How the Election Commission, and two key laws from the 1950s, govern how elections are conducted in India.
Established under Article 324, the ECI superintends, directs and controls elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President (but not local body elections — those go through State Election Commissions). It consists of a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners as the President may decide.
For decades, appointments were made solely at the discretion of the executive. After the Supreme Court's ruling in Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (2023), Parliament enacted the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which provides for a selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
A set of guidelines for political parties and candidates during elections, covering campaign conduct, manifestos, and the use of official machinery. Notably, it has no direct statutory backing — it is enforced through the moral authority and administrative powers of the Election Commission, and by invoking related provisions of the RPA and IPC where applicable.
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