Meaning and significance of Universal Adult Franchise:

(i) Meaning: The right of the people to vote and elect their representatives is called franchise. The word franchise is derived from the French word 'franc' which means 'free'. It means free exercise of the right to choose one's representatives. Adult franchise means that the right to vote should be given to all adult citizens without the discrimination of caste, class, colour, religion or sex.

(ii) Significance:

(a) It is based on equality is a basic principle of democracy. It demands that the right to vote should be equally available among all. To deny any class of persons from exercising this right is to violate their right to equality. In fact, the spirit of democracy can be maintained only if the people are given the right to vote without any discrimination.

(b) The exercise of right to vote adds to the individual's self-respect, dignity, sense of responsibility, and political and civic education. In other words, the system of adult franchise is the bedrock of a democratic system.

(c) People are called political sovereigns because they possess the right to vote a government into power, or to vote a government) out of power. That is why democracy has) sometimes been described as a mode of appointing, controlling and dismissing) governments by the people.

(d) As provided for, in the Constitution of the level, the citizen cast their votes at regular | intervals to elect their representative to the Parliament, to the Legislative Assemblies, and such other institutions are essential organs of political power in a democracy.