1951–52 Indian general election: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|none}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox election
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1951 Indian general election
| country = India
| country = India
| type = parliamentary
| type = parliamentary
| previous_election = 1945 Indian general election
| previous_election = 1946 Indian Constituent Assembly election
| previous_year = 1945
| previous_year = 1946
| next_election = 1957 Indian general election
| next_election = 1957 Indian general election
| next_year = 1957
| next_year = 1957
| election_date = {{nowrap|25 October 1951 – 21 February 1952}}
| election_date = {{nowrap|25 October 1951 – 21 February 1952}}
| seats_for_election = 489 of the 499 seats in the [[Lok Sabha]]
| seats_for_election = 489 of the 499 seats in the [[Lok Sabha]]{{efn|Ten members were appointed, including six representing [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], two representing [[Anglo-Indians]], one representing Part B tribal areas in [[Assam]] and one representing the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]}}
| majority_seats = 245
| majority_seats = 245
 
| registered = 173,212,343
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Jnehru.jpg|bSize = 113|cWidth = 113|cHeight = 150|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| image_size = 130x130px
| image1 = Jawaharlal Nehru close-up (cropped).jpg
| leader1 = [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| leader1 = [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| party1 = Indian National Congress
| party1 = Indian National Congress
| leaders_seat1 = [[Phulpur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Phulpur]]
| seats1 = '''364'''
| seats1 = '''364'''
| popular_vote1 = '''47,665,951'''
| popular_vote1 = '''47,665,951'''
| percentage1 = '''44.99%'''
| percentage1 = '''44.99%'''
 
| image2 = {{eppt|Communist Party of India}}
| image2 = <div style="width:115px;"><span style="line-height:150px; vertical-align:center; text-align:center; color:{{party color|Communist Party of India}}; font-size:30px;"> '''CPI'''</span></div>
| leader2 = [[Ajoy Ghosh]]
| leader2 = [[Ajoy Ghosh]]
| leaders_seat2 = Did not contest
| party2 = Communist Party of India
| party2 = Communist Party of India
| seats2 = 16
| seats2 = 16
| popular_vote2 = 3,487,401
| popular_vote2 = 3,487,401
| percentage2 = 3.29%
| percentage2 = 3.29%
 
| image4 = Acharya Narendra Deva.jpg
| image4 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Jawaharlal Nehru with Jayaprakash Narayan (cropped).jpg|bSize = 130|cWidth = 113|cHeight = 150|oTop = 0|oLeft = 5}}
| leader4 = [[Narendra Deva]]
| leader4 = [[Jayaprakash Narayan]]
| party4 = Socialist Party (India, 1948)
| leader4_seat3 =
| party4 = Socialist Party (India)
| seats4 = 12
| seats4 = 12
| popular_vote4 = 11,216,719
| popular_vote4 = 11,216,719
| percentage4 = 10.59%  
| percentage4 = 10.59%
 
| image5 = Acharya_Kripalani_1989_stamp_of_India_(cropped).jpg
| image5 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Acharya Kripalani 1989 stamp of India.jpg|bSize = 113|cWidth = 113|cHeight = 150|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader5 = [[J. B. Kripalani]]
| leader5 = [[Jivatram Kripalani]]
| party5 = Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party
| leaders_seat5 =
| party5 = Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party
| seats5 = 9
| seats5 = 9
| popular_vote5 = 6,135,978
| popular_vote5 = 6,135,978
| percentage5 = 5.79%
| percentage5 = 5.79%
 
| map_image = Indian General Election 1951–1952.svg
| map = [[File:Wahlergebnisse in Indien 1951–1952.svg|300px|lang=en]]
 
| title = [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]
| title = [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]
| posttitle = Prime Minister after election
| posttitle = Prime Minister after election
Line 53: Line 45:
| after_election = [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| after_election = [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
| after_party = Indian National Congress
| after_party = Indian National Congress
| turnout = 45.70%
| elected_members = List of members of the 1st Lok Sabha
}}
}}


'''General elections''' were held in [[India]] between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952. They were the first elections to the [[Lok Sabha]] after independence in August 1947.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lok Sabha Results 1951-52 |publisher=Election Commission of India |url=http://www.elections.in/parliamentary-constituencies/1951-election-results.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Statistical Report on Lok Sabha Elections 1951-52 |publisher=Election Commission of India |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_11_51_LS.PDF }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lok Sabha Elections Stats Summary 1951-52 |publisher=Election Commission of India |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/SR_KeyHighLights/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF }}</ref> It was conducted under the provisions of the [[Indian Constitution]], which was adopted on 26 November 1949. Elections to most of the [[1951–52 elections in India#Legislative Assembly elections|state legislatures took place]] simultaneously.
General elections were held in [[India]] between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952, the first national elections after India gained [[Indian independence movement|independence]] in 1947.<ref>{{cite web|website=The Indian Express|title=How India pulled off its first general election|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-history/india-first-general-election-nehru-9265134/|accessdate=14 April 2024|date=12 April 2024|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/voting-period-of-2024-lok-sabha-polls-longest-since-first-general-elections/articleshow/108550976.cms|title=Lok Sabha polls 2024 to have longest voting period since first general elections|date=16 March 2024|newspaper=The Times of India|access-date=17 March 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317033515/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/voting-period-of-2024-lok-sabha-polls-longest-since-first-general-elections/articleshow/108550976.cms|archive-date=17 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Voting Period Of 2024 Lok Sabha Polls Longest Since First General Elections|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/voting-period-of-2024-lok-sabha-polls-longest-since-first-general-elections-of-1951-52-5251674|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317033515/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/voting-period-of-2024-lok-sabha-polls-longest-since-first-general-elections-of-1951-52-5251674|archive-date=17 March 2024|access-date=17 March 2024}}</ref> Voters elected 489 members of the [[1st Lok Sabha|first Lok Sabha]], the lower house of the [[Parliament of India]]. Elections to most of the [[1951–52 elections in India#Legislative Assembly elections|state legislatures]] were held simultaneously.<ref>{{cite web|website=The Hindu|first1=|title=Elections that shaped India {{!}} The first general elections: a free country in full bloom|url=https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha/first-general-elections-of-india-the-free-country-in-full-bloom/article67702823.ece|accessdate=14 April 2024|date=28 March 2024|language=en-IN}}</ref> It was the first Indian election with full universal franchise.
 
A total of 1,949 candidates competed for 489 seats in the Lok Sabha. More than 173 million people out of an overall population of about 360 million were eligible to vote,<ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-has-nearly-83-crore-voters-brahma/article6805508.ece India has nearly 83 crore voters: Brahma]</ref> making it the largest election conducted at the time. Voter turnout was 45.7%.<ref>[[Dieter Nohlen]], Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I'', p.&nbsp;572 {{ISBN|0-19-924958-X}}</ref>
 
The [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) won a landslide victory, winning 364 of the 489 seats and 45% of the total votes polled. This was over four times as many votes as the second-largest party. [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] became the first democratically elected [[Prime minister of India|Prime Minister]] of the country.
 
