Sachin Banchode
The first general election of independent India was held from 25 October 1951 to 21 February 1952. It was a huge event in which about 17 percent of the world's population was going to vote. It was the biggest election of that time. About 1874 candidates and 53 political parties contested the elections. There were 14 political parties in it. These parties contested on 489 seats. The Indian National Congress won 364 seats. The Communist Party of India emerged as the main opposition party winning a total of 16 seats. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of independent India.
Saving ballot boxes!
35 lakh ballot boxes used in the first election were kept safe. Therefore, only five lakh additional ballot boxes were needed in the second election. The foresight of Chief Election Commissioner Sukumar Sen resulted in a saving of Rs 4.5 crore during the second election as compared to the first election. At the time of the first general election, the number of voters in the country was more than 17 crore 32 lakh, but by the second election, this number increased to 19 crore 30 lakh. About 50 percent voting took place in this election. A total of 197 tonnes of paper was used. The practice of keeping liquor shops closed on Election Day has been around since then!
First Chief Election Commissioner of the country
Sukumar Sen was the first Chief Election Commissioner of the country. He held this post from 21 March 1950 to 19 December 1958. The first two general elections in the country were successfully held during his effective tenure. The first of these elections was held in 1951-52 and the second in 1957. Interestingly, Sukumar Sen had held similar responsibility outside India as well. He served as the first Chief Election Commissioner in Sudan in 1953!
Recognition of independent Bangladesh
The 1971 war won against Pakistan and the creation of independent Bangladesh is an important milestone in the history of India. On December 16, 1971 at 4:30 PM General A. A. K. Pakistani forces in East Bengal led by Niazi surrendered to Indian Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Arora at Dhaka. Parliament had been waiting for the news of this surrender since the morning of December 16. While the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was giving an interview to Swedish Television, Commander in Chief S.H.F.J. Manekshaw called and informed him about the surrender of Pakistan. At that time, Indira Gandhi left the interview halfway and came to the Lok Sabha. He announced that Pakistani forces had surrendered and Dhaka had become the capital of an independent country. He wished Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Sonar Bangla!
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