Test: Era Of One Party Dominance - UPSC MCQ

The first general elections, conducted for 489 seats in 401 constituencies, represented 26 Indian states. At that time, there were 314 one-seat, 86 two-seat and even one three-seat constituency.

The Indian National Congress did maintain dominance in the first three general elections, largely due to its well-established organizational structure and the strong leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru. These factors provided the Congress with a significant advantage over other parties.

The chronological order of the events is as follows: The adoption of India's Constitution (1949/1950), the formation of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (1951), the first General Election in India (1952), and the Communist Party's victory in Kerala (1957).

• Statement i is correct. The Socialist Party did emerge from a faction within the Indian National Congress, originally forming as the Congress Socialist Party (CSP).

• Statement ii is incorrect. The Socialist Party did not win majorities in several state elections during the 1950s; it had limited electoral success.

• Statement iii is correct. The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) was indeed formed in 1934 as a socialist wing within the Indian National Congress.

• Statement iv is correct. The Socialist Party later gave rise to several other socialist factions, reflecting the fragmentation of the socialist movement in India.

Jawaharlal Nehru became the Prime Minister after the first general elections.

C. Rajagopalachari was a senior leader of Congress and literary writer; and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a member of Constituent Assembly and the first Indian to be the Governor General of India.   He was the founder of the Swatantra Party (1959).

• Statement i is correct. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh was indeed established in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mukherjee.

• Statement ii is correct. The Jana Sangh was originally linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), reflecting its ideological alignment.

• Statement iii is incorrect. The Jana Sangh advocated for making Hindi, not English, the official language of India, in line with its nationalist agenda.

• Statement iv is correct. The Jana Sangh had limited success in the 1952 and 1957 general elections, which were dominated by the Congress party.

The Constitution of India was adopted on the 26 November 1949 and it came into effect on the 26 January 1950.

• Jawaharlal Nehru was associated with the Indian National Congress (b).
• E.M.S. Namboodiripad was associated with the Communist Party of India (c).
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (d).
• Rammanohar Lohia was associated with the Socialist Party (a).

The first general election in India was indeed a significant milestone because it marked the successful implementation of universal adult franchise in a country with immense diversity and a largely illiterate population. The reason given explains why the election was significant, as it showed that democracy could work effectively even in challenging conditions.