NCERT Solutions for Class 8th Social Science Chapter 5 Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
Universal adult franchise means one adult, one vote, and every vote of equal value. Every Indian citizen aged 18 and above may vote — irrespective of caste, creed, race, religion, gender, education or income. That is what the word ‘universal’ carries. It rests on Article 326 of the Constitution and applies to the Lok Sabha, to every state and union territory assembly, and to all local elections in villages and cities. No one may vote on another’s behalf, and a person convicted of certain serious crimes is barred from voting. The Constitution makers took this decision at the outset, and it was a bold one. In 1947 India’s literacy rate was about 14 per cent — only about 8 per cent among women — and some argued the vote should go only to literate people. Before Independence roughly 13 per cen
- Chapter opening
- Universal Adult Franchise
- Fig. 5.4
- Bridging Barriers, Enabling Participation
- Election for class representative
- Managing the electoral process
- Model Code of Conduct
- After the DON’T MISS OUT box on T.N. Seshan
- Election to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies
- Election of the President of India
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | What the book says about it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise | A right granted by the constitution or government | Margin note, page 118 | ‘Suffrage’ is a synonym of franchise |
| Universal adult franchise | Every adult citizen gets one vote, and all votes have equal value | ‘Universal Adult Franchise’, page 118 | Age 18 and above, irrespective of caste, creed, race, religion, gender, education, income; Article 326 |
| Constituency | An area whose voters elect a representative to a legislative body | Margin note, page 119 | 543 constituencies for the Lok Sabha; a Lok Sabha constituency may contain two or more assembly constituencies |
| System | A group of interconnected or interdependent elements that work together to achieve a common purpose or function | Margin note, page 119 | Used to explain what an ‘electoral system’ is |
| Election Commission of India (ECI) | The independent constitutional body responsible for conducting free and fair elections | ‘Election Commission of India — A brief introduction’, page 126 | Established 1950; conducts Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, state assembly, President and Vice President elections |
| Secret ballot | A vote cast so that no one knows who voted for whom | The Suryodaya School caselet, page 124 | Ms. Usha explained the rules “ensuring the process was private and fair” |
| NOTA | ‘None Of The Above’ — the option to reject all candidates | DON’T MISS OUT, page 125 | It doesn’t change the result but sends a message — voters want better choices |
| EVM | Electronic voting machine; the voter presses a button and hears a beep | Fig. 5.13, page 129; Fig. 5.16, page 130 | Used with ECI support in Namibia and Bhutan; other countries have received training from India |
| VVPAT | Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail — a printed slip that lets the voter verify the vote was cast correctly | LET’S EXPLORE, page 130 | A backup for verification and recounting in case of disputes or failures of the electronic system |
| Model Code of Conduct (MCC) | The dos and don’ts for leaders, parties and candidates during an election | ‘Model Code of Conduct (MCC)’, page 130 | Adopted in Kerala 1960; circulated by the ECI in 1962; the ECI proactive from 1991 |
| First-Past-the-Post | The candidate receiving the most votes in a constituency wins | Page 132–133 | A candidate can win without securing even 50 per cent of the total votes |
| Coalition | A group of two or more parties working together | Margin note, page 133 | A party or coalition with a majority in the Lok Sabha forms the national government |
| Indirect election | Voters elect representatives, who in turn elect someone else | ‘Election to the Rajya Sabha’, page 134 | 233 of the 245 Rajya Sabha members are elected by MLAs; 12 are nominated by the President |
| Single transferable vote | A special voting method in which voters rank candidates by preference | Pages 134–137 | Used for the Rajya Sabha, the President and the Vice President; ensures smaller states get fair representation |
| Dissolution | Expiry or termination due to the end of its term or other Constitutional reason | Margin note, page 134 | The Rajya Sabha is the Permanent House — it is never dissolved |
| Bicameral legislature | A system where the legislative body is divided into two separate chambers or houses | Margin note, page 136 | Members of Legislative Councils in such states do not vote in the presidential election |
| Electoral college | The specific group of elected representatives who vote in an indirect election | ‘Election of the President of India’, page 136 | MPs of both Houses + MLAs of the states and of Delhi and Puducherry |
Exercises
- Chapter opening — The Big Questions Page 117
- Universal Adult Franchise — LET’S EXPLORE Page 118
- Universal Adult Franchise — In-text Questions Page 118
- Universal Adult Franchise — LET’S EXPLORE Page 120
- Fig. 5.4 — In-text Questions Page 120
- Bridging Barriers, Enabling Participation: Ensuring Universal Franchise — LET’S EXPLORE Page 121
- Bridging Barriers, Enabling Participation — LET’S EXPLORE Page 123
- Election for class representative — LET’S EXPLORE Page 125
- Managing the electoral process — LET’S EXPLORE Page 128
- Model Code of Conduct — LET’S EXPLORE Page 131
- After the DON’T MISS OUT box on T.N. Seshan — LET’S EXPLORE Page 132
- Election to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies — DON’T MISS OUT Page 133
- Election to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies — LET’S EXPLORE Page 134
- Election of the President of India — THINK ABOUT IT Page 136
- End of chapter — Questions and activities Page 138