Question

Which of the following statements are wrong regarding the First General Election of India

1. INC won 364 seats and the Communist Party of India (CPI) was second with 16 seats.
2. The first Election Commissioner of India was Sukumar Sen.
3. A total of 30 political parties contested for 489 seats,
4. Before the actual elections, a mock election was conducted in September 1951

• A. All
• B. ii only
• C. iii, iv
• D. iii only

Answer 1

Answer:

D. iii only

The first general election of India

• India was governed by an interim legislature known as the Indian Constituent Assembly from August 1947 until the first general elections.
• Before the actual elections, a mock election was conducted in September 1951 because many people in the country were unfamiliar with the election process.
• The first general election of India took place in 1951-1952 and was a significant milestone in the country's history.
• Sukumar Sen served as the first Election Commissioner of India.
• These elections were based on universal adult suffrage, allowing anyone over the age of 21 to cast their vote.
• A total of 53 political parties contested for 489 seats, with approximately 1874 candidates from various parties. Some constituencies had multiple seats.
• Out of a total population of 36 crores, approximately 17.32 crores were eligible to vote. The voter turnout in the first general elections was 45%.
• Although the election process began in October 1951, the majority of the country voted in January-February of 1952.

Results

• The INC won the elections by a significant margin, receiving four times as many votes as the second-largest party.
• It secured 364 seats, while the Communist Party of India (CPI) came second with 16 seats. Almost 45% of the votes went to the INC.
• Two members of the Anglo-Indian community were nominated to the Lok Sabha.

Prominent Winners:

• Prominent leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sucheta Kripalani, Gulzari Lal Nanda, Kakasaheb Kalelkar, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, among others, emerged as winners.
• B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, lost to INC candidate Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar in the Bombay (North-Central) seat.