325No discrimination in electoral rolls on grounds of religion, caste or sex
326Lok Sabha and state assembly elections to be based on adult suffrage (age 18)
327Parliament's power to make laws relating to elections
328A state legislature's power to make laws relating to its own elections
329Bar on courts interfering in electoral matters
330 and 332Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies

Article 334, as amended by the 104th Constitutional Amendment (2020), now fixes the time-limit for SC/ST reservation in the Lok Sabha and assemblies up to 2030; the provision for nominating members of the Anglo-Indian community was completely abolished by this very amendment — only the time-limit was extended, not the nomination provision, which was scrapped altogether.

Stages of the election process

A general election in India passes through several stages. First, the Delimitation Commission fixes the boundaries of constituencies, after which the Election Commission updates the electoral rolls. The election process then formally begins with a notification from the President or the Governor — followed by nomination, scrutiny, withdrawal of candidature, campaigning, polling, and finally, counting. The Model Code of Conduct comes into force the moment elections are announced, and it prevents the ruling party from misusing government resources during the campaign.

The Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was used for the first time in 1982, in a by-election to the North Paravur assembly constituency in Kerala; it was rolled out nationwide from the 2004 general election onward. The VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) slip system, which lets a voter confirm their vote, was first trialled across every polling station of Nagaland's Noksen assembly constituency in 2013. In 2013, on the order of the Supreme Court (in the PUCL vs Union of India case), the 'None Of The Above' (NOTA) option was also added to ballot papers and EVMs, so that a voter who does not favour any candidate could still register their vote.

Numbers worth remembering

Voting age
18 years (61st Constitutional Amendment, 1988 — it was 21 years before this)
SC-reserved seats in the Lok Sabha
84 (out of a total of 543)
ST-reserved seats in the Lok Sabha
47 (out of a total of 543)
First use of EVMs
1982, North Paravur (Kerala) by-election
Introduction of NOTA
2013, on the order of the Supreme Court
Composition of the Election Commission
1 Chief Election Commissioner + 2 other Election Commissioners

The Representation of the People Act and Rajya Sabha elections

Under Article 327, Parliament has enacted two major statutes governing the conduct of elections. The Representation of the People Act, 1950 deals with preparing electoral rolls and delimiting Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies, while the Representation of the People Act, 1951 deals with the actual conduct of elections, the conditions for a candidate's disqualification, and electoral offences (such as bribery and undue influence). Both these Acts remain, to this day, the foundation of India's electoral framework.

Members of the Rajya Sabha (Parliament's upper house) are not elected directly by the people, the way Lok Sabha members are. Instead, they are elected by the elected members of the concerned state's legislative assembly, through a system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. Lok Sabha and assembly members, by contrast, are chosen through direct elections by the people — this distinction between direct and indirect elections is one that comes up often in the exam.

The Delimitation Commission periodically redraws constituency boundaries in line with changes in population, so that every constituency's representation stays proportionate to its population. And if a seat falls vacant because a sitting MP or MLA dies, resigns, or is disqualified, a by-election (by-poll) is held for that seat, following broadly the same process as a general election.

How to teach children

Classroom activity

Run a mock (pretend) election in class — have students go through nomination, campaigning, secret voting and counting for the post of class monitor, so that they experience the process first-hand rather than just reading about it.

Teaching aid

A simple chart or model of an EVM, a sample voter ID card, and a wall chart listing the relevant constitutional articles are all useful in the classroom.

Common misconception

Students often conflate 'voting rights' (Article 326) and 'seat reservation' (Article 330) with Article 334, when 334 in fact only fixes a time-limit — this distinction deserves special emphasis.

Assessment idea

After the classroom election, have students write a short report describing which stages of the real election process they experienced first-hand.

Memory trick

Remember '61 for eighteen' — the 61st Amendment brought the voting age down to 18. For the reserved seats, remember that SC's number (84) is larger than ST's (47), and that adding the two together gives 131.

REET 2024 questions asked (with solutions)

Question 113

According to Article 334, how many seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes in Lok Sabha ? (Till Dec. 2024)

  1. A30
  2. B47
  3. C63
  4. D84

Explanation

वर्तमान परिसीमन (2008 से लागू) के अनुसार लोक सभा की 543 निर्वाचित सीटों में से 84 सीटें अनुसूचित जातियों (SC) और 47 सीटें अनुसूचित जनजातियों (ST) के लिए आरक्षित हैं। सीटों का आरक्षण अनुच्छेद 330 में है और अनुच्छेद 334 इस आरक्षण की समय-सीमा से सम्बंधित है। अतः SC के लिए आरक्षित सीटें 84 हैं; 47 वाला विकल्प ST सीटों की संख्या है।

Question 137

By which Constitutional Amendment the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 years in India ?

  1. A60 वाँ
  2. B61 वाँ
  3. C62 वाँ
  4. D63 वाँ

Explanation

61वें संविधान संशोधन अधिनियम, 1988 द्वारा अनुच्छेद 326 में संशोधन कर मताधिकार की न्यूनतम आयु 21 वर्ष से घटाकर 18 वर्ष की गई। यह प्रधानमंत्री राजीव गांधी के कार्यकाल में हुआ।

Question 126

According to Article 334(a) how many seats are reserved for scheduled tribes in the Lok Sabha (till December 2024) ?

