The Constitution of India
Article 325
No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex
There shall be one general electoral roll for every territorial constituency for election to either House of Parliament or to the House or either House of the Legislature of a State and no person shall be ineligible for inclusion in any such roll or claim to be included in any special electoral roll for any such constituency on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them.
Why this exists
Before independence, India's electoral system under British rule used 'separate electorates' — different voter rolls and reserved seats for different religious communities (like Hindus and Muslims) and other groups, a system created by the Government of India Acts of 1909 and 1935. This deepened communal division and was widely blamed for worsening tensions that contributed to Partition. The Constituent Assembly deliberately rejected separate electorates and adopted a single, unified electoral roll for everyone, regardless of religion, caste, race, or sex, to build a shared sense of citizenship and equality in India's new democracy.
Common misconceptions
- Myth: Article 325 means there are no reserved seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, or women in legislatures.
Fact: Reserved seats (like SC/ST seats under Articles 330 and 332) are allowed and use the same single general electoral roll — everyone in that constituency, regardless of caste, votes together to elect the reserved-seat candidate. Article 325 bans separate electoral rolls, not reserved seats filled through a common roll. - Myth: This Article guarantees the right to vote itself.
Fact: Article 325 is about having one unified voter list free from discrimination in inclusion. The actual right to be registered as a voter and vote is separately dealt with mainly through Article 326 and election laws.