The word ‘election’ implies persons who are to elect, (called the electors), the office to which election is to be made, and the person who is to be elected(called the candidate). According to Black election is the process of selecting a person to occupy a position or office, usually a public office . Election is thus defined as the choice of persons to fill public office, means the expression by vote, of the will of the people or of a numerous body of electors.
Prior to 1966 election petitions were presented to the Election Commission, which would constitute one-member Election Tribunals of the rank of District Judge, on an ad hoc basis for the trial of election petitions. In Hari Vishnu Kamath v. Ahmed Isheque it was held by the Supreme Court that Art 329(b) prohibited only the ‘initiation’ of proceedings, questioning an election, in any other manner other than by an election petition and once that proceeding was initiated by filing an election petition, the requirement of Art 329(b) was met and thereafter the trial of the petition by the election tribunal was subject to the general law and to the supervision of High Courts over tribunals.
Thus in order to avoid dual jurisdiction over the election matters the Election Commission recommended that trial of election petitions should be entrusted to the High Courts instead of election tribunals. Parliament thus enacted Section 80-A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 providing that the "High Court" shall be the authority for presentment of election petitions under Article 329(b) of the Constitution. This was incorporated by an amendment in the year 1966 (Act 47 of 1966).