1951- 1952 Lok Sabha
General elections were conducted in India from 25 October 1951 to 21 February 1952. Following India’s independence on 15 August 1947, an Election Commission was established two years later. In March 1950, Sukumar Sen assumed the position of the first Chief Election Commissioner. Soon after, the Indian Parliament enacted the Representation of the People Act in April 1950, outlining the election procedures for the Parliament and state legislatures. This election was held in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Constitution, which had been adopted on 26 November 1949. Concurrently, elections for most state legislatures were also held.The Lok Sabha elections saw a participation of 1,949 candidates vying for 489 seats. Remarkably, out of an estimated total population of 360 million, more than 173 million individuals were eligible to vote. This election stood as the largest of its time. However, the voter turnout reached 45.7%.The Indian National Congress (INC) secured a sweeping victory by capturing 364 out of the 489 seats and amassing 45% of the total votes. This lead was more than four times the number of votes received by the second-largest party. Consequently, Jawaharlal Nehru emerged as the nation’s first democratically elected Prime Minister.Subsequent to the adoption of the constitution on 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly continued to function as the interim parliament. Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, the interim cabinet, consisting of 15 members from diverse backgrounds and parties, was formed. However, certain members of this cabinet resigned from their positions to establish their own parties and participate in the elections.The electorate for the elections encompassed 173,212,343 registered voters, excluding Jammu and Kashmir, from a total population of 361,088,090 according to the 1951 Census of India. Every Indian citizen aged 21 or above was eligible to cast their vote.At polling booths, each candidate was assigned a uniquely colored ballot box, displaying their name and symbol. To manage the vast electoral rolls, 16,500 clerks were employed on a six-month contract, and approximately 380,000 reams of paper were utilized for printing.Due to the challenging logistics and harsh climate, the election was conducted in 68 phases. A total of 196,084 polling booths were established, with 27,527 booths reserved for women. With the exception of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, all states voted between February and March 1952. Voting for Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir didn’t commence until 1967. The initial votes of the election were cast in the Chini tehsil (district) of Himachal Pradesh.The election elected 489 members to the lower house of the Indian Parliament, distributed across 401 constituencies in 25 Indian states. Among these, 314 constituencies elected one member through the first-past-the-post system. In addition, 86 constituencies elected two members, one from the general category and one from Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes. One constituency was represented by three elected members. The creation of multi-seat constituencies aimed to fulfill constitutional reservations for marginalized sections, although these were later abolished in the 1960s.During this time, the constitution also allowed for two Anglo-Indian members to be nominated by the President of India.
Results of Political Parties
| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|
| Indian National Congress | 47,665,951 | 44.99 | 364 |
| Independents | 16,850,089 | 15.9 | 37 |
| Communist Party of India | 3,487,401 | 3.29 | 16 |
| Socialist Party | 11,216,719 | 10.59 | 12 |
| Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party | 6,135,978 | 5.79 | 9 |
| People’s Democratic Front | 1,367,404 | 1.29 | 7 |
| All India Ganatantra Parishad | 959,749 | 0.91 | 6 |
| Hindu Mahasabha | 1,003,034 | 0.95 | 4 |