== Background ==
India has a parliamentary system of government, where the Cabinet, headed by a Prime Minister, forms the de facto [[Executive (government)|executive]]. Unlike most countries, the elections are conducted by an independent [[Constitutional body (India)|constitutional body]], the [[Election Commission of India]]. [[Sukumar Sen (civil servant)|Sukumar Sen]] was the first [[Election Commissioner of India|election commissioner of India]].
 
After the adoption of the constitution on 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly continued to act as the interim parliament. The interim cabinet was headed by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and consisted of 15 members from diverse communities and parties. Various members of this cabinet resigned from their posts and formed their own parties to contest the elections.


A total of 173,212,343 voters were registered (excluding [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]) out of a population of 361,088,090 according to the [[1951 Census of India]]. All Indian citizens over the age of 21 were eligible to vote.  
The elections were conducted under the provisions of the [[Constitution of India|constitution]] adopted on 26 November 1949. After the adoption of the constitution, the Constituent Assembly continued to act as the interim parliament, while an interim cabinet was headed by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. An Election Commission was created in 1949 and in March 1950 [[Sukumar Sen (civil servant)|Sukumar Sen]] was appointed as the first [[Chief Election Commissioner of India|Chief Election Commissioner]]. A month later parliament passed the [[Representation of the People Act, 1951|Representation of the People Act]] which set out how the elections for parliament and state legislatures would be conducted.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Guha |first=Ramachandra |title=India after Gandhi: the history of the world's largest democracy |date=2022 |publisher=Picador India |isbn=978-93-82616-97-9 |edition=10th anniversary edition, updated and expanded, first published in hardcover |location=New Delhi}}</ref> The 489 elected seats of the [[Lok Sabha]] were allotted across 401 constituencies in 25 states. There were 314 constituencies electing one member using the [[First-past-the-post voting|first-past-the-post]] system. 86 constituencies elected two members, one from the general category and one from [[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes|Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes]]. There was one constituency with three elected representatives.<ref>{{cite web|title=General Election of India 1951, List of Successful Candidate|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008191615/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF|archive-date=8 October 2014|access-date=12 January 2010|publisher=Election Commission of India|page=6}}</ref> The multi-seat constituencies were created as reserved seats for backward sections of society, and were abolished in the 1960s. The constitution at this time also provided for two Anglo-Indian members to be nominated by the [[President of India]].


Each candidate was allotted a differently-coloured ballot box at the polling booth, on which each candidate's name and symbol were written. 16,500 clerks were appointed on a contract of six months to type and collate the electorate rolls and 380,000 reams of paper were used for printing the rolls.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pareek|first=Shabdita|date=2016-01-25|title=This Is How The First General Elections Were Held in Independent India|url=http://www.scoopwhoop.com/This-Is-How-The-First-General-Elections-Were-Held-In-Independent-India/|access-date=2018-12-21|website=ScoopWhoop}}</ref>
A total of 1,949 candidates competed for 489 elected seats in the Lok Sabha. Each candidate was allotted a different coloured ballot box at the polling booth, on which the candidate's name and symbol were written. 16,500 clerks were appointed on a contract of six months to type and collate the electorate rolls and 380,000 reams of paper were used for printing the rolls.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pareek|first=Shabdita|date=2016-01-25|title=This Is How The First General Elections Were Held in Independent India|url=https://www.scoopwhoop.com/This-Is-How-The-First-General-Elections-Were-Held-In-Independent-India/|access-date=2018-12-21|website=ScoopWhoop|archive-date=21 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221230604/https://www.scoopwhoop.com/This-Is-How-The-First-General-Elections-Were-Held-In-Independent-India/|url-status=live}}</ref> A total of 173,212,343 voters were registered (excluding [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]) out of a population of 361,088,090 according to the [[1951 Census of India|1951 census]], making it the largest election conducted at the time. All Indian citizens over the age of 21 were eligible to vote.


Due to the harsh climate and challenging logistics, the election was held in 68 phases.<ref>{{cite web|date=2014-04-28|title=Interesting Facts About India's First General Elections|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/interesting-facts-about-indias-first-general-elections-144418.html|access-date=2018-12-21|website=indiatimes.com}}</ref> A total of 196,084 polling booths were set up, of which 27,527 booths were reserved for women. All states except [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu & Kashmir]] voted in February–March 1952; no polls were held for Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir until 1967. Himachal Pradesh voted in 1951 for the first Lok Sabha; the weather there tends to be inclement in February and March, heavy snow impending free movement.<ref name="DH">[http://www.deccanherald.com/content/289003/indias-first-voter-himachal-pradesh.html India's first voter in Himachal Pradesh], by Gautam Dhmeer, in the ''[[Deccan Herald]]''; published 30 October 2012; retrieved 7 April 2014</ref> The first votes of the election were cast in the [[tehsil]] (district) of Chini in Himachal Pradesh.<ref name="Guha">{{cite book|author=Ramachandra Guha|title=India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy|year=2008|isbn=978-0-06-095858-9}}</ref>
Due to the harsh climate and challenging logistics, the election was held in 68 phases.<ref>{{cite web|date=2014-04-28|title=Interesting Facts About India's First General Elections|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/interesting-facts-about-indias-first-general-elections-144418.html|access-date=2018-12-21|website=indiatimes.com|archive-date=21 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221230737/https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/interesting-facts-about-indias-first-general-elections-144418.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A total of 196,084 polling booths were set up, of which 27,527 booths were reserved for women. The majority of voting took place in early 1952, but [[Himachal Pradesh]] voted in 1951 as its weather was commonly inclement in February and March, with heavy snow impending free movement.<ref name="DH">[http://www.deccanherald.com/content/289003/indias-first-voter-himachal-pradesh.html India's first voter in Himachal Pradesh] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706100617/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/289003/indias-first-voter-himachal-pradesh.html |date=6 July 2017 }}, by Gautam Dhmeer, in the ''[[Deccan Herald]]''; published 30 October 2012; retrieved 7 April 2014</ref> The remainder of states voted in February–March 1952, except for [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu & Kashmir]], where no voting took place for Lok Sabha seats until 1967. The first votes of the election were cast in the [[tehsil]] (district) of Chini in Himachal Pradesh.<ref name="Guha">{{cite book|author=Ramachandra Guha|title=India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy|year=2008|publisher=Harper Collins |isbn=978-0-06-095858-9}}</ref>
[[File:A Congress procession including bullocks and a flag - a pair of bullocks was the election symbol of the Congress Party in 1952.jpg|thumb|A Congress procession including bullocks and a flag - a pair of bullocks was the election symbol of the Congress Party in 1952]]
[[File:A front view of Congress Party election procession featuring a pair of bullocks - the symbol of the Congress Party in 1952.jpg|thumb|A front view of Congress Party election procession featuring a pair of bullocks - the symbol of the Congress Party in 1952]]
[[File:A truck fitted with the model of a Hut, the election symbol of the K.M.P.P. Party (1952).jpg|thumb|A truck fitted with the model of a Hut in 1952, the election symbol of the [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]]]
The result was a landslide victory for the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC), which received 45% of the vote and won 364 of the 489 elected seats. The second-placed [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]] received only 11% of the vote and won twelve seats. [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] became the first democratically elected [[Prime minister of India|Prime Minister]] of the country.


