What is the meaning of adult franchise ?
Adult Franchise means all adult citizens of the country should have the right to vote without any discrimination of class, caste, class, religion, or gender. It is based on the basic principle of democracy, which we call equality. It stresses that the right to vote should be equally available to all. It is the bedrock of a democratic system. It enables all citizens to be involved in the governance of their state.
Franchise literally means the right of the people to vote and elect their representatives. The word franchise is derived from the French word ‘franc’ which means ‘free’. In history, it took much time in making itself a universal law. In fact, this was one of the major demands in the long-drawn struggle for democracy. Till date, not all the countries of the world are practising this law. India had implemented this principle on January 26, 1950. Now the minimum age for exercising franchise is 18 years in our country. One must qualify certain grounds for the adult franchise in India. These are:-
• One must be a citizen of India,
• One must have attained 18 years of age,
• One must not be of unsound mind,
• One must not have been declared bankrupt by a competent court