Page 38 - Leap of Faith inside pages with cover (1)

Leap of Faith Journey of Indian Elections

wave (1960-75) caught up soon to reduce their number
“ “ China on October 1, 1949 resulted in the world's largest
Adult suffrage is not a new thing, as imagined by some of our friends,
to 30. Secondly, victory in World War II gave the USSR a
handed down to us by Great Britain. Adult suffrage you will find
historic opportunity to extend Communism in Eastern
inscribed on the stone walls of a temple in the village of Uttaramerur
Europe. Thirdly, establishment of Communist regime in
twenty miles from Conjeeveram,— the whole structure of democracy
na on coming under one party rule. John Foster Dulles,
of those days just a thousand years ago,—many of us imagine that it is
US Secretary of State, was alarmed at Communism
Great Britain that has given us the democratic process of election; that
extending control over 700,000,000 people or about
is not so. You will find on the stone walls of that temple written in the
one-third of the human race. Therefore, the significance
Tamil language an inscription to the effect that there was democratic
of India adop ng and preserving democracy, in Cold War
election carried on then on the basis of adult suffrage a thousand years
ago. There was adult suffrage as stated there. There were no wooden
popula on size of 365 million (or 36.5 cr) people
boxes which could be used as ballot boxes, but cadjan leaves were used
approximately (Census of India, 1951) –one-sixth of
as ballot papers and pots as ballot boxes. That is the way in which they situa on, can hardly be overemphasised. It resulted in a
humankind- being covered by universal adult suffrage.
carried on the administration of the country, even in the villages.
This was no mean achievement if one shared Dulles'
T. Praksham (Madras, General) perspec ve that 700 million (i.e. 70 cr) or one third of
Constituent Assembly Debates July 23, 1947 humankind have passed under Communist hegemony.
India kept the free world intact by adop ng a democra c
form of governance. India, however, stoutly refused to be
in the states (Vidhan Sabha) based on adult suffrage under part of any power bloc, even in the name of democracy
the Ar cle 326 of the Cons tu on. This might appear and was more commi ed to furthering the process of
commonplace today when the number of full-fledged decolonisa on in Asia and Africa.
democracies in the world stand at 97 (2018). However, at
the end of World War II, there were only around a dozen of Chief Election Commissioner takes charge
them. The number of democracies had con nued to
increase throughout the nineteenth century, peaking at 29 Even as Elec on Commission had been ins tuted on
in 1926. This was followed by the crisis of global capitalism January 25, 1950 the first Chief Elec on Commissioner
Sukumar Sen took office on March 21, 1950. He had earlier
(the Great Depression) that began to undermine faith in
parliaments, markets and interna onal trade. The rise of been the first Chief Secretary of West Bengal, and was
authoritarian regimes in Europe reduced the number of appointed to his new post on March 6, 1950. The First
General Elec ons to the central and state legislatures had
democracies to 12 by 1942. These were mostly confined to
the rich and industrialised na ons of the West, whose originally been planned for 1950. On January 8, 1949 the
popula on enjoyed a high standard of educa on. Cons tuent Assembly had adopted a mo on for
prepara on of electoral rolls so that the elec ons might be
The end of World War II did not automa cally boost re- held as early as possible in 1950. However, it was not found
democra sa on. First, even when the number of prac cal in view of the groundwork yet to be laid. These
democracies went up three fold to 36 by 1962, a reverse included a) enactment of the elec on laws b) conduct of

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