  1. A47
  2. B84
  3. C53
  4. D131

Explanation

वर्तमान में लोकसभा में अनुसूचित जनजातियों (ST) के लिए 47 सीटें और अनुसूचित जातियों (SC) के लिए 84 सीटें आरक्षित हैं; दोनों मिलाकर 131 होती हैं। लोकसभा में SC/ST के लिए स्थानों का आरक्षण अनुच्छेद 330 में है, जबकि अनुच्छेद 334 इस आरक्षण की समय-सीमा निर्धारित करता है। अतः सही उत्तर 47 है।

Question 138

Which of the following Amendments was made by the 61st Constitutional Amendment in India ?

  1. Aदलबदल को रोकना
  2. Bमताधिकार की आयु 18 वर्ष करना
  3. Cन्यायाधीशों की सेवानिवृत्ति की आयु
  4. Dनौकरियों में आरक्षण

Explanation

61वें संविधान संशोधन अधिनियम, 1988 (1989 से लागू) द्वारा अनुच्छेद 326 में संशोधन कर लोकसभा और विधानसभा चुनावों में मतदान की न्यूनतम आयु 21 वर्ष से घटाकर 18 वर्ष कर दी गई। दलबदल निरोधक प्रावधान (दसवीं अनुसूची) 52वें संशोधन, 1985 द्वारा जोड़े गए थे।

Practice questions

Question 1

Under which Article of the Constitution was the Election Commission established?

  1. Aअनुच्छेद 320
  2. Bअनुच्छेद 324
  3. Cअनुच्छेद 326
  4. Dअनुच्छेद 330

Explanation

Article 324 provides for the establishment of the Election Commission and gives it the power of superintendence, direction and control of elections.

Question 2

What is the current minimum voting age in India?

  1. A21 वर्ष
  2. B18 वर्ष
  3. C25 वर्ष
  4. D16 वर्ष

Explanation

The 61st Constitutional Amendment, 1988, amended Article 326 to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 years.

Question 3

Who directed the addition of the NOTA option?

  1. Aलोकसभा
  2. Bराष्ट्रपति
  3. Cसर्वोच्च न्यायालय
  4. Dनिर्वाचन आयोग स्वयं

Explanation

In 2013, in the PUCL vs Union of India case, the Supreme Court ordered the addition of the NOTA option.

Question 4

According to the current delimitation, how many total seats in the Lok Sabha are reserved for SC and ST?

  1. A84
  2. B47
  3. C131
  4. D150

Explanation

84 seats are reserved for SC and 47 seats for ST; adding the two together gives a total of 131 seats.

Question 5

In which state was the EVM first used?

  1. Aतमिलनाडु
  2. Bकेरल
  3. Cराजस्थान
  4. Dपश्चिम बंगाल

Explanation

The EVM was used for the first time in 1982, in a by-election to the North Paravur assembly constituency in Kerala.

Question 6

Which Article bars courts from interfering in election-related matters?

  1. A327
  2. B328
  3. C329
  4. D330

Explanation

Under Article 329, laws relating to delimitation or the electoral rolls cannot be challenged in court — an election itself can only be challenged through an election petition.

Question 7

The VVPAT system was first used on an assembly seat in which state?

  1. Aकेरल
  2. Bराजस्थान
  3. Cनागालैंड
  4. Dगुजरात

Explanation

In 2013, VVPAT was first used, across every polling station, in Nagaland's Noksen assembly constituency.

Question 8

Which is the most suitable teaching activity for explaining the election process in class?

  1. Aकेवल पाठ्यपुस्तक पढ़ाना
  2. Bकक्षा में मॉक चुनाव करवाना
  3. Cकेवल परिभाषाएँ रटवाना
  4. Dकोई गतिविधि न करना

Explanation

In line with the 'learning by doing' principle, running a mock election in class lets students understand every stage of the election process in a practical, hands-on way.

Question 9

For students to clearly understand the difference between Article 326 (right to vote) and Article 330 (seat reservation), the most suitable classroom activity is:

  1. Aदोनों अनुच्छेदों को बिना उदाहरण के रटवाना
  2. Bदोनों की तुलना करने वाला चार्ट बनवाना
  3. Cकेवल एक अनुच्छेद पढ़ाना
  4. Dविषय छोड़ देना

Explanation

Building a comparison chart helps students clearly grasp the distinction between two closely related concepts — better than simply memorising the two articles without any example.

Question 10

Which Article of the Constitution brings the election of the President and Vice-President under the superintendence of the Election Commission as well?

  1. A324
  2. B325
  3. C326
  4. D329

Explanation

Under Article 324, the Election Commission's power of superintendence, direction and control extends to the elections of the President and Vice-President as well, in addition to Parliament and the state legislatures.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions does REET ask on the election process?+

REET 2024 carried roughly 3-4 questions on this topic within Level 2 Social Studies; it is a regularly-tested sub-topic within Indian polity.

Under which article is the Election Commission established?+

Under Article 324, which gives it the power of superintendence, direction and control of elections.

What is India's minimum voting age, and when did it change?+

It is currently 18 years; before the 61st Constitutional Amendment (1988), it was 21 years.

What does NOTA mean?+

'None Of The Above' — the option that lets a voter decline to choose any of the listed candidates while still registering their vote; it has been in effect since 2013.

When did India start using EVMs?+

The first, limited use was in Kerala in 1982, and EVMs were rolled out nationwide from the 2004 general election onward.

Read next

Child Rights

Read the previous topic and continue your REET Social Studies preparation.

Parliament

Next topic: the structure and functions of the Indian Parliament.

REET Syllabus

See the complete REET Level 1 and Level 2 syllabus in one place.

REET 2024 Solved Paper

Practise all of REET 2024's solved questions, by subject.

Official Sources

  1. Election Commission of India — Article 324 (Constitution of India)

Change Log

  • 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked