Section 17: Section 17 – No Person to Be Registered in More Than One Constituency

Overview

Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, is a crucial provision ensuring the integrity of India’s electoral process. It specifically addresses the registration of voters and prevents any individual from being enrolled in more than one constituency. This is fundamental to the principle of ‘one person, one vote’ and maintaining the purity of electoral rolls.

Key Provisions

• Prohibition of Multiple Registrations: The core of this section is a strict prohibition. No person can be registered as an elector in more than one constituency.
• Ensuring Electoral Integrity: This section is designed to prevent individuals from voting more than once in an election, thereby safeguarding the fairness and accuracy of the electoral process.
• Role of BLOs: During Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR), Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are specifically tasked with identifying and removing duplicate entries, particularly when voters have shifted residences.

Impact on Voters and Electoral Rolls

Section 17 directly impacts citizens by ensuring their voting rights are exercised only once, in their designated constituency. It affects the structure of electoral rolls by requiring constant vigilance to eliminate duplicate registrations. This leads to cleaner, more accurate rolls, which are essential for free and fair elections. The section also impacts constituency boundaries indirectly, as accurate rolls are needed to determine proper representation.

Practical Examples

• Example 1: Simple Scenario – Ramesh lives in Delhi and is registered to vote there. He moves to Mumbai for work. He *cannot* simultaneously be registered as a voter in both Delhi and Mumbai. He must either retain his Delhi registration or get registered in Mumbai, but not both.
• Example 2: Slightly Complex Case – Priya owns a house in Bangalore and a flat in Chennai. She primarily resides in Bangalore but occasionally visits Chennai. She can only be registered as a voter in the constituency where she ordinarily resides – in this case, Bangalore. Her ownership of property in Chennai does not grant her voting rights there.

Related Sections / Rules

Section 17 works closely with several other provisions. Section 23 of the RPA 1950 deals with the removal of names from electoral rolls, which is often a consequence of discovering a duplicate registration under Section 17. The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, particularly Rule 26 regarding claims and objections, and Rule 27 regarding the summary revision of electoral rolls, provide the procedural framework for implementing Section 17. Section 19 regarding qualifications for registration is also relevant as it defines who *can* be registered, and Section 17 builds upon that by limiting *where* they can be registered.