Voters elected 489 members to the lower house of the [[Parliament of India]]. These were allotted across 401 constituencies in 25 Indian states. There were 314 constituencies electing one member using the [[First-past-the-post voting|first-past-the-post]] system. 86 constituencies elected two members, one from the general category and one from [[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes|Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes]]. There was one constituency with three elected representatives.<ref>{{cite web|title=General Election of India 1951, List of Successful Candidate|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008191615/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF|archive-date=8 October 2014|access-date=12 January 2010|publisher=Election Commission of India|page=6}}</ref> These multi-seat constituencies were present to fulfill the reservations granted to backward sections of the society by the Constitution. They were later abolished in the 1960s.
==Contesting parties==
A total of 53 parties and 533 independents contested the 489 seats.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/general-elections-308073-2016-02-10 |title=First general elections in India: All you need to know |date=10 February 2016 |website=India Today |access-date=2018-12-21 |archive-date=21 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721131533/https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/general-elections-308073-2016-02-10 |url-status=live }}</ref>


The Constitution at this time also provided for two Anglo-Indian members to be nominated by the [[President of India]].
Several ministers resigned from their posts and formed their own parties to contest the elections. [[Syama Prasad Mukherjee]] established the [[Jana Sangh]] in October 1951 and Law Minister [[B. R. Ambedkar]] revived the [[Scheduled Castes Federation]] (which was later named the [[Republican Party of India|Republican Party]]). Congress party president [[Purushottam Das Tandon]] resigned from his post because of differences with Nehru.<ref name="Weiner2015">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xz_WCgAAQBAJ&pg=PR11 |title=Party Politics in India |first=Myron |last=Weiner |author-link=Myron Weiner |date=8 December 2015 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |isbn=978-1-4008-7841-3 |pages=78–79 |access-date=5 August 2023 |archive-date=30 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330152556/https://books.google.com/books?id=xz_WCgAAQBAJ&pg=PR11#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="indianexpress1">Varshney, Ashutosh. 28 March 2015. "[http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/faults-and-lines/99/ Faults and lines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031455/https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/faults-and-lines/99/ |date=16 December 2018 }}." ''[[The Indian Express]]''. Retrieved on 16 June 2020.</ref>
 
==Political parties==
A total of 53 parties and 533 independents contested the 489 seats in the election.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/general-elections-308073-2016-02-10 |title=First general elections in India: All you need to know |date=10 February 2016 |website=India Today |access-date=2018-12-21}}</ref> Two former cabinet colleagues of Nehru established separate political parties to challenge the INC's supremacy. While [[Syama Prasad Mukherjee]] went on to found the [[Jana Sangh]] in October 1951, first Law Minister [[B. R. Ambedkar]] revived the [[Scheduled Castes Federation]] (which was later named the [[Republican Party of India|Republican Party]]).
 
Other parties which started coming to the forefront included the [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Parishad]], whose prime mover was [[Acharya Kripalani]]; the [[Socialist Party (India)|Socialist Party]], which had [[Ram Manohar Lohia]] and [[Jayaprakash Narayan]]'s leadership to boast of; and the [[Communist Party of India]]. However, these smaller parties were unable to make an electoral stand against the Indian National Congress.


