From British Colony to Attaining Sovereignty: How India Conducted its First General Election?

Key Points:

As India’s path of independence from British rule has crossed 79 years. We have witnessed a great deal of struggle. The early fire for democracy and the desire to overthrow the long-lasting burden of constitutional monarchy prevailed when India held its first general election in 1951.

The call for democracy and the long path that followed it became possible because of prominent figures like Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, under whose leadership the Constitution of India was drafted, Sukumar Sen, the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, and others.

When India gained independence after a prolonged period of revolt and numerous sacrifices, the nation faced the daunting task of holding its first election. Many regarded this task as challenging and complicated because of the various obstacles awaiting newly independent India.

However, constant resilience and hard work built the framework of democracy, which sought to uphold its moral code by conducting free and fair elections. Even though India adopted the path of democracy after colonial rule, many countries did not believe in this idealism. Some succumbed to “nominal democracy,” where one leader controlled the nation or one party ruled.

During this difficult time, India chose democracy—a move many considered risky—but that singular choice has thrived for seven decades.

Drafting the Indian Constitution

From 1947 to 1950, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar guided the drafting of the Constitution of India. On 13 December 1946, in the first session of the Constituent Assembly, the assembly convened to commence the drafting of the Constitution. Jawaharlal Nehru passed the Objective Resolution, which declared India an independent sovereign republic.

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He believed in the people of India, which significantly led him to have faith in the concept of democracy. Nehru envisioned a broader concept of democracy, where an individual belonging to a dynamic society must receive opportunities that could result in his or her development.

After Nehru moved the resolution, the assembly upheld various stages to reform and draft a constitution that would work best for a diverse country. Various committees, like the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities, and Tribal and Excluded Areas, and others, submitted reports suggesting recommendations for the Constitution.

The drafting committee used these reports to form the first draft of the Constitution, which they completed by October 1947. The committee heavily scrutinized the report and executed necessary changes. The next draft of the Constitution circulated among the public to receive complaints, feedback, and suggestions. The drafting committee considered all the suggestions and made amendments.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the chairman of the drafting committee, then presented the draft Constitution to the Constituent Assembly. After numerous consultations, debates, and minor changes, the Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950.

The draft prepared under Dr. Ambedkar’s leadership guaranteed protection for a wide range of civil liberties. The constitutional guarantees also included the abolition of untouchability, freedom of religion, and the abolition of caste-based discrimination.

Establishment of the ECI

Even though India completed the first major obstacle of drafting a Constitution, it now faced the mammoth task of conducting the first general election in a country of 176 million people, out of which approximately 15% were illiterate. In 1950, India initiated the plan to establish a constitutional body.

On 25 January 1950, the Election Commission of India came into being, and Indian civil servant Sukumar Sen became its first Chief Election Commissioner.

Under his stewardship, India conducted its first general election from 1951–1952. During his tenure of eight years, from 21 March 1950 to 19 December 1958, Sukumar Sen oversaw the world’s biggest democracy’s first official elections. In 1953, Sudan also appointed him as its first Chief Election Commissioner.

First General Election of Independent India

Soon after the Election Commission of India came into being, some foresaw that India would witness its first general election post-independence in 1950. However, reality shattered that illusion. The Election Commission of India realized that conducting an election in a country with over 100 million people would be a challenging and laborious task.

The tasks included preparing the electoral rolls or the list of all the candidates eligible to vote. In the first draft of the electoral rolls, observers noted that around 40 lakh women were missing from the list.

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India had 17 crore eligible voters, and they had to elect 3,200 MLAs and 489 members of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament. The world had never witnessed an election taking place on such a large scale, where 15% of eligible voters were illiterate.

India carried out what no one had ever imagined before. At that time, democracy existed only in rich and robust countries like those in Europe or North America. The Election Commission of India trained around three lakh polling staff to conduct a general election at such a massive scale.

Many referred to the decision to hold the universal adult franchise—every adult would have one vote and all votes would be equal—as “bold and risky.” The voting age earlier was 21, which was later reformed to 18 in 1989 under the Constitution (Sixty-first Amendment) Act, 1989.

Several media outlets started writing about the risks India faced at the time. The election was postponed twice, and India finally conducted it between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952, in which a sixth of the world’s population took part.

This made India’s first general election the largest election ever conducted at that time. A total of 1,874 candidates contested 489 seats. The total political parties were 53, out of which 14 were national parties. Some of them were the Indian National Congress, the Communist Party of India, the Socialist Party, the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party, and others.

India’s first general election did not pose a threat because of its population size at the time; the most challenging task was to deal with 18.33% illiteracy. To address this, the Election Commission initially decided to incorporate different coloured ballot papers for each candidate.

Observers, however, criticized this idea for its impracticality. Later on, the Election Commission decided to use separate boxes for all the candidates with their symbols written over them. This made the process far more accessible, especially for the vast number of illiterate voters.

In 196,084 polling booths set up across the country, the Indian National Congress (INC), led by Jawaharlal Nehru, won India’s first general election with 364 seats. The Communist Party of India won 16 seats. Jawaharlal Nehru became India's first prime minister in 1951.

India’s legacy of democracy spans decades—first revolting for freedom, then using that freedom to uphold elections on a massive scale. No one had foreshadowed or even expected this achievement. By conducting its first general election, India not only embraced the true meaning of democracy but also set an example for the world. [Rh/VS]

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