Era of One-Party Dominance

Challenge of Building Democracy

• The Election Commission of India was set-up in January 1950. Sukumar
Sen was the first Chief Election Commissioner.
• India’s vast size and low literacy rate etc were some of challenges to
hold general elections in 1952. Despite these challenges the election was held
successfully in 1952.
Changing Methods of Voting

• In the first general election it was decided to place inside each

polling booth a box for each candidate with the election symbol of that candidate.
• By 2004 the entire country had shifted to the Electronic Voting Machine
(EVM).
First Three General Elections
• The Congress dominated in the first three general elections. It had
many popular faces like Jawaharlal Nehru, C Rajagopalachari, Vallabhbhai Patel etc.
Moreover Jawaharlal Nehru was charismatic and a very popular leader.
• Congress worked at upper level as well as at grass root level. Congress
was popularised due to the participation in Civil Disobedience Movement.
• In Kerala, in 1957 the Communist Party came to power in the world for
the first time through democratic elections.
• This was the first state where Non-Congress Government was formed after
independence.
Nature of Congress Dominance
• The dominance of Congress party was in democratic condition. The roots
of extraordinary success of the Congress party go back to the legacy of the freedom
struggle.
• The Congress brought together diverse groups, whose interests were
often contradictory.
• By the time of independence, the Congress was transformed into a
rainbow-like social coalition broadly representing India’s diversity in terms of
classes and castes, religions and languages and various interests.
• This coalition-like character of Congress gave it an unusual strength.
Tolerance and Management of Factions

• Groups within party with diverse ideologies are called factions. Some
of these factions were based on ideological considerations but very often these
factions were rooted in personal ambitions and rivalries.
• The coalition nature of the Congress party tolerated and in fact
encouraged various factions.
Emergence of Opposition Parties
• The roots of almost all the Non-Congress parties of today can be traced
to one or the other of the opposition parties of the 1950s.
• These opposition parties offered a sustained and often principled
criticism of the policies and practices of the Congress party.
• This kept the ruling party under check and often changed the balance of
power within the Congress.
Socialist Party
• The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) was formed within the Congress in
1934 by a group of young leaders who wanted a more radical and egalitarian
Congress.
• In 1948, the Congress amended its Constitution to prevent its members
from having a dual party membership. This forced the socialists to form a separate
socialist party in 1948.
• They criticised the Congress for favouring capitalists and landlords
and for ignoring the workers and peasants.
The Communist Party of India (CPI]
 • In the early 1920s communist groups emerged in different parts of India
taking inspiration from the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.
• In 1951 the communist party abandoned the path of violent revolution
and decided to participate in the approaching general elections.
• AK Gopalan, SA Dange, EMS Namboodripad; PC Joshi, Ajay Ghosh and P
Sundarraya were among the notable leaders of the CPI.
Bhartiya Jana Sangh [BJS]
• The Bhartiya Jana Sangh was formed in 1951 with Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
as its founder President.
• It emphasised the idea of one country, one culture and one nation and
believed that the country could become modem, progressive and strong on the basis
of Indian culture and traditions.
Swatantra Party
• Swatantra party was formed in August in 1959. The party was led by old
Congressmen like C. Rajgopalachari, KM Munshi, NG Ranga and Minoo Masani.
• The party was critical of the development strategy of state
intervention in the economy, centralised planning, nationalisation and the public
sector. It instead favoured expansion of a free private sector.
FACTS THAT MATTER
1. After independence, our leaders became conscious of critical role of politics in
a democracy as they wanted to run politics as a method to sort out problems as well
as to decide and pursue the public interest.

2. Consequently, the Election Commission of India came into existence in January

1950, Sukumar Sen became first Chief Election Commissioner of India to hold
elections in the country. This commission required the drawing of the boundaries of
electoral constituencies, electoral roll consisting eligible voters to hold free
and fair elections

3. The first general election of India became a landmark due to its

competitiveness, encouragingparticipation, fair results and proved its critics
wrong not to hold elections in conditions of poverty. . –
4. In the 1952 election Congress party scored a big victory but it was not in power
in the states like Travancore—Cochin i.e. Kerala, Madras and Orissa. Congress
dominated in India due to identification with freedom struggle, popular appeal of
charismatic leaders, a broad manifesto including every section of society and
consensus building role of party.

5. Congress was founded by Dr. A.O. Hume in 1885 as a view to express the feelings
of discontentment changed to a political party in the form of social and
ideological coalition by accommodating different social groups and individuals
holding different beliefs and ideologies. Even in pre-independence days, many
organisation and parties with their own constitutions and organisational structures
were allowed to exist within the Congress.
6. Factions are the groups formed inside the party. The coalition nature of the
Congress Party encouraged various factions which were based on either ideological
considerations or personal ambitions or rivalries.

7. Before the first General Election of 1952, some of the vibrant and opposite
parties came into existence which gained as a token of representation only to
maintain democratic character. These parties kept ruling party under check,
prevented resentment, groomed leaders, alongwith a mutual respect and among
Congress leaders as well as opposition parties leaders.
8. The origin of the socialist party can be traced back to the mass movement stage
of the Indian National Congress which was formed in 1934 by Acharya Narendra Dev
and later on, it was separated to form socialist party in 1948 with ideology of
democratic socialism and criticised capitalism.9. In the early 1920s communist
groups emerged in different parts of India having a belief of communism. The
Communist Party of India was primarily secular, modem and authoritarian.

10. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh wTas formed in 1951 by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee with
the ideology of one country, one culture and one nation and called for a reunion of
India and Pakistan in Akhand Bharat.
11. Swatantra Party was formed in August 1959 after the Nagpur Resolution of the
Congress which called for land ceilings. It’s important leaders were C.
Rajgopalachari, K.M. Munshi, N.G. Ranga, and Minoo Masani. Its ideology emphasised
on the free economy and less involvement of government in controlling the economy
and advocated closer relations with the USA.
WORDS THAT MATTER
1. Electronic Voting Machine (EVM): It is a voting machine to record
voters’ performances on electric device, used through election processes.
2. First Past the Post System: This is the simple majority system in which
the candidate gets the maximum amount of votes is declared as elected.
3. Ideological Oriented Party: It is the party in which policies and
decisions are formulated under ideological considerations.
4. Interest-Oriented Party: This party protects particular interests and
promotes the same also i.e. caste, community, region, tribes etc.
5. Charismatic Leader Oriented Party: It is the party in which leader
holds a very strong position and is the nucleus of the party.