GS Paper II · Elections & Bodies
Elections Current Affairs for UPSC (GS Paper II)
From the syllabus: Salient features of the Representation of People's Act; appointment to various constitutional posts, powers, functions of constitutional bodies; statutory, regulatory and quasi-judicial bodies
Why it matters: Questions test electoral malpractices, campaign finance transparency, and reforms proposed to maintain the integrity of the democratic voting process.
In the news
October 2026
13 Oct 2026
Karnataka Continues Investigation into Fraudulent Form 7 Voter DeletionsThe Karnataka government announced that investigations will persist into organized attempts to delete genuine voters from electoral rolls through the misuse of Form 7 applications. Authorities revealed that hundreds of thousands of...
12 Oct 2026
Supreme Court move challenges electoral and administrative transparencySenior political leaders visited the Supreme Court Registry to file petitions seeking an independent judicial probe into controversial administrative and electoral processes. The legal challenge highlights ongoing tensions between...
11 Oct 2026
Runoff Election in Brazil Highlights Two-Round Majoritarian VotingBrazil's presidential election is advancing to a second-round runoff between the two leading contenders after neither candidate secured an absolute majority in the first round. The runoff system ensures that the ultimate winner commands...
09 Oct 2026Telangana
Electoral Roll Revision Raises Deletion Concerns in TelanganaThe ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Telangana has raised significant concerns, with projections suggesting a net deletion of 70 lakh or more names from the state's electoral rolls. Civil society groups and political...
06 Oct 2026
Vacant tribunals delay West Bengal bypolls voter appealsAround 19,000 voters in West Bengal may miss upcoming bypolls as their appeals remain pending before state appellate tribunals. Out of the 19 tribunals established by the Election Commission, only 16 are functional due to the...
06 Oct 2026Telangana
High Court directs ECI on Special Intensive RevisionThe Telangana High Court has directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to secure clear instructions regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) procedures. This directive follows allegations by political parties and...
04 Oct 2026
Concerns Raised Over Universal Franchise in Special Intensive RevisionsThe Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has sparked discussion regarding the potential exclusion of eligible voters during electoral roll updates. Legal analysts emphasize the need to balance clean...
04 Oct 2026
State election machinery prepares for reorganized local body pollsFollowing extensive delimitation and reorganization of rural local bodies, State Election Commissions across multiple states have announced multi-phase panchayat elections covering Zila Parishads and village panchayats. The exercise...
01 Oct 2026
Allegations Over Misuse of Form-7 Trigger Electoral Roll ScrutinyIn Belagavi, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) reported receiving bulk submissions of Form-7 seeking the deletion of specific voters from electoral rolls, prompting administrative scrutiny. Under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960,...
01 Oct 2026
NGO Raises Concerns Over Low Homeless Voter Enrolment in DelhiA civil society organization wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi, pointing out that only 747 enrolment applications were received from homeless citizens during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive. Estimates suggest...
September 2026
28 Sep 2026
Supreme Court Moved Over Special Intensive Revision of Electoral RollsA petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking a time-bound independent inquiry and a stay on the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across several States and Union Territories. The plea raised...
28 Sep 2026
Form 26 and Electoral Disclosure Mandates Under Judicial ReviewLegal disputes concerning the rejection of candidate nomination papers have brought Form 26 disclosures back under national scrutiny. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and Supreme Court rulings, candidates must submit...
19 Sep 2026
Ward Delimitation and Local Body Elections in OdishaThe Odisha state government has revised its schedule for ward delimitation and seat reservation in preparation for upcoming urban local body polls. Citizens can file appeals regarding the provisional notifications through a designated...
13 Sep 2026
Civil Servants Quitting to Contest Polls Cannot Claim Reinstatement: High CourtThe Rajasthan High Court ruled that a government employee who resigns to contest elections as a candidate of a political party cannot seek reinstatement if defeated. The court upheld that active political participation while in...
02 Sep 2026
Electoral Roll Revisions Highlight Transparency ConcernsDeletions during Summary Intensive Revisions of electoral rolls in several states have raised concerns regarding administrative transparency and voter exclusion. Opposition political parties claimed that a vast number of deleted voters...
August 2026
29 Aug 2026
Procedural Scrutiny Over Electoral Roll Name DeletionsConcerns have been raised regarding large-scale voter name deletions from electoral rolls in southern states including Telangana and Karnataka. Public interest petitions and civil society groups have requested detailed guidelines and...
28 Aug 2026
Election Commission of India acts against bulk online voter deletion requestsConcerns over potential voter suppression have prompted discussion on the Election Commission of India's (ECI) process for handling bulk online applications for voter registration deletions. Under Form 7 of the Registration of Electors...
28 Aug 2026
ECI Urged to Restrict Bulk Applications for Voter Name DeletsPublic interest concerns have been raised regarding the widespread practice of filing bulk applications for the deletion of voters from electoral rolls. Critics argue that unauthorized or mass deletion requests undermine electoral...
27 Aug 2026
Concerns Raised Over Bulk Deletion Filings in Electoral RollsConcerns have been raised regarding the misuse of bulk applications filed for deleting names from electoral rolls, prompting calls for stricter regulatory oversight by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Arbitrary or unauthorized...
25 Aug 2026
Simultaneous Elections Possible by 2029, High-Level Panel IndicatesThe head of the high-level committee on simultaneous elections stated that holding synchronized elections for the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and local bodies is feasible by 2029. Implementing the 'One Nation, One Election'...
20 Aug 2026
Special Summary Revision and Electoral Roll VerificationThe Election Commission of India has initiated verification processes to clean electoral rolls, addressing logical discrepancies and unverified entries across states. While ensuring accurate voter lists is essential for free and fair...
18 Aug 2026
Global Discussions Highlight Electoral Identity BenchmarksRecent global democratic debates have highlighted India's robust voter identification mechanism managed by the Election Commission of India. Universal photo identity cards (EPIC) and continuous voter roll verification are recognized...
July 2026
19 Jul 2026
Delimitation Discrepancies: Oral Assurances vs Written BillsConcerns have emerged regarding the alignment of delimitation Bills introduced in Parliament with the verbal promises made by senior leadership. Analysts point out that the legislative texts do not fully reflect the oral assurances of...
11 Jul 2026
Joint Panel States One Nation One Election May Be Ready by 2029The joint committee chairperson P.P. Chaudhary announced that the administrative mechanism for the One Nation, One Election model is expected to be ready for rollout by 2029. He claimed that nearly 99 percent of the civil society...
Practise Elections
10 of our latest questions on this topic (out of 17).
Question 1 of 10
Under the statutory framework of the Election Commission of India, what is the specific purpose of 'Form 7'?
Mains practice
Analyze how regulatory interventions and targeted policy revisions, such as financial inclusion monitoring for vulnerable communities, healthcare margin controls, and electoral roll updates, play a critical role in balancing state-led welfare with systemic transparency in India. Discuss the challenges in implementing these measures without causing unintended exclusions.
15 marks
The modern welfare state faces a dual challenge: pursuing systemic efficiency and technological precision while ensuring deep democratic and social inclusion. Analyze this statement in the light of recent developments in electoral management, indirect taxation, and large-scale public utility delivery in India.
15 marks
The realization of India's developmental and governance objectives depends on strengthening grassroots institutional mechanisms alongside modern regulatory and technological frameworks. Analyze this statement in the context of recent challenges in electoral roll administration, digital payment ecosystems, and decentralized rural resource management.
15 marks
Previous years' questions
Past exam questions sorted by topic are coming here. Until then, the full papers are in our previous papers library.