==Results==
==Results==
Line 86: Line 69:
|image=[[File:Lok Sabha Zusammensetzung 1952.svg|300px]]
|image=[[File:Lok Sabha Zusammensetzung 1952.svg|300px]]
|party1=[[Indian National Congress]]|votes1=47665951|seats1=364
|party1=[[Indian National Congress]]|votes1=47665951|seats1=364
|party2=[[Socialist Party (India)|Socialist Party]]|votes2=11216719|seats2=12
|party2=[[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes2=11216719|seats2=12
|party3=[[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes3=6135978|seats3=9
|party3=[[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes3=6135978|seats3=9
|party4=[[Communist Party of India]]|votes4=3487401|seats4=16
|party4=[[Communist Party of India]]|votes4=3487401|seats4=16
Line 111: Line 94:
|party25=[[Kamgar Kisan Paksha]]|votes25=132574|seats25=0
|party25=[[Kamgar Kisan Paksha]]|votes25=132574|seats25=0
|party26=Tribal Sangha|votes26=116629|seats26=0
|party26=Tribal Sangha|votes26=116629|seats26=0
|party27=[[Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress Party]]|votes27=115893|seats27=1
|party27=[[Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress]]|votes27=115893|seats27=1
|party28=[[Kerala Socialist Party]]|votes28=102098|seats28=0
|party28=[[Kerala Socialist Party]]|votes28=102098|seats28=0
|party29=[[Indian Union Muslim League]]|votes29=79470|seats29=1
|party29=[[Indian Union Muslim League]]|votes29=79470|seats29=1
Line 141: Line 124:
|row55=Appointed members{{efn|Six representing [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], two representing [[Anglo-Indians]], one representing Part B tribal areas in [[Assam]] and one representing the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]].}}|seats55=10
|row55=Appointed members{{efn|Six representing [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], two representing [[Anglo-Indians]], one representing Part B tribal areas in [[Assam]] and one representing the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]].}}|seats55=10
|electorate=173212343
|electorate=173212343
|turnout=44.87
|turnout=
|source=[https://eci.gov.in/files/file/4111-general-election-1951-vol-i-ii/?do=download&r=9734&confirm=1&t=1&csrfKey=6df04992cf2c2fe96a9487465b425663 ECI]
|source=[https://eci.gov.in/files/file/4111-general-election-1951-vol-i-ii/?do=download&r=9734&confirm=1&t=1&csrfKey=6df04992cf2c2fe96a9487465b425663 ECI]
}}{{notelist}}
}}{{notelist}}
===Results by state===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center; font-size: 0.9em;"
! rowspan="3" |State
! rowspan="3" |Total<br>seats
! colspan="13" |Seats won
|-
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[Indian National Congress|INC]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[Communist Party of India|CPI]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|SPI]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party|KMPP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[People's Democratic Front (Hyderabad)|PDF]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[All India Ganatantra Parishad|GP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[Bharatiya Jana Sangh|BJS]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad|RRP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[Scheduled Castes Federation|SCF]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |[[Krishikar Lok Party|KLP]]
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |Others
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |Ind.
! class="unsortable" style="width:40px;" |App.
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Indian National Congress}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Communist Party of India}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Socialist Party (India, 1948)}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party}};;" |
! style="background:{{party color|People's Democratic Front (Hyderabad)}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|All India Ganatantra Parishad}};;" |
! style="background:{{party color|Bharatiya Jana Sangh}};;" |
! style="background:{{party color|Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad}};;" |
! style="background:{{party color|Scheduled Castes Federation}};;" |
! style="background:{{party color|Krishikar Lok Party}};;" |
! style="background:{{party color|Others}};;" |
! style="background:{{party color|Independent}};;" |
!
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]
!1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Assam]]
!13
|11
|
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Ajmer State|Ajmer]]
!2
|2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bhopal State (1949–1956)|Bhopal]]
!2
|2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bihar]]
!55
|45
|
|3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|6
|1
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bilaspur State (1950–1954)|Bilaspur]]
!1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Bombay State|Bombay]]
!45
|40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|
|1
|3
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Coorg State|Coorg]]
!1
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Delhi]]
!4
|3
|
|
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Himachal Pradesh]]
!3
|3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Hyderabad State (1948–1956)|Hyderabad]]
!25
|14
|
|1
|
|7
|
|
|
|1
|
|1
|1
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
!6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|6
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Kutch State|Kutch]]
!2
|2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Madhya Bharat]]
!11
|9
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Madhya Pradesh]]
!29
|27
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Madras State|Madras]]
!75
|35
|8
|2
|6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|9
|15
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Manipur]]
!2
|1
|
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Mysore State|Mysore]]
!11
|10
|
|
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Orissa]]
!20
|11
|1
|1
|
|
|6
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Patiala and East Punjab States Union|PEPSU]]
!5
|2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2
|1
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[East Punjab|Punjab]]
!18
|16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Rajasthan]]
!20
|9
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|3
|
|1
|
|6
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Saurashtra (state)|Saurashtra]]
!6
|6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Travancore–Cochin]]
!12
|6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2
|4
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Tripura]]
!2
|
|2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Uttar Pradesh]]
!86
|81
|
|2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|1
|2
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Vindhya Pradesh]]
!6
|4
|
|1
|1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[West Bengal]]
!34
|21
|5
|
|
|
|
|2
|
|
|
|3
|
|
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |[[Anglo-Indian people|Anglo-Indians]]
!2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Total
!499
!364
!16
!12
!9
!7
!6
!3
!3
!2
!1
!29
!37
!10
|-
! colspan="15" |
|-
| colspan="15" |Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20140404203355/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF ECI]
|}
====Assam====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1=1210707|seats1 = 11
|party2 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes2 = 506943|seats2 = 1
|party3 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes3 = 265687|seats3 = 0
|party4 = Independents|votes4 = 363670|seats4 = 0
|party5 = Other parties|votes5 = 300120|seats5 = 0
|}}
====Bihar====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1=4573058|seats1=45
|party2 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes2 = 2126066|seats2 = 3
|party3 = [[Jharkhand Party]]|votes3 = 749702|seats3 = 3
|party4 = [[Lok Sewak Sangh]]|votes4 = 309940|seats4 = 2
|party5 = [[Chota Nagpur Santhal Parganas Janata Party]]|votes5 = 236094|seats5 = 1
|party6 = Independents|votes6 = 1306660|seats6 = 1
|party7 = Other parties|votes7 = 690931|seats7 = 0
|}}
====Bombay====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 5781277|seats1 = 40
|party2 = Independents|votes2 = 1380484|seats2 = 3
|party3 = [[Peasants and Workers Party of India]]|votes3 = 807019|seats3 = 1
|party4 = [[Republican Party of India|Scheduled Caste Federation]]|votes4 = 511028|seats4 = 1
|party5 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes5 = 1682494|seats5 = 0
|party6 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes6 = 639788|seats6 = 0
|party7 = Other parties|votes7 = 726200 |seats7 = 0
|}}
====Madhya Pradesh====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 3713537|seats1 = 27
|party2 = Independents|votes2 = 858407|seats2 = 2
|party3 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes3 = 451749|seats3 = 0
|party4 = [[Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad]]|votes4 = 396661|seats4 = 0
