1952
FIRST GENERAL ELECTIONS (1951-52)
The first general elections to Lok Sabha were held in 1951-52. It was a historic event and attracted world wide attention. India had emerged as the world's largest democracy with 173 million voters made eligible through Universal Adult Franchise. The conduct of First General Election was a mammoth exercise with 2,24,000 polling booths to record votes for 491 Lok Sabha and 3,283 Assembly seats. There were about 1,800 candidates for the Lok Sabha seats and another 15,000 for the State Legislative Assembly. Apart from the independents, there were 70 political parties. The political parties were big as well as small, national as well as regional, moderate and extremist, rightest and leftist.
Indian National Congress, which had all these years been in the thick of the nation's struggle for Independence bagged 364 out of the total of 491 seats for the Lok Sabha. The party had secured only 45% of the total votes cast and yet managed to bag 74.5% of the Lok Sabha seats.
The overall voting percentage was about 46 although in some constituencies, upto 80% turn out had been recorded. Election clashes were almost unknown at that time.
Illiteracy had been a great retarding factor so far as voters turn-out was concerned but canvassing had been made easy by adopting the practice of each party being assigned an election symbol. The voter may not have been able to read the name of the candidate of his or her choice but could identify the symbol with ease.
1977
SIXTH LOK SABHA ELECTIONS (1977)
The country had its first taste of Emergency in 1975. Indian voters expressed their contempt for this measure by rejecting the Congress under Smt. Indira Gandhi at the 1977 polls. She lost the election and her party was voted out of power at the center. A new party Janata Party came into existence with the merger of Congress (o), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal, Socialist and the Congress for Democracy. The Janata Party contested the elections under a common symbol (man with a plough inside the wheel) and captured 295 seats. The Janata party had obtained 43.17% of the popular votes cast for the 540 member Lok Sabha.
1989
NINTH LOK SABHA ELECTIONS (1989)
Soon after assumption of office, the young Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi showed inclination to do away with the power brokers in the Congress Party and introduced a measure of professional management in party affairs. However, the odds were too heavy against him. Money was needed to run the party and whoever gave it, expected out of turn favours. New tactics were tried to get money and as alleged through cuts in government deals with foreign firms. one such deal which cost the Congress its next term was the 'Bofor's' deal. Corruption in high places became the main issue this time.
V.P. Singh, former Minister in Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet left the Congress (I) party and formed the Jan Morcha with the help of a few senior colleagues. The National Front led by him was voted to power with parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communists leanding support from outside the government since it did not command an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha.
The government led by V. P. Singh did not last long Inner dissensions led to BJP withdrawing its support and he was replaced by Chandra Shekar as the Prime Minister even though his splinter group commanded an insignificant strength in the Lok Sabha. Even this arrangement collapsed and finally when the Congress (I) too declined to support the government, he submitted the resignation of this government leading to another General Election to the Lok Sabha.
FIRST GENERAL ELECTIONS (1951-52)
The first general elections to Lok Sabha were held in 1951-52. It was a historic event and attracted world wide attention. India had emerged as the world's largest democracy with 173 million voters made eligible through Universal Adult Franchise. The conduct of First General Election was a mammoth exercise with 2,24,000 polling booths to record votes for 491 Lok Sabha and 3,283 Assembly seats. There were about 1,800 candidates for the Lok Sabha seats and another 15,000 for the State Legislative Assembly. Apart from the independents, there were 70 political parties. The political parties were big as well as small, national as well as regional, moderate and extremist, rightest and leftist.
Indian National Congress, which had all these years been in the thick of the nation's struggle for Independence bagged 364 out of the total of 491 seats for the Lok Sabha. The party had secured only 45% of the total votes cast and yet managed to bag 74.5% of the Lok Sabha seats.
The overall voting percentage was about 46 although in some constituencies, upto 80% turn out had been recorded. Election clashes were almost unknown at that time.
Illiteracy had been a great retarding factor so far as voters turn-out was concerned but canvassing had been made easy by adopting the practice of each party being assigned an election symbol. The voter may not have been able to read the name of the candidate of his or her choice but could identify the symbol with ease.
1977
SIXTH LOK SABHA ELECTIONS (1977)
The country had its first taste of Emergency in 1975. Indian voters expressed their contempt for this measure by rejecting the Congress under Smt. Indira Gandhi at the 1977 polls. She lost the election and her party was voted out of power at the center. A new party Janata Party came into existence with the merger of Congress (o), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal, Socialist and the Congress for Democracy. The Janata Party contested the elections under a common symbol (man with a plough inside the wheel) and captured 295 seats. The Janata party had obtained 43.17% of the popular votes cast for the 540 member Lok Sabha.
1989
NINTH LOK SABHA ELECTIONS (1989)
Soon after assumption of office, the young Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi showed inclination to do away with the power brokers in the Congress Party and introduced a measure of professional management in party affairs. However, the odds were too heavy against him. Money was needed to run the party and whoever gave it, expected out of turn favours. New tactics were tried to get money and as alleged through cuts in government deals with foreign firms. one such deal which cost the Congress its next term was the 'Bofor's' deal. Corruption in high places became the main issue this time.
V.P. Singh, former Minister in Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet left the Congress (I) party and formed the Jan Morcha with the help of a few senior colleagues. The National Front led by him was voted to power with parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communists leanding support from outside the government since it did not command an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha.
The government led by V. P. Singh did not last long Inner dissensions led to BJP withdrawing its support and he was replaced by Chandra Shekar as the Prime Minister even though his splinter group commanded an insignificant strength in the Lok Sabha. Even this arrangement collapsed and finally when the Congress (I) too declined to support the government, he submitted the resignation of this government leading to another General Election to the Lok Sabha.
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