Question

When was the first election held in India__
a. 1947-48
b. 1951-52
c. 1952
d. None of these

Answer 1

Hint:
The first election conducted under the provisions of the Indian Constitution.
Complete step by step solution:

The first election in India was held in 1951-52 from 25th October 1951 to 21st February 1952. since India became independent in August 1947, it was the first election to the Lok Sabha. Simultaneous elections to state legislatures took place.

Once the Constitution was adopted on 26th November 1949, the Constituent Assembly continued to act as the interim parliament. Jawaharlal Nehru headed the interim cabinet which consisted of 15 members from various diverse communities and parties. Several members from this cabinet resigned from their respective posts and formed their own parties to contest the elections.

It was the largest election at that time as 1949 candidates competed for 489 seats in Lok Sabha and more than 173 million people from the overall population were eligible to vote and the voter turnout was 45.7%

The Indian National Congress (INC) won those elections, securing 364 out of 489 seats. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first elected Prime Minister of India.
After independence, India adopted a parliamentary system of government. Elections are conducted by an independent constitutional body known as the Election Commission of India. The first election commissioner of India was Sukumar Sen.

Hence, the correct answer is option B.


Note:
 At the time of the first elections in India, 85% of the population could not read or write and this widespread illiteracy posed a challenge to the commission in organising the election. This was overcome by allotting each candidate a differently-coloured ballot box at the polling booth, on which each candidate's name and symbol were written.