India's Electoral Odyssey: A Chronicle of Post-Election Dynamics (1952-2024)
Traversing the Political Landscape: Milestones, Trends, and Transformations
Hello Readers,
As India's democracy matures with each election cycle, tracing the historical tapestry from 1952 to 2024 unveils a captivating saga of political evolution and societal dynamics.
Today we have a look at the electoral odyssey of India right from the first Lok Sabha elections in 1952 to the 17th Lok Sabha elections in 2024….
The Election Commission of India (ECI) was established on 25 January 1950, with Sukumar Sen, an Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer, being appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner in March. On April 19 that year, while proposing The Representation of the People Act, India’s election law, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru told Parliament that polls would be held in the spring of 1951. This posed a significant challenge for Sen, who was tasked with registering 17.5 crore eligible voters, more than 80 per cent of whom were illiterate.
1952-1957
The first electoral sunrise in independent India saw Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet begin. Just in the aftermath of the partition and the role of the Congress in the independence struggle, Mr. Nehru was sworn in as the Prime Minister.
More infographics here.
1957-1962
Mr. Nehru’s popularity grew after having served for almost a decade from the year 1947 and the need for post partition stability and absence of an established opposition leader led to his appointment as the PM again.
More infographics here.
1962-1967
The Nehruvian era continued amidst the first half a decade of internal and external dissent with the looming Pakistan and China wars and the death of Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent after signing the Kashmir pact.
More infographics here.
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