Every adult citizen has the right to vote and every vote has equal value.
Explanation
Universal Adult Franchise is a foundational principle of the Indian Constitution, enshrined in Article 326. It ensures political equality by granting the right to vote to all adult citizens without discrimination based on caste, race, religion, sex, descent, place of birth, or residence.Option Analysis:
- Every adult citizen has the right to vote and every vote has equal value. is Correct: The essence of Universal Adult Franchise is that every citizen who has attained the age of 18 years (lowered from 21 by the 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988) is entitled to vote. Furthermore, it upholds the democratic maxim of "one person, one vote, one value," meaning every vote has equal weight regardless of the voter's socio-economic status.
- Voting rights are restricted to citizens with specific educational qualifications. is Incorrect: The Constitution of India explicitly rejected the pre-independence colonial practice (seen in Acts like the Government of India Act, 1935) which restricted voting rights based on property, tax, or educational qualifications.
- Voting is compulsory for all citizens above a certain age. is Incorrect: Universal Adult Franchise defines the eligibility and right to vote, not the compulsion to do so. Voting is not legally mandatory for citizens in India.
- The President selects voters based on merit. is Incorrect: Voters are not selected by the President based on merit. The electoral roll is prepared by the Election Commission of India based strictly on citizenship and age eligibility criteria.
Key Takeaway: Universal Adult Franchise guarantees political equality by ensuring that every adult citizen possesses the right to vote and that every vote counts equally, thereby establishing a broad-based democracy.