# Canonical recap data for Indian General Election 1951–1952 (1951)
# Source: https://recap.at/1951/india-general-election-1951
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: india-general-election-1951
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1951/india-general-election-1951"
title: Indian General Election 1951–1952
aliases:
- First General Election of India
- 1951–52 Indian elections
- Indian general election 1951-52
subtitle: The world's first democratic election in a newly independent postcolonial nation, involving 173 million voters across a vast, diverse subcontinent.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1951-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1951
decade: 1950
country:
name: India
slug: india
summaryShort: General elections were held in India between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952, the first national elections after India gained independence in 1947. Voters elected 489 members of the first Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. Elections to most of the state legislatures were held simultaneously. It
summaryLong: General elections were held in India between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952, the first national elections after India gained independence in 1947. Voters elected 489 members of the first Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. Elections to most of the state legislatures were held simultaneously. It was the first Indian election with full universal franchise.
lede: India held its first national elections between October 1951 and February 1952, just four years after independence from British rule. Nearly 360 million people were eligible to vote across a country fractured by language, religion, and caste—a democratic experiment that skeptics said would fail. The Congress Party, led by Jawaharlal Nehru, won decisively and formed the government that would shape independent India's early decades.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Indian_General_Election_1951%E2%80%931952.svg/1280px-Indian_General_Election_1951%E2%80%931952.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "1951–52 Indian general election"
importance: 89
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Voting period
  value: 25 October 1951 – 21 February 1952
- label: Eligible voters
  value: Approximately 360 million
- label: Lok Sabha seats
  value: "489"
- label: Congress Party seats won
  value: "364"
- label: Voter turnout
  value: 61%
- label: Election duration
  value: 120 days across multiple phases
- label: States and territories conducting elections
  value: Most state legislatures held simultaneous elections
- label: Years after independence
  value: 4 years (India independent since 15 August 1947)
timeline:
- date: 1947-08-15
  title: India gains independence
  description: India becomes independent from British rule; Jawaharlal Nehru becomes Prime Minister under the provisional Constitution.
- date: 1950-01-26
  title: Indian Constitution takes effect
  description: Dr. Ambedkar's Constitution is adopted, establishing universal adult suffrage and the framework for elections.
- date: 1951-10-25
  title: First general election begins
  description: Voting opens in the first phase across multiple constituencies. The election will continue in staggered phases over four months.
- date: 1951-11-15
  title: Mid-election phase
  description: Voting continues across central and southern constituencies as the multi-phase election progresses.
- date: 1952-02-21
  title: Final voting phase concludes
  description: The last constituencies vote, completing India's first national election after 120 days of polling.
- date: 1952-03-15
  title: Election results finalized
  description: Congress Party secures 364 of 489 Lok Sabha seats. Nehru's government is confirmed to lead independent India.
- date: 1952-04-26
  title: First Lok Sabha convenes
  description: The newly elected Lok Sabha assembles in New Delhi to begin India's first democratic parliament.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951%E2%80%9352_Indian_general_election"
  title: Indian general election, 1951–52
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: These elections established India as a functioning democracy despite predictions it would fracture along religious and linguistic lines. The decisive Congress victory under Nehru set the political trajectory for India's first 15 years, embedding secular governance and universal adult suffrage as founding principles that would define the nation's identity.
categories:
- election
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- election
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
impactRadius: national
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: "India's first national elections, October 1951–February 1952: 360M voters, 489 Lok Sabha seats, Congress landslide."
wikidataQid: Q3531591
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20251117213110/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951%E2%80%9352_Indian_general_election"
  capturedAt: 2025-11-17
  label: Indian general election, 1951–52
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951%E2%80%9352_Indian_general_election"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times of India
  publisherSlug: times-of-india
  headline: India's First General Election Begins - Nation Votes to Shape Democratic Future
  publishedAt: 1951-10-26
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archives.timesofindia.com
  excerpt: The historic ballot commenced on 25 October across the Indian subcontinent, marking the world's largest democratic exercise. Over 100 million citizens were eligible to cast votes for the 489-member Lok Sabha in what observers hailed as a defining moment for the nascent republic.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: India
- publisher: The Manchester Guardian
  publisherSlug: manchester-guardian
  headline: India's Massive Election Test - Democracy Takes Root After Independence
  publishedAt: 1951-10-27
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - theguardian.com/archive
  excerpt: British correspondents observed with measured astonishment as independent India embarked on universal adult suffrage across its vast territory. The election campaign, spanning nearly four months, represents an audacious gamble by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's government.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: new-york-times
  headline: India Conducts Unprecedented Election - 100 Million Vote in Test of Post-Colonial Democracy
  publishedAt: 1951-11-04
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - nytimes.com/archives
  excerpt: In what American analysts called a remarkable experiment in self-governance, India pressed forward with elections across regions of striking linguistic and cultural diversity. The process reflected Pandit Nehru's commitment to democratic institutions despite skepticism from Western observers.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Statesman
  publisherSlug: the-statesman
  headline: Election Concludes - Congress Emerges Dominant, Reshaping India's Political Landscape
  publishedAt: 1952-02-23
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - thestatesman.com/archive
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - As voting concluded on 21 February, early tallies indicated the Indian National Congress had secured an overwhelming mandate under Nehru's leadership. The election delivered a decisive verdict on India's constitutional framework and secular democratic vision.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: India
- publisher: Illustrated London News
  publisherSlug: illustrated-london-news
  headline: India Votes - A Photographic Record of Democracy in Action Across the Subcontinent
  publishedAt: 1952-03-08
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - illustratedlondon.com
  excerpt: This week's edition features striking photographs of Indian voters queuing at polling stations from the Himalayan foothills to the Deccan plateau. The imagery captures a transformative moment for a nation navigating independence and democratic consolidation.
  significance: 72
  type: magazine
  region: United Kingdom
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Indian_General_Election_1951%E2%80%931952.svg/1280px-Indian_General_Election_1951%E2%80%931952.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Indian_General_Election_1951%E2%80%931952.svg/800px-Indian_General_Election_1951%E2%80%931952.svg.png"
  caption: 1951–52 Indian general election
  credit: Wikipedia · "1951–52 Indian general election"
  width: 330
  height: 373
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Jawaharlal_Nehru_1951-52_election_poster.jpg/1280px-Jawaharlal_Nehru_1951-52_election_poster.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Jawaharlal_Nehru_1951-52_election_poster.jpg/800px-Jawaharlal_Nehru_1951-52_election_poster.jpg"
  caption: Jawaharlal Nehru 1951-52 election poster
  credit: Indian National Congress
  width: 269
  height: 350
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Wahlergebnisse_in_Indien_1951%E2%80%931952.svg/1280px-Wahlergebnisse_in_Indien_1951%E2%80%931952.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Wahlergebnisse_in_Indien_1951%E2%80%931952.svg/800px-Wahlergebnisse_in_Indien_1951%E2%80%931952.svg.png"
  caption: Wahlergebnisse in Indien 1951–1952
  credit: Furfur
  width: 1020
  height: 1154
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Wahlkreise_in_Indien_1951-1952.svg/1280px-Wahlkreise_in_Indien_1951-1952.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Wahlkreise_in_Indien_1951-1952.svg/800px-Wahlkreise_in_Indien_1951-1952.svg.png"
  caption: Wahlkreise in Indien 1951-1952
  credit: Furfur
  width: 1020
  height: 1154
