Home The Constitution Part XV Article 325

Art. 325 Part XV: Elections

No Person to Be Ineligible for Inclusion in Electoral Rolls on Grounds of Religion, Race, Caste or Sex

Exact text — Constitution of India

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.

In Plain English

What this Article actually means

This Article guarantees a single, unified electoral roll for every constituency — no separate rolls based on religion, race, caste or sex — and bars anyone from being excluded from the general roll (or from demanding a special separate one) based on these grounds. This deliberately rejected the pre-independence 'separate electorate' system, which had allocated distinct voter rolls to different religious communities.

Why This Matters To You

How it shows up in everyday life

This is why India uses a single, unified voter list for every constituency rather than separate religion- or caste-based electorates — a foundational choice reflecting the framers' rejection of the divisive separate-electorate system used under British colonial rule.

Read alongside this one

Art. 330 — Reservation of Seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha

Frequently Asked

Quick answers about Article 325

Does this mean reserved constituencies (for SC/ST) violate this Article?

No — reserved constituencies (under Articles 330/332) still draw from the SAME single general electoral roll; what's reserved is which CANDIDATES can contest from that seat, not a separate voter roll, which is the key distinction from the colonial-era separate electorate system this Article rejected.

← PreviousArticle 324: Superintendence, Direction and Control of Elections to Be Vested in an Election Commission Next →Article 326: Elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States to Be on the Basis of Adult Suffrage

The text above reproduces Article 325 of the Constitution of India as amended to date, for general educational reference. It is public-domain legislative text, but we recommend cross-checking the authoritative version at legislative.gov.in or india.gov.in before relying on it for a legal matter. The explanation, examples and FAQs are general information, not legal advice — consult a qualified advocate for guidance on your specific situation.