This Exam Covers the Following Topics

1. Electoral Reforms Before 1996:
   • Reduction of voting age from 21 to 18 years by the 61st Constitutional Amendment Act (1988).
   • Introduction of Electors’ Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) by the Election Commission of India in 1993.
   • Initial use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in selected Assembly constituencies in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
   • Various legal provisions and amendments to curb corrupt practices in elections.
2. Electoral Reforms After 1996:
   • Introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems and their use in elections.
   • Implementation of NOTA (None of the Above) option in Electronic Voting Machines following the 2013 Supreme Court ruling.
   • Amendment of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, including Section 8(4), and implications for disqualification of elected representatives.
   • Linking of Aadhaar numbers with voter ID cards to clean up electoral rolls.
   • Introduction of state funding and the regulation of campaign finance.
   • Restrictions on exit polls and opinion polls during elections.
   • Introduction of Braille-enabled EVMs for visually impaired voters.
3. Electoral Bond Scheme:
   • Introduction of the Electoral Bond Scheme in 2018.
   • Features of the scheme, such as confidentiality of the donor’s identity.
   • The impact of the scheme on transparency in political funding.
   • Criticism and debates around the opacity of political funding sources under the scheme.
4. Committees and Commissions on Electoral Reforms:
   • Recommendations by the Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990) on electoral reforms.
   • Recommendations by the Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998) on state funding of elections.
   • The Vohra Committee (1993) on criminalization of politics.
   • Thurkunde Committee and its insights into political reforms.
5. Supreme Court Rulings and Their Impact on Electoral Reforms:
   • The 2013 Supreme Court ruling on mandatory disclosure of candidates’ criminal records, assets, and liabilities.
   • The judgment striking down Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act, leading to the immediate disqualification of convicted MPs/MLAs.
6. Use of Technology in Elections:
   • The introduction and implementation of VVPAT machines for enhancing voter confidence.
   • Digitalization of voter registration and the use of Aadhaar for verification purposes.
   • Online voter registration facilities and digital reforms in the electoral process.
7. Political Funding Reforms:
   • Regulations around donations to political parties and tax exemptions.
   • The impact of corporate funding on political transparency.
   • Amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) regarding foreign funding to political parties.
8. Legislative Changes and Their Implications:
   • Amendments to various laws, such as the Representation of the People Act and FCRA.
   • Legal measures to prevent bogus voting and impersonation.
   • Introduction of reforms to enhance the transparency and fairness of elections in India.

(Report this question)

You've reached the last question. Do you want to submit the exam or continue reviewing?