|party5 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes5 = 877392|seats5 = 0
|party6 = Other parties|votes6 = 894845 |seats6 = 0
|}}
====Madras====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 7253452|seats1 = 35
|party2 = Independents|votes2 = 4614210|seats2 = 15
|party3 = [[Communist Party of India]]|votes3 = 1783407|seats3 = 8
|party4 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes4 = 1952197|seats4 = 6
|party5 = [[Tamil Nadu Toilers' Party]]|votes5 = 889292|seats5 = 4
|party6 = [[Commonweal Party]]|votes6 = 325398|seats6 = 3
|party7 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes7 = 1055423|seats7 = 2
|party8 = [[All India Forward Bloc|Forward Bloc (Marxist Group)]]|votes8 = 332196|seats8 = 1
|party9 = [[Indian Union Muslim League]]|votes9 = 79470|seats9 = 1
|party10 = Other parties|votes10 = 1649116|seats10 = 0
}}
====Orissa====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 1555787|seats1 = 11
|party2 = [[All India Ganatantra Parishad]]|votes2 = 959749|seats2 = 6
|party3 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes3 = 563462|seats3 = 1
|party4 = [[Communist Party of India]]|votes4 = 211303|seats4 = 1
|party5 = Independents|votes5 = 316538|seats5 = 1
|party6 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes6 = 52654|seats6 = 0
}}
====Punjab====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 2134586|seats1 = 16
|party2 = [[Shiromani Akali Dal]]|votes2 = 569973|seats2 = 2
|party3 = [[Zamindar Party]]|votes3 = 291300|seats3 = 0
|party4 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes4 = 279639|seats4 = 0
|party5 = [[Communist Party of India]]|votes5 = 251623|seats5 = 0
|party6 = Independents|votes6 = 930383|seats6 = 0
|party7 = Other parties|votes7 = 534834|seats7 = 0
}}
====Uttar Pradesh====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 9047392|seats1 = 81
|party2 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes2 = 2208678|seats2 = 2
|party3 = Independents|votes3 = 1936383|seats3 = 2
|party4 = [[Hindu Mahasabha]]|votes4 = 325601|seats4 = 1
|party5 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes5 = 1244099|seats5 = 0
|party6 = Other parties|votes6 = 2312822|seats6 = 0
}}
====West Bengal====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 3205162|seats1 = 24
|party2 = [[Communist Party of India]]|votes2 = 720304|seats2 = 5
|party3 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes3 = 452279|seats3 = 2
|party4 = [[Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)|Revolutionary Socialist Party]]|votes4 = 183005|seats4 = 2
|party5 = [[Hindu Mahasabha]]|votes5 = 324870|seats5 = 1
|party6 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes6 = 679149|seats6 = 0
|party7 = Independents|votes7 = 1405747|seats7 = 0
|party8 = Other parties|votes8 = 643417|seats8 = 0
}}
====Hyderabad====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 1945798|seats1 = 14
|party2 = [[People's Democratic Front (Hyderabad)|People's Democratic Front]]|votes2 = 1367404|seats2 = 7
|party3 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes3 = 651316|seats3 = 1
|party4 = [[Republican Party of India|Scheduled Caste Federation]]|votes4 = 308591|seats4 = 1
|party5 = [[Peasants and Workers Party of India]]|votes5 = 185168|seats5 = 1
|party6 = Independents|votes6 = 388939|seats6 = 1
|party7 = [[Hyderabad State Praja Party]]|votes7 = 7646|seats7 = 0
}}
====Madhya Bharat====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 992159|seats1 = 9
|party2 = [[Hindu Mahasabha]]|votes2 = 122213|seats2 = 2
|party3 = [[Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad]]|votes3 = 278475|seats3 = 0
|party4 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes4 = 268399|seats4 = 0
|party5 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes5 = 188569|seats5 = 0
|party6 = Other parties|votes6 = 103756|seats6 = 0
}}
====Mysore====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 1509075|seats1 = 10
|party2 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes2 = 650658|seats2 = 1
|party3 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes3 = 181430|seats3 = 0
|party4 = Independents|votes4 = 292472|seats4 = 0
|party5 = Other parties|votes5 = 190792|seats5 = 0
}}
====Patiala and East Punjab States Union====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 492408|seats1 = 2
|party2 = [[Shiromani Akali Dal]]|votes2 = 477638|seats2 = 2
|party3 = Independents|votes3 = 311635|seats3 = 1
|party4 = Other parties|votes4 = 193431|seats4 = 0
}}
====Rajasthan====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 1460971|seats1 = 9
|party2 = Independents|votes2 = 1028388|seats2 = 6
|party3 = [[Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad]]|votes3 = 331760|seats3 = 3
|party4 = [[Krishikar Lok Party]]|votes4 = 356630|seats4 = 1
|party5 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes5 = 107089|seats5 = 1
|party6 = Other parties|votes6 = 242119|seats6 = 0
}}
====Saurashtra====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 506112|seats1 = 6
|party2 = [[Hindu Mahasabha]]|votes2 = 99311|seats2 = 0
|party3 = Independents|votes3 = 58343|seats3 = 0
|party4 = Other parties|votes4 = 98939|seats4 = 0
}}
====Travancore Cochin====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 1224533|seats1 = 6
|party2 = Independents|votes2 = 1265051|seats2 = 4
|party3 = [[Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress]]|votes3 = 115893|seats3 = 1
|party4 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes4 = 459669|seats4 = 0
|party5 = [[Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)|Revolutionary Socialist Party]]|votes5 = 220312|seats5 = 0
|party6 = Other parties|votes6 = 205018|seats6 = 0
}}
====Ajmer====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 89761|seats1 = 2
|party2 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes2 = 28990|seats2 = 0
|party3 = [[Communist Party of India]]|votes3 = 25128|seats3 = 0
|party4 = [[Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad]]|votes4 = 13624|seats4 = 0
|party5 = [[Pursharathi Panchayat]]|votes5 = 10778|seats5 = 0
|party6 = Independents|votes6 = 10718|seats6 = 0
}}
====Bhopal====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 97292|seats1 = 2
|party2 = [[Hindu Mahasabha]]|votes2 = 34712|seats2 = 0
|party3 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Mandal]]|votes3 = 8808|seats3 = 0
|party4 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes4 = 3329|seats4 = 0
|party5 = Independents|votes5 = 25316|seats6 = 0
}}
====Bislaspur====
{{Election results
|party1 = Independents|votes1 = |seats1 = 1
}}
''Bilaspur constituency was uncontested''
====Coorg====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 38063|seats1 = 1
|party2 = Independents|votes2 = 25750|seats2 = 0
}}
====Delhi====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 324214|seats1 = 3
|party2 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes2 = 47735|seats2 = 1
|party3 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes3 = 169997|seats3 = 0
|party4 = Independents|votes4 = 83045|seats4 = 0
|party5 = Other parties|votes5 = 30909|seats5 = 0
}}
====Himachal Pradesh====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 117036|seats1 = 3
|party2 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes2 = 27368|seats2 = 0
|party3 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes3 = 23918|seats3 = 0
|party4 = [[Republican Party of India|Scheduled Caste Federation]]|votes4 = 18988|seats4 = 0
|party5 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes5 = 16780|seats5 = 0
|party6 = Independents|votes6 = 19099|seats6 = 0
}}
====Kutch====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 78771|seats1 = 2
|party2 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes2 = 5985|seats2 = 0
|party3 = Independents|votes3 = 34824|seats3 = 0
}}
====Manipur====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 36317|seats1 = 1
|party2 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes2 = 29372|seats2 = 1
|party3 = [[All Manipur National Union]]|votes3 = 22083|seats3 = 0
|party4 = [[Praja Party]]|votes4 = 16955|seats4 = 0
|party5 = [[Communist Party of India]]|votes5 = 13184|seats5 = 0
|party6 = [[Kuki National Association]]|votes6 = 12155|seats6 = 0
|party7 = Independents|votes7 = 13737|seats7 = 0
|party8 = Other parties|votes8 = 8664|seats8 = 0
}}
====Tripura====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Communist Party of India]]|votes1 = 96458|seats1 = 2
|party2 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes2 = 40263|seats2 = 0
|party3 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes3 = 9663|seats3 = 0
|party4 = Independents|votes4 = 10987|seats4 = 0
}}
====Vindhya Pradesh====
{{Election results
|party1 = [[Indian National Congress]]|votes1 = 238220|seats1 = 4
|party2 = [[Socialist Party (India, 1948)|Socialist Party]]|votes2 = 125480|seats2 = 1
|party3 = [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]|votes3 = 106071|seats3 = 1
|party4 = [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]]|votes4 = 89701|seats4 = 0
|party5 = Independents|votes5 = 94911|seats5 = 0
|party6 = Other parties|votes6 = 51455|seats6 = 0
}}


