52
19C HISTORY
2.3. FOUNDATION OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY
Brief Summaryss
After independence the leaders started constitution-framing procesS
A Drating Commite
was formed with Dr. Bhimrao Ramii Ambedkar He prepared a draft
constitution which was.
model constitution " After long discussion it was accepted on 26 January, 1950 We thus obsen
this day as the Republic Day "This constitution has anumber of salient features-This ie.
largest written constitution Harmony between Federal and Unitary system " It has Sorme
Directive Principles and Fundamental Right Universal adult suffrage and others On the basis nf
this constitution, the first general election was held Apart from Congress, other parties also tok
part in this general electionCongress formed ministries in Centre and in a number of provinces.
Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, maintained the spirit of democracy-The
opposition leaders also made constructive criticism of the government policies in the Parliamet
In this way the democratic ideas were allowed to maintain in the country.
After independence in 1947, the people of India got the power to administer the affairs of
their own country. The country faceda number problems to be dealt with by efficient leadershin.
The important problems were framing of democratic constitution, adult suffrage, establishment of
a secular country, development of agriculture and education, establishment of public
administration and others. The leaders now took up the problem of framing the constitution.
Various committees were thus formed for framing the constitution. A Special Committee
was
held responsible for chalking out the plan of the constitution. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was
appointed
the head of this committee. After a lot of toil and turmoil he was able to
prepare the manuscript of
the constitution. The manuscript was the published to know the views of the
people. About two
thousand amendments were later considered after knowing the view points
of the people. The
constitution then came into force on 26 January, 1950. According to this
constitution, India now
became Sovereign Democratic Republic. Henceforth, we observe 26
January as the Republic
Day.
THE FIRST GENERAL ELECTION, 1952
Jawaharlal Nehru was the First Prime Minister of independent India. In
1951-52, the firsi
General Election took place in accordance with the new constitution.
This election was a gre
Success of the Indian leaders who had full faith in democracy. This
was a great challenge to u
Indian leaders. In avast country like India with a large illiterate population,
Nehru's decision
grant voting rights to all adults and the results of the elections proved his full faith in democracy:
53
ESTABLISHMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY (1947-1966)
national
The results showed the triumph of Indian democratic system, In these elections, 14
Lok Sabha
parties, 53 regional parties and anumber of independent candidates contested in 489
reserved for
and 3283 State Assembly seats. 98 Lok Sabha and 669 Assembly seats were
ScheduledCastes and Tribes.
PREPARATION PROCESS
administration.
It was a great task for the Indian Election Commission to handle the
Sukumar Sen, the First Chief Election Commissioner of Independent India, handled the
whole situation with great care and caution. 25 lakh ballot boxes and 62 crore ballot papers were
24
used in this election. For every 1000 voters, there was one polling booth and total 2 lakh
thousand polling booths were set up. The entire election process was manned by 10 lakh
government officials.
RESULTS OF THE FIRST GENERAL ELECTION
election,
The first general election created a lot of excitement in the country. In the first
Congress fared very well. Congress won in 75% Lok Sabha seats and 68.5%
State Assembly
Travancore-Cochin, Ori[sa
seats. It had absolute majority in most of the states excluding Madras,
and PEPSU(Patiala and Eastern Punjab States Union). Congress made alliances with smaller
parties and independentcandidates and formed governmnents in some of the states.
next largest
Apart from Congress, the Communist Party of India and its allies became the
votes.
party, winning 23 Lok Sabha and l47 Assembly Seats. They received 4.6%
Mahasabha
The performance of the Rightist Parties was not very good. Jan Sangh, Hindu
votes
and Ramrajya Parishad won only in 10 Lok Sabha seats receiving only 6% of the total
polled.
Apart from these parties, former royals and big land lords did well in some parts of the
country.
IMPACT OF THE ELECTIONS
Though enjoved absolute power in the Centre and States., the Congress leaders respected
democraticnorms and actively encouraged the development of democeratic ideas in the country.
Opposition leaders took part in Lok Sabha debates and made constructive criticism of the
government policies. The Press enjoyed full freedom in all respects. The political parties, the
trade unions and all others organizations enjoyed full freedom to voice their protests. The leaders
like Dr. Shyama Prosad Mukerjee, Rammanohar Lohia, J.B. Kripalani, A.K. Gopalan, Minoo
Masani, Bhupesh Guptaand other important leaders exercised a lot of influence on the activities
of the Centra! Government. This healthy development was an important contribution of
Jawaharlal Nehru as the First Prime Minister of India.
54 1SC HISTORY
EXERCISE
OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Who was the First Prime Minister of India?
2. When did the first General Election take place in India?
3. Which party won the first General Election in India?
SHORT TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Write about the first General Election.
2. Mention the results and impact of the first General Election in independent India.
3. Discuss the role of the opposition leaders in the development of democratic environment in India
political circle.
4. The first General Election in ndia was a landmark event in the
history of Independent India
Discuss.
