A Democracy of Billions — and Its Fragile Trust
On a sunny April morning in 2024, Shabana Begum, a school teacher from Meerut, dressed in her best sari, clutching her voter ID, walked to her polling booth. She had been waiting for this day — a chance to speak, not in the classroom, but in the way that shapes the future of the nation.
But when her turn came, the polling officer shook his head.
“Your name isn’t on the list.”
Shabana had voted here for the last two elections. She paid taxes. She taught hundreds of children about democracy. Yet, in that moment, she was invisible to the system. And she was not alone — thousands faced the same silent disenfranchisement that day.
India’s elections are often described as “the greatest show on Earth.” In 2024, nearly 65 crore citizens cast their votes. But the headlines also told another story — of booth capturing, voter intimidation, fake names on electoral rolls, and a staggering ₹10,000 crore worth of illegal cash, liquor, drugs, and freebies seized during the campaign.
These aren’t just violations of election rules — they are violations of human rights. Because when you take away someone’s vote, you don’t just break the law. You take away their dignity, their voice, their place in the collective decision-making of the nation.
The Many Faces of Electoral Misconduct
1. Voter Intimidation — Fear as a Political Weapon
In late 2024, bypolls in Uttar Pradesh revealed disturbing patterns: Muslim women, Dalits, and other marginalized voters were allegedly turned away or threatened near polling stations. Police and election officials were later suspended — but only after videos of the incidents went viral.
The Supreme Court in Mohinder Singh Gill v. Chief Election Commissioner (1978) called free and fair elections the “life-breath of democracy”. Intimidation is not just a crime under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 — it’s an assault on that life-breath.
2. Electoral Roll Manipulation — The Disappearing Voter
Shabana’s story is one among millions. In Bihar, a large-scale revision of voter rolls triggered fears that entire communities were being erased. In Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, minority names disproportionately vanished from lists.
Article 326 of the Constitution promises universal adult suffrage. Article 14 guarantees equality before the law. Erasing voters without due process isn’t an “administrative error” — it’s a direct violation of these guarantees.
3. Money and Muscle Power — Buying Democracy
In 2024, the Election Commission seized three times more illicit campaign goods than in 2019 — enough to fund several small states’ annual budgets.
Section 123 of the RPA makes bribery and undue influence illegal. Yet, the data shows this remains one of the most persistent election crimes. The Kuldip Nayar v. Union of India (2006) judgment upheld strict anti-corruption measures, warning that such practices “poison the well of democracy.”
4. Misinformation and Hate Speech — Polluting the Public Mind
From deepfake videos to communal dog whistles, the digital battlefield in 2024 was relentless. Section 123(3A) of the RPA criminalizes promotion of enmity during elections, but social media campaigns often move faster than enforcement can keep up.
In Union of India v. Association for Democratic Reforms (2002), the Court said voters have a right to know about candidates — implying that flooding the public space with lies robs them of that right.
The Human Rights Lens
Elections are about choice. But choice is meaningless if it’s coerced, bought, or stolen. Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 21) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 25), India is bound to ensure “genuine” elections with equal suffrage.
Election violations don’t just break the Representation of the People Act. They also violate:
- Right to Equality (Art. 14) – When certain groups are disproportionately disenfranchised.
- Freedom of Expression (Art. 19) – When misinformation or intimidation distorts choice.
- Right to Life with Dignity (Art. 21) – Because participation in public affairs is part of living with dignity.
India’s Election Violations – Facts You Can’t Ignore
India’s elections, the largest democratic exercise in the world, are not free from cracks. In Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency (2023), opposition parties alleged the presence of over 1 lakh fake voters — enough to completely swing the result. The damage was not just electoral but psychological, eroding trust in the very process meant to uphold democracy.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, Farrukhabad, and Ghaziabad, surveys in 2023 uncovered that 27% of voters in some constituencies were bogus. This wasn’t a small clerical error — it meant that more than one in four names on the rolls were fraudulent, effectively sidelining genuine citizens.
West Bengal’s 2025 voter list cleanup struck off 7,800 duplicate IDs, some of which were bizarrely registered hundreds of kilometers apart in different states. The revelations came alongside a data breach scandal in which voter roll database logins were leaked to outsiders, leading to the suspension of five Election Commission officials.
In Bihar’s 2025 roll revision, opposition leaders claimed 35 lakh voters were linked to non-existent addresses. Many of these “missing” voters belonged to marginalized communities, sparking fears of targeted disenfranchisement. Even more disturbingly, across several states, watchdog groups found names of deceased citizens still active on voter rolls — and allegedly casting votes “from beyond the grave.”