| Shiromani Akali Dal | 1,047,611 | 0.99 | 4 |
| Tamil Nadu Toilers’ Party | 889,292 | 0.84 | 4 |
| Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad | 2,091,898 | 1.97 | 3 |
| Bharatiya Jana Sangh | 3,246,361 | 3.06 | 3 |
| Commonweal Party | 325,398 | 0.31 | 3 |
| Jharkhand Party | 749,702 | 0.71 | 3 |
| Revolutionary Socialist Party | 468,108 | 0.44 | 3 |
| Lok Sewak Sangh | 309,940 | 0.28 | 2 |
| Peasants and Workers Party of India | 992,187 | 0.94 | 2 |
| Scheduled Castes Federation | 2,521,695 | 2.38 | 2 |
| Chota Nagpur Santhal Parganas Janata Party | 236,094 | 0.22 | 1 |
| Forward Bloc (Marxist) | 963,058 | 0.91 | 1 |
| Indian Union Muslim League | 79,470 | 0.08 | 1 |
| Krishikar Lok Party | 1,489,615 | 1.41 | 1 |
| Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress | 115,893 | 0.11 | 1 |
| All India Forward Bloc (Ruikar) | 133,936 | 0.13 | 0 |
| All India Republican Party (REP) | 44,286 | 0.04 | 0 |
| All India Republican Party (RPP) | 57,815 | 0.05 | 0 |
| All India United Kisan Sabha | 60,254 | 0.06 | 0 |
| All Manipur National Union | 22,083 | 0.02 | 0 |
| All People’s Party | 36,851 | 0.03 | 0 |
| Bolshevik Party of India | 25,792 | 0.02 | 0 |
| Cochin Party | 8,947 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Gandhi Sebak Seva | 7,196 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Hill People Party | 17,350 | 0.02 | 0 |
| Historical Research | 1,468 | 0 | 0 |
| Hyderabad State Praja Party | 7,646 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Justice Party | 63,254 | 0.06 | 0 |
| Kamgar Kisan Paksha | 132,574 | 0.13 | 0 |
| Kerala Socialist Party | 102,098 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Khasi-Jaintia Durbar | 32,987 | 0.03 | 0 |
| Kisan Janta Sanyukta Party | 6,390 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Kisan Mazdoor Mandal | 8,808 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Kuki National Association | 12,155 | 0.01 | 0 |
| National Party of India | 3,232 | 0 | 0 |
| Praja Party | 16,955 | 0.02 | 0 |
| Punjab Depressed Class League | 11,789 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Pursharathi Panchayat | 10,778 | 0.01 | 0 |
| Revolutionary Communist Party of India | 67,275 | 0.06 | 0 |
| S.K. Paksha | 137,343 | 0.13 | 0 |
| Saurashtra Khedut Sangh | 29,766 | 0.03 | 0 |
| Tamil Nadu Congress Party | 36,158 | 0.03 | 0 |
| Tribal Sangha | 116,629 | 0.11 | 0 |
| Uttar Pradesh Praja Party | 213,656 | 0.2 | 0 |
| Uttar Pradesh Revolutionary Socialist Party | 20,665 | 0.02 | 0 |
| Zamindar Party | 291,300 | 0.27 | 0 |
| Appointed members | | | 10 |
| Total | 105,950,083 | 100 | 499 |
|---|
Lok Sabha Members
| Position | Name | From | To | Days in office |
|---|
| 01 | Speaker | G.V. Mavlankar | 8 May 1952 | 27 Feb 1956 |
| | M.A. Ayyangar | 8 Mar 1956 | 10 May 1957 |
| 02 | Deputy Speaker | M.A. Ayyangar | 30 May 1952 | 7 Mar 1956 |
| | Sardar H. Singh | 20 Mar 1956 | 4 Apr 1957 |
| 03 | Secretary-General | M.N. Kaul | 17 Apr 1952 | 4 Apr 1957 |
| 04 | Leader of the House | Jawaharlal Nehru | 17 Apr 1952 | 4 Apr 1957 |
| 05 | Leader of the Opposition | A K Gopalan | 17 Apr 1952 | 4 Apr 1957 |
In terms of political parties, a total of 53 parties and 533 independent candidates contested the 489 seats. Some ministers resigned from their positions to establish their own parties for the election. For instance, Syama Prasad Mukherjee founded the Jana Sangh in October 1951, while Law Minister B. R. Ambedkar revived the Scheduled Castes Federation (later renamed the Republican Party). Purushottam Das Tandon, the president of the Congress party, also stepped down due to disagreements with Nehru. Additional parties like the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Parishad, led by Acharya Kripalani; the Socialist Party led by Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan; and the Communist Party of India gained prominence during this period. Despite their emergence, these smaller parties were unable to mount a substantial challenge against the Indian National Congress.