What is Universal Adult Franchise?

Universal Adult Franchise is an important tool provided by our constitution that paves the way for a partnership in a Democracy. Practising Universal Adult Franchise means any person above 18 years of age, irrespective of their caste, class, religion, education, and race has the right to cast a vote for their preferred representative in elections to form a Government. Moreover, Universal Adult Franchise is also known as Universal Adult Suffrage. Read this blog to find out what is Universal Adult Franchise!

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Advantages of Universal Adult Franchise

Universal Adult Suffrage or Universal Adult Franchise is based on the idea of equality and thus brings a lot of benefits. The following are some of them:

• Everyone above 18 has the right to vote.
• All adult and healthy citizens of the country can participate in a bustling democracy.
• Additionally, fosters the involvement of all citizens in the governance of the State.
• Helps to bring equality in the decision-making process of the country as everyone irrespective of their caste, class, religion, education, and race has the right to cast a vote.

Also Read: Why Do We Need Two Houses of Parliament?

Who introduced the Universal Adult Franchise in India?

There isn’t a particular person who single-handedly introduced Universal Adult Franchise in India. However, the concept came into being throughout the independence movement. Additionally, the Motilal Nehru Report in 1928 and the Indian National Congress in 1931 were strong advocates for its inclusion.

Furthermore, the actual implementation came with the Indian Constitution in 1950. Article 326 guarantees UAF, meaning all adult citizens above 18 (the voting age was lowered in 1989) have the Right to Vote. Moreover, this was a major shift from the British rule’s restricted franchise based on factors like income and property.

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