Who was the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, under whom the first general election of 1951-52 was held?
- A.Sukumar Sen
- B.T. Swaminathan
- C.K. V. K. Sundaram
- D.S. P. Sen Verma
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Sukumar Sen. Sukumar Sen, an officer of the Indian Civil Service, was the first Chief Election Commissioner and conducted the first general election, held from October 1951 to February 1952 for the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies together, with about one hundred seventy-three million electors, most of whom could not read, which is why party symbols and separate ballot boxes were used. Options B, C and D name later Chief Election Commissioners, and K. V. K. Sundaram, T. Swaminathan and S. P. Sen Verma all held the office in the decades that followed, so the question is a test of the first name rather than of the list. Remember two related firsts: the Election Commission was constituted on 25 January 1950, and the first election was conducted on the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951.
Read the full article: India after Independence 1947-1964: Notes and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allWhich operation was carried out to merge the princely state of Hyderabad with the Indian Union in September 1948?
- A.Operation Vijay
- B.Operation Polo
- C.Operation Meghdoot
- D.Operation Cactus
Show answer
The Nizam of Hyderabad signed a Standstill Agreement in November 1947 and then delayed accession while the Razakar militia terrorised the countryside; the Indian government sent in troops from 13 to 18 September 1948 in an action called Operation Polo, after which Hyderabad acceded to India.
Read the full explanation →Who headed the States Department that carried out the integration of the princely states after 1947?
- A.Jawaharlal Nehru
- B.Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
- C.C. Rajagopalachari
- D.Rajendra Prasad
Show answer
The States Department was created in July 1947 with Patel as the minister in charge and V. P. Menon as its secretary, and the pair persuaded the rulers to sign the Instrument of Accession, which is why Patel is remembered as the Iron Man of India and his birthday is…
Read the full explanation →The death of which leader after a prolonged fast led to the creation of Andhra State in 1953?
- A.Potti Sriramulu
- B.Tanguturi Prakasam
- C.N. G. Ranga
- D.Pattabhi Sitaramayya
Show answer
He fasted for a separate Telugu-speaking state and died on 15 December 1952 on the fifty-eighth day of the fast; the protests that followed forced the government to announce Andhra State, which was created on 1 October 1953 as the first state formed on a linguistic basis, with Kurnool as…
Read the full explanation →Who was the chairman of the States Reorganisation Commission appointed in 1953?
- A.K. M. Panikkar
- B.H. N. Kunzru
- C.Fazl Ali
- D.S. K. Dhar
Show answer
The States Reorganisation Commission was appointed in December 1953 under Justice Fazl Ali, with the historian and diplomat K. M. Panikkar and the educationist H. N. Kunzru as its two members, and its report of 1955 accepted language as a basis for reorganisation while rejecting the formula of one language…
Read the full explanation →The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 reorganised India into how many states and union territories?
- A.Sixteen states and nine union territories
- B.Fourteen states and six union territories
- C.Seventeen states and ten union territories
- D.Twelve states and five union territories
Show answer
The Act came into force on 1 November 1956 and, along with the Seventh Amendment of the same year, ended the old classification of Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D states that the Constitution had set out in 1950, leaving fourteen states and six union territories.
Read the full explanation →