Jawaharlal Nehru is the longest serving Prime Minister of India. He remained in office for 18 years and 286 days till his death in May, 1964. He contested three general elections and swept the polls each time, leaving his fellow contestants biting the dust.
India’s first general elections were conducted between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952. They were the first general elections to be held in the country after Independence.
A total of 1,949 candidates contested 489 seats in the Lok Sabha. The Indian National Congress won 364 of the 489 seats in a land-slide victory. Of the 173 million electorate, 45.7 per cent voted, making it the largest election to be conducted at that time anywhere in the world.
Literacy levels were as low as 18 per cent, so symbols were used on ballot papers for voters who couldn’t read a practice that continues till today.
Nehru travelled some 25,000 miles and addressed about 35 million people or a tenth of India’s population during his election campaign.
A total of 1,96,084 polling booths were set up and the elections were held in 68 phases. This was due to the harsh climate and challenging terrain. All observers, Indian and foreign, agreed that the proceedings were fair.
Nehru’s commitment to democracy is shown by his dedication and seriousness in initiating the first general elections. He did not use the excuse of the Partition and the consequent communal violence and influx of refugees to postpone elections.
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