==Government formation==
==Government formation==
Line 149: Line 903:


==Notable losses==
==Notable losses==
First Law Minister [[B. R. Ambedkar]] was defeated in the Bombay (North Central) [http://zeenews.india.com/news/general-elections-2014/election-anecdote-when-br-ambedkar-lost-in-first-lok-sabha-polls_929706.html (reserved seat)] constituency as [[Scheduled Castes Federation]] candidate by his little-known former assistant and Congress Candidate Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar, who polled 1,38,137 votes compared to Ambedkar's 1,23,576 votes.<ref name=Guha/>{{rp|156}} Ambedkar then entered the parliament as a Rajya Sabha member. He contested a by-poll from Bhandara in 1954 in another attempt to enter the Lok Sabha, but again lost to Borkar of Congress.
First Law Minister [[B. R. Ambedkar]] was defeated in the [[Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency|Bombay (North Central)]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/general-elections-2014/election-anecdote-when-br-ambedkar-lost-in-first-lok-sabha-polls_929706.html |title=(reserved seat) |date=4 May 2014 |access-date=26 January 2016 |archive-date=16 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216062618/http://zeenews.india.com/news/general-elections-2014/election-anecdote-when-br-ambedkar-lost-in-first-lok-sabha-polls_929706.html |url-status=live }}</ref> constituency as [[Scheduled Castes Federation]] candidate by his little-known former assistant and Congress Candidate [[Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar]], who polled 138,137 votes compared to Ambedkar's 123,576 votes.<ref name=Guha/>{{rp|156}} Ambedkar then entered the parliament as a [[Rajya Sabha]] member. He contested a by-poll from [[Bhandara Lok Sabha constituency|Bhandara]] in 1954 in another attempt to enter the Lok Sabha, but again lost, standing third behind [[Praja Socialist Party|PSP]] winner [[Asoka Mehta|Ashok Mehta]] & Congress runner-up B. N. Arjun.


Acharya Kripalani lost from [[Faizabad]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]] as a [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party|KMPP]] candidate, but his wife [[Sucheta Kripalani]] defeated the Congress candidate [[Manmohini Sahgal]] in Delhi.<ref>{{cite book |author=David Gilmartin |editor=Anastasia Pivliavsky |title=Patronage as Politics in South Asia |chapter=Chapter 5: The paradox of patronage and the people's sovereignty |pages=151–152 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-107-05608-4}}</ref>
[[Acharya Kripalani]] lost from [[Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency|Faizabad]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]] as a [[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party|KMPP]] candidate, but his wife [[Sucheta Kripalani]] defeated the Congress candidate [[Manmohini Sahgal]] in [[New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency|New Delhi]].<ref>{{cite book |author=David Gilmartin |editor=Anastasia Pivliavsky |title=Patronage as Politics in South Asia |chapter=Chapter 5: The paradox of patronage and the people's sovereignty |pages=151–152 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-107-05608-4}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[List of members of the 1st Lok Sabha]]
*[[Election Commission of India]]
*[[Election Commission of India]]
*[[1952 Indian presidential election]]
*[[1952 Indian presidential election]]
Line 165: Line 920:
{{Indian elections}}
{{Indian elections}}


{{#seo:
{{DEFAULTSORT:1951-52 Indian general election}}
|keywords=
|description=
}}
 
[[Category:1951 Indian general election| ]]
[[Category:1951 Indian general election| ]]
[[category:1951 elections in Asia|India]]
[[Category:1951 elections in Asia|India]]
[[Category:General elections in India]]

Latest revision as of 12:27, 26 April 2026


1951–52 Indian general election
← 1946 25 October 1951 – 21 February 1952 1957 →
489 of the 499 seats in the Lok Sabha[lower-alpha 1]
245 seats needed for a majority
Registered173,212,343
  First party Second party
  Template:Eppt
Leader Jawaharlal Nehru Ajoy Ghosh
Party INC CPI
Seats won 364 16
Popular vote 47,665,951 3,487,401
Percentage 44.99% 3.29%
  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Narendra Deva J. B. Kripalani
Party Socialist Party (India, 1948) Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party
Seats won 12 9
Popular vote 11,216,719 6,135,978
Percentage 10.59% 5.79%
Prime Minister before election

Jawaharlal Nehru
INC

Prime Minister after election

Jawaharlal Nehru
INC

General elections were held in India between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952, the first national elections after India gained independence in 1947.[1][2][3] Voters elected 489 members of the first Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. Elections to most of the state legislatures were held simultaneously.[4] It was the first Indian election with full universal franchise.

The elections were conducted under the provisions of the constitution adopted on 26 November 1949. After the adoption of the constitution, the Constituent Assembly continued to act as the interim parliament, while an interim cabinet was headed by Jawaharlal Nehru. An Election Commission was created in 1949 and in March 1950 Sukumar Sen was appointed as the first Chief Election Commissioner. A month later parliament passed the Representation of the People Act which set out how the elections for parliament and state legislatures would be conducted.[5] The 489 elected seats of the Lok Sabha were allotted across 401 constituencies in 25 states. There were 314 constituencies electing one member using the first-past-the-post system. 86 constituencies elected two members, one from the general category and one from Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes. There was one constituency with three elected representatives.[6] The multi-seat constituencies were created as reserved seats for backward sections of society, and were abolished in the 1960s. The constitution at this time also provided for two Anglo-Indian members to be nominated by the President of India.

A total of 1,949 candidates competed for 489 elected seats in the Lok Sabha. Each candidate was allotted a different coloured ballot box at the polling booth, on which the candidate's name and symbol were written. 16,500 clerks were appointed on a contract of six months to type and collate the electorate rolls and 380,000 reams of paper were used for printing the rolls.[7] A total of 173,212,343 voters were registered (excluding Jammu and Kashmir) out of a population of 361,088,090 according to the 1951 census, making it the largest election conducted at the time. All Indian citizens over the age of 21 were eligible to vote.

Due to the harsh climate and challenging logistics, the election was held in 68 phases.[8] A total of 196,084 polling booths were set up, of which 27,527 booths were reserved for women. The majority of voting took place in early 1952, but Himachal Pradesh voted in 1951 as its weather was commonly inclement in February and March, with heavy snow impending free movement.[9] The remainder of states voted in February–March 1952, except for Jammu & Kashmir, where no voting took place for Lok Sabha seats until 1967. The first votes of the election were cast in the tehsil (district) of Chini in Himachal Pradesh.[10]

A Congress procession including bullocks and a flag - a pair of bullocks was the election symbol of the Congress Party in 1952
A front view of Congress Party election procession featuring a pair of bullocks - the symbol of the Congress Party in 1952
A truck fitted with the model of a Hut in 1952, the election symbol of the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party

The result was a landslide victory for the Indian National Congress (INC), which received 45% of the vote and won 364 of the 489 elected seats. The second-placed Socialist Party received only 11% of the vote and won twelve seats. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the country.

