1952 - A Love Story (for democracy)
Here’s a ticket to a time machine ride to relive the excitement of free India’s first general election
A valve radio crackles, whines, and hisses. We rewind to April 2, 1952.
This is a day that is set to go down in India’s history, and that of the world, as a red-letter day for democracy. On a crisp summer forenoon in New Delhi, the tricolour flutters from the ramparts of the Red Fort. In just a few weeks, Parliament House will witness a momentous gathering of minds, the first bicameral Parliament of independent India. But back to the present moment…
Today sees the culmination of an elaborate process that has taken years to plan and months to execute. Citizens wait with bated breath for the results of India's first-ever general election to be declared. The people of India have spoken and their votes have played a decisive role in electing their first government.
We are in the final moments of counting and the results are about to be declared. This moment is a victory for democracy worldwide.
Many questions have been asked, and the answers are eagerly awaited.
Will Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, widely acclaimed as the architect of the Constitution of India, make history by winning an election seat?
Will Acharya Kripalani, who fell out with the Indian National Congress, taste victory?
Will Jawaharlal Nehru, anointed by Mahatma Gandhi as the man best fit to lead the nation, helm the new government?
India’s first election comes at a time when the newly declared republic is at a crossroads. Over the past few months, independent India’s greatest democratic exercise has played out step by step. A total of 175 million people, distributed over a vast area of over a million square kilometres, have cast their votes to elect their leaders. The entire world has had its eyes on India.
Imagine the massive effort it took to set up hundred of thousands of polling booths across the country! Independent India’s first-ever election witnessed a total of 1949 candidates contest the polls for 489 seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s bicameral parliament. The Legislative Assemblies of the states had a combined total of 3,283 seats.
A government elected by the people of a nation of this size and a population this numerous is not elected in a day. Voting began on October 25, 1951. Voters from the tehsils of Chinni and Pangi in Himachal Pradesh cast their ballots on that day. The first person to vote was Shri Shyam Saran Negi, a schoolteacher. In Travancore-Cochin, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Hyderabad and Punjab, polling commenced in December 1951. All the remaining states went to the polls during January 1952. Polling in the northern hilly areas of Uttar Pradesh took place in the second fortnight of February 1952. The entire process spanned 68 phases over 4 months.
In Pehla Pehla Chunaav, our special episode of Samvidhaani Pitaara, hosts Seetal Iyer and Vineet KKN Panchhi take you on a time machine ride mimicking a radio broadcast from the 1950’s, recounting the exciting events of the historic day when the votes counted after the first parliamentary general election ushered into office India’s first democratically elected government.
May we have many, many more free and fair elections!
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