New Delhi, Oct. 26 -- During the British Raj, only the wealthy and the educated enjoyed the right to vote. After India won freedom, one of the first tasks of the leadership was to expand the electoral rolls to include all eligible adults. This was a formidable task as Partition refugees were still streaming into the country, princely states were yet to be integrated, and the rules of citizenship weren't finalized by the constituent assembly.

Despite stiff odds, independent India's first draft electoral roll was ready even before the Constitution had been enacted. A small team of civil servants ensured that even the most marginalized inhabitants found a place in the list of voters.

When Bengali refugees from what was East Pakistan then c...