No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex

Article 325, Constitution of India 1950

There shall be one general electoral roll for every territorial constituency for election to either House of Parliament or to the House or either House of the Legislature of a State and no person shall be ineligible for inclusion in any such roll or claim to be included in any special electoral roll for any such constituency on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them.

Draft Article 289A (Article 325 of Constitution of India 1950) was absent in the Draft Constitution 1948. The Drafting Committee Chairman introduced this provision on 16 June 1949. The Draft Article stated that there would be only one electoral roll for each constituency for election to Parliament and State legislatures. It also stated that no person would be excluded from the rolls on account of religion, race, caste, or sex.

The objective behind the provision, the Drafting Committee Chairman said, was to categorically state that there would be no separate electorates for minorities.

Draft Article 289A was adopted on the same day without debate.