🗳️ Election Commission — Overview

• Established under Article 324 of the Constitution
• Vested with the superintendence, direction, and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President
• Composition: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) + Election Commissioners (currently 2 Election Commissioners)
• CEC and Election Commissioners appointed by the President
• Tenure: 6 years or 65 years of age, whichever is earlier
• CEC can be removed only by impeachment — same procedure as a Supreme Court judge (address by both Houses of Parliament)
• Election Commissioners can be removed by the President on the recommendation of the CEC
• Salary and service conditions of CEC cannot be varied to his disadvantage after appointment

📋 Functions of Election Commission

• Conduct of elections to Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and Councils
• Conduct of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President
• Preparation and revision of electoral rolls
• Recognition of political parties and allotment of election symbols
• Enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct
• Setting the election schedule — announcement of election dates
• Monitoring election expenditure of candidates
• Deciding disputes regarding recognition of political parties and symbols
• Advising the President/Governor on disqualification of sitting members

📋 Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

• A set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission to regulate the conduct of political parties and candidates during elections
• Comes into force from the date of announcement of election schedule
• Remains in force till the completion of the election process
• Key provisions:
  • No use of government machinery, personnel, or resources for campaigning
  • No announcement of new schemes or policies that may influence voters
  • No hate speech or appeals on communal/caste lines
  • No bribery or inducement to voters
  • Ruling party cannot use its official position for campaign advantage
• The MCC is not a statutory document — it has no legal backing but is enforced by the Election Commission through its powers under Article 324

🖥️ EVM and VVPAT

• EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) — introduced in India in 1982 (Parur constituency, Kerala); used nationwide from 2004 general elections
• EVMs consist of a Control Unit (with polling officer) and a Balloting Unit (with voter)
• VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) — introduced in 2013; prints a paper slip showing the candidate voted for; voter can verify for 7 seconds before it drops into a sealed box
• VVPAT used in all constituencies from 2019 general elections
• EVMs are manufactured by BEL (Bharat Electronics Limited) and ECIL (Electronics Corporation of India Limited)

✅ Revision Checklist