Institution
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India is the permanent constitutional body that runs the country's elections. Under Article 324 of the Constitution it holds the superintendence, direction and control of the electoral rolls and of elections to Parliament, the State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President. A three-member commission — a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners with equal powers — it also enforces the Model Code of Conduct once polls are called. It is the referee of Indian democracy, and its independence is the institution's central claim.
Updated
- Established
- 25 January 1950
- Constitutional basis
- Article 324
- Composition
- Chief Election Commissioner + 2 Election Commissioners
- Appointments
- Selection Committee under the 2023 Act
- Chief Election Commissioner (current)
- Gyanesh Kumar, since February 2025
Role
The Election Commission of India is the independent constitutional authority that conducts India’s elections. Article 324 vests in it the “superintendence, direction and control” of the preparation of the electoral rolls and of all elections to Parliament, the State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President. Its statutory machinery comes from the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951. Once an election is announced, the Commission also enforces the Model Code of Conduct, the set of restraints on governments and parties during the campaign.
Composition and appointment
The Commission is a three-member body: a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners, all with equal powers, deciding by majority. How its members are chosen changed twice in quick succession. In Anoop Baranwal (March 2023) the Supreme Court ruled that appointments could not rest with the executive alone and, as an interim measure, put the appointment in the hands of a panel of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice. Parliament then enacted the 2023 Appointment Act, which set a Selection Committee of the Prime Minister, a Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister, and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha — replacing the Chief Justice on the panel. The composition of that committee is the live fault line in debates over the Commission’s independence.
What it is doing now
Since mid-2025 the Commission’s defining exercise has been the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls — a house-to-house re-enumeration that began in Bihar and is now being rolled out nationwide. It is the most contested electoral-administration exercise in years, and the subject of both a Supreme Court challenge and a joint opposition petition to the Chief Justice. IndiaStand maintains a dedicated topic brief on it: the Special Intensive Revision of India’s electoral rolls.
Desk maintained by IndiaStand editorial cycles. Officeholders are transient; this dossier tracks the institution.
Timeline since 1947
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Election Commission of India established
Constituted under Article 324, a day before the Constitution came into force. The date is now observed as National Voters' Day.
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First general election machinery
The Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951 gave the Commission its statutory framework for rolls and the conduct of elections; India's first general election followed in 1951–52.
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Became a multi-member body
Two Election Commissioners were added alongside the Chief Election Commissioner; after a reversion, the three-member structure was made permanent in 1993 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 1995 (T.N. Seshan).
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Supreme Court reforms appointments (Anoop Baranwal)
A Constitution Bench held that appointments must not rest with the executive alone, and directed — until Parliament legislated — a panel of the PM, the Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha) and the Chief Justice of India.
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New appointments law enacted
The CEC and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 set a Selection Committee of the PM, a PM-nominated Cabinet Minister and the Leader of Opposition — replacing the Chief Justice on the panel.
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Bihar Special Intensive Revision ordered
The Commission ordered a house-to-house Special Intensive Revision of Bihar's electoral roll ahead of the state election — the first such intensive revision in the state since 2003.
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Bihar final roll published
Around 47 lakh electors (~6%) were removed as deceased, shifted, duplicate or otherwise ineligible, in an exercise the Commission framed around roll accuracy and detecting non-citizens.
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SIR Phase III announced
The Commission extended the Special Intensive Revision to a further 16 states and 3 Union Territories, after a Phase II covering 9 states and 3 UTs — taking the drive nationwide.
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Supreme Court upholds the Bihar SIR
The Court held the revision consistent with the Representation of the People Act and not disproportionate, after earlier directing the Commission to accept Aadhaar and voter-ID as identity documents and to publish booth-level lists of deletions.
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Opposition parties petition the Chief Justice
Twenty-three opposition parties and an Independent MP wrote to the Chief Justice of India alleging partisanship in the roll revision and seeking relief; the Commission rejected the charge.
Frequently asked
- What is Election Commission of India?
- The Election Commission of India is the permanent constitutional body that runs the country's elections. Under Article 324 of the Constitution it holds the superintendence, direction and control of the electoral rolls and of elections to Parliament, the State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President. A three-member commission — a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners with equal powers — it also enforces the Model Code of Conduct once polls are called. It is the referee of Indian democracy, and its independence is the institution's central claim.
- When was Election Commission of India established?
- Election Commission of India was established 25 January 1950.
- What does Election Commission of India do?
- Its remit covers Superintendence, direction and control of elections (Article 324), Preparation and revision of the electoral rolls, Conduct of elections to Parliament and the State Legislatures, Conduct of elections to the offices of President and Vice-President, Enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
- What is the latest on Election Commission of India?
- As of 2026-07-05: Opposition parties petition the Chief Justice. Twenty-three opposition parties and an Independent MP wrote to the Chief Justice of India alleging partisanship in the roll revision and seeking relief; the Commission rejected the charge.