Contesting parties[edit | edit source]

A total of 53 parties and 533 independents contested the 489 seats.[11]

Several ministers resigned from their posts and formed their own parties to contest the elections. Syama Prasad Mukherjee established the Jana Sangh in October 1951 and Law Minister B. R. Ambedkar revived the Scheduled Castes Federation (which was later named the Republican Party). Congress party president Purushottam Das Tandon resigned from his post because of differences with Nehru.[12][13]

Results[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress47,665,95144.99364
Socialist Party11,216,71910.5912
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party6,135,9785.799
Communist Party of India3,487,4013.2916
Bharatiya Jana Sangh3,246,3613.063
Scheduled Castes Federation2,521,6952.382
Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad2,091,8981.973
Krishikar Lok Party1,489,6151.411
People's Democratic Front1,367,4041.297
Shiromani Akali Dal1,047,6110.994
Hindu Mahasabha1,003,0340.954
Peasants and Workers Party of India992,1870.942
Forward Bloc (Marxist)963,0580.911
All India Ganatantra Parishad959,7490.916
Tamil Nadu Toilers' Party889,2920.844
Jharkhand Party749,7020.713
Revolutionary Socialist Party468,1080.443
Commonweal Party325,3980.313
Lok Sewak Sangh309,9400.292
Zamindar Party291,3000.270
Chota Nagpur Santhal Parganas Janata Party236,0940.221
Uttar Pradesh Praja Party213,6560.200
S.K. Paksha137,3430.130
All India Forward Bloc (Ruikar)133,9360.130
Kamgar Kisan Paksha132,5740.130
Tribal Sangha116,6290.110
Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress115,8930.111
Kerala Socialist Party102,0980.100
Indian Union Muslim League79,4700.081
Revolutionary Communist Party of India67,2750.060
Justice Party63,2540.060
All India United Kisan Sabha60,2540.060
All India Republican Party (RPP)57,8150.050
All India Republican Party (REP)44,2860.040
All People's Party36,8510.030
Tamil Nadu Congress Party36,1580.030
Khasi-Jaintia Durbar32,9870.030
Saurashtra Khedut Sangh29,7660.030
Bolshevik Party of India25,7920.020
All Manipur National Union22,0830.020
Uttar Pradesh Revolutionary Socialist Party20,6650.020
Hill People Party17,3500.020
Praja Party16,9550.020
Kuki National Association12,1550.010
Punjab Depressed Class League11,7890.010
Pursharathi Panchayat10,7780.010
Cochin Party8,9470.010
Kisan Mazdoor Mandal8,8080.010
Hyderabad State Praja Party7,6460.010
Gandhi Sebak Seva7,1960.010
Kisan Janta Sanyukta Party6,3900.010
National Party of India3,2320.000
Historical Research1,4680.000
Independents16,850,08915.9037
Appointed members[lower-alpha 2]10
Total105,950,083100.00499
Registered voters/turnout173,212,343–
Source: ECI
  1. ↑ Ten members were appointed, including six representing Jammu and Kashmir, two representing Anglo-Indians, one representing Part B tribal areas in Assam and one representing the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  2. ↑ Six representing Jammu and Kashmir, two representing Anglo-Indians, one representing Part B tribal areas in Assam and one representing the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Results by state[edit | edit source]

State Total
seats 		Seats won
INC CPI SPI KMPP PDF GP BJS RRP SCF KLP Others Ind. App.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands 1 1
Assam 13 11 1 1
Ajmer 2 2
Bhopal 2 2
Bihar 55 45 3 6 1
Bilaspur 1 1
Bombay 45 40 1 1 3
Coorg 1 1
Delhi 4 3 1
Himachal Pradesh 3 3
Hyderabad 25 14 1 7 1 1 1
Jammu and Kashmir 6 6
Kutch 2 2
Madhya Bharat 11 9 2
Madhya Pradesh 29 27 2
Madras 75 35 8 2 6 9 15
Manipur 2 1 1
Mysore 11 10 1
Orissa 20 11 1 1 6 1
PEPSU 5 2 2 1
Punjab 18 16 2
Rajasthan 20 9 1 3 1 6
Saurashtra 6 6
Travancore–Cochin 12 6 2 4
Tripura 2 2
Uttar Pradesh 86 81 2 1 2
Vindhya Pradesh 6 4 1 1
West Bengal 34 21 5 2 3
Anglo-Indians 2 2
Total 499 364 16 12 9 7 6 3 3 2 1 29 37 10
Source: ECI

Assam[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress1,210,70745.7411
Socialist Party506,94319.151
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party265,68710.040
Independents363,67013.740
Other parties300,12011.340
Total2,647,127100.0012

Bihar[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress4,573,05845.7745
Socialist Party2,126,06621.283
Jharkhand Party749,7027.503
Lok Sewak Sangh309,9403.102
Chota Nagpur Santhal Parganas Janata Party236,0942.361
Independents1,306,66013.081
Other parties690,9316.910
Total9,992,451100.0055

Bombay[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress5,781,27750.1540
Independents1,380,48411.973
Peasants and Workers Party of India807,0197.001
Scheduled Caste Federation511,0284.431
Socialist Party1,682,49414.590
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party639,7885.550
Other parties726,2006.300
Total11,528,290100.0045

Madhya Pradesh[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress3,713,53751.6327
Independents858,40711.932
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party451,7496.280
Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad396,6615.510
Socialist Party877,39212.200
Other parties894,84512.440
Total7,192,591100.0029

Madras[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress7,253,45236.3935
Independents4,614,21023.1515
Communist Party of India1,783,4078.958
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party1,952,1979.796
Tamil Nadu Toilers' Party889,2924.464
Commonweal Party325,3981.633
Socialist Party1,055,4235.292
Forward Bloc (Marxist Group)332,1961.671
Indian Union Muslim League79,4700.401
Other parties1,649,1168.270
Total19,934,161100.0075

Orissa[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress1,555,78742.5111
All India Ganatantra Parishad959,74926.236
Socialist Party563,46215.401
Communist Party of India211,3035.771
Independents316,5388.651
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party52,6541.440
Total3,659,493100.0020

Punjab[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress2,134,58642.7616
Shiromani Akali Dal569,97311.422
Zamindar Party291,3005.830
Bharatiya Jana Sangh279,6395.600
Communist Party of India251,6235.040
Independents930,38318.640
Other parties534,83410.710
Total4,992,338100.0018

Uttar Pradesh[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress9,047,39252.9981
Socialist Party2,208,67812.942
Independents1,936,38311.342
Hindu Mahasabha325,6011.911
Bharatiya Jana Sangh1,244,0997.290
Other parties2,312,82213.550
Total17,074,975100.0086

