India’s Congress Party, led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, has secured a decisive victory in the country’s first general election, marking a major milestone in the nation’s democratic history.
The party won 249 of the 489 contested seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament. With 133 results still to be declared, it is already clear that Congress will control the next Parliament.
The victory gives Pandit Nehru a further five year term in office. Although he has led the interim government since 1947, this election makes him India’s first prime minister to be chosen by universal suffrage.
A crucial test for democracy
The elections were widely seen as a test of India’s ability to function as a democracy just two years after independence from British rule. They were the first to be held under the new constitution, which was modeled on the British parliamentary system.
Despite fears that extremist groups might exploit the vote to inflame inter ethnic tensions, polling took place peacefully, to the relief of both officials and voters.
The scale of the operation was unprecedented. Around 176 million people were eligible to vote, although only about 15 percent of the population could read or write. To ensure broad participation, ballot papers used symbols to represent parties and candidates, allowing illiterate voters to cast their ballots independently.
Voters were not required to mark the ballot papers. Instead, they placed them into boxes bearing the symbol of their chosen candidate.
Mixed results at state level
In total, approximately 18,000 candidates contested 4,412 seats, including 497 in the Lok Sabha and the remainder in state legislatures.
While Congress secured an absolute majority at the national level, it suffered unexpected setbacks in several state elections. In the southern states of Madras, Hyderabad and Travancore Coch in, strong support for the Communist Party prevented Congress from winning outright majorities.
The results caused concern within the Congress Party, as state governments are not obliged to follow central policies, potentially complicating governance.
At the same time, two militant parties viewed with particular concern, the Hindu Mahasabha and the separatist Sikh Akali Party, performed so poorly that both are expected to collapse following the elections.
Source: BBC Archive
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