"[India] adopted the principle of adult franchise with the abundant faith in the common man and the ultimate success of democratic rule ... never before in the history of the world has such an experiment been so boldly undertaken."

- Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar
November 1949, Constituent Assembly Debates

The Constitution makers decided that universal adult franchise would be a feature of Indian democracy right from the outset. This means that every adult citizen gets one vote, and all votes have equal value. Hence, every Indian citizen aged 18 (India changed the minimum age for voting from 21 to 18 in 1988) and above has the right to vote - irrespective of caste, creed, race, religion, gender, education, income, etc. 

Universal franchise is a cornerstone of Indian democracy. Elections to the Lok Sabha, the legislative assembly of every state and union terrirtory, and all the local elections in villages and cities are based on universal franchise (Article 326 of the Constitution).