Indian Constitution adopted the idea of 'Universal Adult Franchise' at the very inception of being a republic. What kind of a social change does it denote?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Modernisation
Option (1) Secularisation — Incorrect. Secularisation is the decline in the influence of religion in public life. Giving every adult the vote is about who takes part in politics, not about the place of religion.
Option (2) Modernisation — Correct. Modernity assumes that local ties and parochial perspectives give way to universal commitments, that the individual rather than the group becomes the primary unit of society and politics, and that identity is achieved, not ascribed by birth. Universal adult franchise gives every adult an equal vote, whatever the caste, religion or family a person is born into, so it makes the individual citizen the unit of politics: a modern principle built into the Constitution from the start.
Option (3) Westernisation — Incorrect. Westernisation means the changes in Indian society and culture that came from over 150 years of British rule. Universal adult franchise was not a legacy of that rule; it was a radical departure from the days of colonial rule, when ordinary people had to submit to colonial officers, and even in Britain voting rights were long limited to property-owning men.
Option (4) Globalisation — Incorrect. Globalisation is the growing link of economies and cultures across the world. A constitutional right to vote within India has nothing to do with it.
Note: This is an application-based question. The NCERT book gives the concept of modernisation: the individual, not the group, becomes the primary unit of society and politics, and identity is achieved, not ascribed by birth. Universal adult franchise gives every adult citizen one equal vote whatever the caste, religion or family of birth, so applying the concept makes it a sign of modernisation.
NCERT (2025-26): “Modernisation and Secularisation … In other words it means that people are influenced not just by local but universal contexts. How you behave, what you think is no longer decided by your family or tribe or caste or community. What job you wish to do is decided not by the job your parent does, but by what you wish to do. Work gets based on choice, not birth. On whom you are depend on what you achieve, not by who you are. A scientific attitude gains ground.” “Social Change and Development in India — Chapter 8, The Right to Vote: … Universal adult franchise, or the right of every adult to vote, is one of the foremost rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. It means that we cannot be governed by anyone other than the people we have ourselves elected to represent us. This right is a radical departure from the days of colonial rule when ordinary people were forced to submit to the authority of colonial officers who represented the interests of the British Crown. However, even in Britain, not everyone was allowed to vote. Voting rights were limited to property-owning men.…” |