Election bribery also takes absurd forms. While the 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw a record-breaking seizure of ₹8,000 crore worth of cash, liquor, drugs, and freebies — the highest in Indian history — in certain Hyderabad slums, agents reportedly offered a plate of mutton biryani in exchange for a vote. In North Chennai (2021), voters were gifted pressure cookers, but with a whispered reminder to “cook up the right choice” inside the booth.
Mishandling of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) has been another persistent concern. In Madhya Pradesh (2019), one EVM was casually spotted on the back of a motorcycle with no security escort — a sight that raised eyebrows across the nation. In Bihar, 2025 brought to light the existence of phantom villages — polling areas with no actual houses or residents, yet magically boasting full voter lists.
These incidents aren’t just about electoral statistics; they reveal a deeper vulnerability in India’s democratic machinery. When fake voters outnumber real ones, when entire communities vanish from the rolls, and when votes can be bought with food or freebies, the right to vote transforms from a constitutional guarantee into a fragile privilege.
NOTABLE JUDICIAL PRECEDENTS:
- Striking Down the Electoral Bonds Scheme (2024)
In a unanimous verdict on February 15, 2024, a five-judge bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud declared the Electoral Bonds Scheme unconstitutional. The Court ruled that anonymous political funding under this scheme violated voters’ fundamental right to information (Article 19(1)(a)) and threatened the transparency essential for participatory democracy. The SC later rejected review petitions, reaffirming that political funding must remain transparent. - Preserving Poll Visuals—SC Orders Retention of Station Recordings
Responding to a PIL challenging the increase of voters per polling station, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to preserve polling station CCTV footage, stressing that critical election records must be maintained during judicial scrutiny to protect process integrity. - Safeguarding Voter Verification—Bihar’s SIR Revision
In the context of Bihar’s controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, the Supreme Court ordered that Aadhaar, EPIC, and ration cards must be accepted as valid documents for voter verification. The Court declined to stay SIR but insisted on broader inclusivity. More recently, the SC demanded the Election Commission explain the removal of 65 lakh voters from the draft rolls, underscoring transparency in electoral revisions. - Challenging Unopposed Wins—Call for Minimum Vote Threshold
The Supreme Court is reviewing a plea against allowing unopposed candidates to win automatically. The Court proposed that even a sole candidate must secure a minimum vote share to be declared elected—a bold step toward affirming democratic legitimacy. - NHRC Overreach in Election Oversight—SC Speaks Out
In 2023, the apex court rebuked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for acting like a “super Election Commission” during West Bengal panchayat elections. The Court upheld that electoral supervision rests solely with the State Election Commissions as per Article 243K, and NHRC’s intervention overstepped constitutional boundaries. - Historic Precedent: Indira Gandhi v. Raj Narain (1975)
In this watershed case, the Allahabad High Court invalidated Indira Gandhi’s 1971 election, citing vote count manipulation and misuse of state machinery. The Supreme Court later reaffirmed the foundational basic structure doctrine, forming the backbone of constitutional jurisprudence. - Embedding NOTA in Indian Elections
The SC mandated the inclusion of NOTA (None of the Above) on ballots in 2013, empowering voters to reject all candidates as a valid expression of democratic choice. This strengthened the right to meaningful participation and moral agency at the ballot box.
Where Do We Go From Here?
If elections are the heartbeat of democracy, India’s pulse has been irregular for too long. To make voting about people, not just percentages, the system needs reforms that are bold, transparent, and citizen-focused.
- Transparent Voter Roll Verification
Every voter list should be publicly displayed before elections, with a clear, accessible process for appeals when names are added or deleted. Technology can make this instant, but transparency must be non-negotiable. - Independent Model Code of Conduct (MCC) Enforcement
The Election Commission should have binding powers to penalize violations in real time — not months later when the election is already over and the damage done. - Fast-Track Election Courts
Election offences should be decided within six months. Justice delayed in elections is justice erased — voters need outcomes while their experiences and the evidence are still fresh. - Digital Fact-Checking Units
AI-powered systems must monitor deepfakes, hate speech, and coordinated misinformation — the new battleground of democracy. The truth should never lag behind the lie. - Civic Rights Education
From classrooms to panchayat halls, every citizen should know not just how to vote, but how to protect their vote — and why their voice matters in shaping the country.
Conclusion — Every Vote is a Voice
Shabana Begum’s lost vote in a Kolkata by-election might seem like a tiny drop in an ocean of over a billion citizens. But democracy is built one vote at a time, one citizen at a time. When even one person is silenced, the collective voice of the nation grows weaker.
The Supreme Court has declared that free and fair elections form part of the basic structure of our Constitution — untouchable, unamendable. But that promise has weight only if we, as citizens, insist on defending it.
Because elections aren’t just about who wins.
They’re about whether every Indian gets to stand up and say, without fear or doubt:
“I matter.
My voice matters.
My future matters.”