West Bengal[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress3,205,16242.1024
Communist Party of India720,3049.465
Bharatiya Jana Sangh452,2795.942
Revolutionary Socialist Party183,0052.402
Hindu Mahasabha324,8704.271
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party679,1498.920
Independents1,405,74718.460
Other parties643,4178.450
Total7,613,933100.0034

Hyderabad[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress1,945,79840.0814
People's Democratic Front1,367,40428.177
Socialist Party651,31613.421
Scheduled Caste Federation308,5916.361
Peasants and Workers Party of India185,1683.811
Independents388,9398.011
Hyderabad State Praja Party7,6460.160
Total4,854,862100.0025

Madhya Bharat[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress992,15950.799
Hindu Mahasabha122,2136.262
Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad278,47514.250
Socialist Party268,39913.740
Bharatiya Jana Sangh188,5699.650
Other parties103,7565.310
Total1,953,571100.0011

Mysore[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress1,509,07553.4310
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party650,65823.041
Socialist Party181,4306.420
Independents292,47210.360
Other parties190,7926.760
Total2,824,427100.0011

Patiala and East Punjab States Union[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress492,40833.382
Shiromani Akali Dal477,63832.382
Independents311,63521.131
Other parties193,43113.110
Total1,475,112100.005

Rajasthan[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress1,460,97141.429
Independents1,028,38829.166
Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad331,7609.413
Krishikar Lok Party356,63010.111
Bharatiya Jana Sangh107,0893.041
Other parties242,1196.860
Total3,526,957100.0020

Saurashtra[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress506,11266.366
Hindu Mahasabha99,31113.020
Independents58,3437.650
Other parties98,93912.970
Total762,705100.006

Travancore Cochin[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress1,224,53335.086
Independents1,265,05136.244
Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress115,8933.321
Socialist Party459,66913.170
Revolutionary Socialist Party220,3126.310
Other parties205,0185.870
Total3,490,476100.0011

Ajmer[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress89,76150.152
Bharatiya Jana Sangh28,99016.200
Communist Party of India25,12814.040
Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad13,6247.610
Pursharathi Panchayat10,7786.020
Independents10,7185.990
Total178,999100.002

Bhopal[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress97,29257.412
Hindu Mahasabha34,71220.480
Kisan Mazdoor Mandal8,8085.200
Socialist Party3,3291.960
Independents25,31614.94–
Total169,457100.002

Bislaspur[edit | edit source]

PartySeats
Independents1
Total1

Bilaspur constituency was uncontested

Coorg[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress38,06359.651
Independents25,75040.350
Total63,813100.001

Delhi[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress324,21449.433
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party47,7357.281
Bharatiya Jana Sangh169,99725.920
Independents83,04512.660
Other parties30,9094.710
Total655,900100.004

Himachal Pradesh[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress117,03652.443
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party27,36812.260
Bharatiya Jana Sangh23,91810.720
Scheduled Caste Federation18,9888.510
Socialist Party16,7807.520
Independents19,0998.560
Total223,189100.003

Kutch[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress78,77165.872
Socialist Party5,9855.010
Independents34,82429.120
Total119,580100.002

Manipur[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress36,31723.821
Socialist Party29,37219.261
All Manipur National Union22,08314.480
Praja Party16,95511.120
Communist Party of India13,1848.650
Kuki National Association12,1557.970
Independents13,7379.010
Other parties8,6645.680
Total152,467100.002

Tripura[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Communist Party of India96,45861.292
Indian National Congress40,26325.580
Bharatiya Jana Sangh9,6636.140
Independents10,9876.980
Total157,371100.002

Vindhya Pradesh[edit | edit source]

PartyVotes%Seats
Indian National Congress238,22033.754
Socialist Party125,48017.781
Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party106,07115.031
Bharatiya Jana Sangh89,70112.710
Independents94,91113.450
Other parties51,4557.290
Total705,838100.006

Government formation[edit | edit source]

The speaker of the first Lok Sabha was Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar. The first Lok Sabha also witnessed 677 sittings (3,784 hours), the highest recorded count of the number of sitting hours. The Lok Sabha lasted its full term from 17 April 1952 until 4 April 1957.

Notable losses[edit | edit source]

First Law Minister B. R. Ambedkar was defeated in the Bombay (North Central)[14] constituency as Scheduled Castes Federation candidate by his little-known former assistant and Congress Candidate Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar, who polled 138,137 votes compared to Ambedkar's 123,576 votes.[10]:156 Ambedkar then entered the parliament as a Rajya Sabha member. He contested a by-poll from Bhandara in 1954 in another attempt to enter the Lok Sabha, but again lost, standing third behind PSP winner Ashok Mehta & Congress runner-up B. N. Arjun.

Acharya Kripalani lost from Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh as a KMPP candidate, but his wife Sucheta Kripalani defeated the Congress candidate Manmohini Sahgal in New Delhi.[15]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "How India pulled off its first general election". The Indian Express. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "Lok Sabha polls 2024 to have longest voting period since first general elections". The Times of India. 16 March 2024. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  3. ↑ "Voting Period Of 2024 Lok Sabha Polls Longest Since First General Elections". Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  4. ↑ "Elections that shaped India | The first general elections: a free country in full bloom". The Hindu. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  5. ↑ Guha, Ramachandra (2022). India after Gandhi: the history of the world's largest democracy (10th anniversary edition, updated and expanded, first published in hardcover ed.). New Delhi: Picador India. ISBN 978-93-82616-97-9.
  6. ↑ "General Election of India 1951, List of Successful Candidate" (PDF). Election Commission of India. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  7. ↑ Pareek, Shabdita (25 January 2016). "This Is How The First General Elections Were Held in Independent India". ScoopWhoop. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  8. ↑ "Interesting Facts About India's First General Elections". indiatimes.com. 28 April 2014. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  9. ↑ India's first voter in Himachal Pradesh Archived 6 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine, by Gautam Dhmeer, in the Deccan Herald; published 30 October 2012; retrieved 7 April 2014
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ramachandra Guha (2008). India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-095858-9.
  11. ↑ "First general elections in India: All you need to know". India Today. 10 February 2016. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  12. ↑ Weiner, Myron (8 December 2015). Party Politics in India. Princeton University Press. pp. 78–79. ISBN 978-1-4008-7841-3. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Varshney, Ashutosh. 28 March 2015. "Faults and lines Archived 16 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine." The Indian Express. Retrieved on 16 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "(reserved seat)". 4 May 2014. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  15. ↑ David Gilmartin (2014). "Chapter 5: The paradox of patronage and the people's sovereignty". In Anastasia Pivliavsky (ed.). Patronage as Politics in South Asia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 151–152. ISBN 978-1-107-05608-4.

Further reading[edit | edit source]

  • Guha, Ramachandra. "Democracy's Biggest Gamble", World Policy Journal, (Spring 2002) 19#1 pp. 95–103
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