The Election Commission of India (ECI) is an autonomous constitutional institution established to ensure free and fair elections in the country. It was formally instituted on January 25, 1950, a day before India became a Republic, to oversee the first general elections and establish a democratic government based on universal adult suffrage. The ECI is vested with the "superintendence, direction and control" of the entire electoral process by Article 324 of the Constitution of India.
The ECI administers elections to the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha, the State Legislative Assemblies, and the offices of the President and Vice-President. It is not concerned with elections to Panchayats and Municipalities, which are handled by a separate State Election Commission. The ECI's mechanism is governed by Article 324 and is supplemented by laws like the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (for electoral rolls) and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (for election procedures). The Commission, which originally had only a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), has functioned as a multi-member body with a CEC and two Election Commissioners since October 1, 1993.
A significant recent change concerns the appointment of the CEC and Election Commissioners, whose tenure is six years or until the age of 65. The Supreme Court, in Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (2023), ruled that until Parliament made a law, appointments would be made on the recommendation of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India. This interim arrangement was replaced by the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. The 2023 Act replaced the Chief Justice of India with a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister in the selection committee. The CEC can only be removed from office in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court, a protection retained in the 2023 Act.