Page 41 - Leap of Faith Vol - 2

A New Democracy on World Map Chapter 2

Sukumar Sen, First Chief Election Commissioner of India, 1950-58

Cons tuent Assembly had adopted a mo on for
prepara on of electoral rolls so that the elec ons might be
held as early as possible in 1950. However, it was not found
prac cal in view of the incomplete groundwork. These
included a) enactment of the elec on laws b) conduct of
the Census, 1951 c) prepara on of the electoral roll by the
states d) delimita on of Parliamentary and legisla ve
assembly cons tuencies e) the President's order specifying
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes etc. The elec ons
were, therefore, delayed to 1951-52 for events mostly
beyond the control of Elec on Commission of India.
The world was not convinced of India's ability to conduct
elec ons on the basis of adult suffrage. There were many
challenges to meet which included a popula on of 36.5
crore (1951 Census), transla ng into an electorate size of
17.2 crore (21 years and above), a poor literacy rate of
16.6 percent, lack of poli cal training in people, the vast
and complex terrain of India etc. It required a huge
administra ve machinery, logis c support, electoral
educa on of the masses, proper coordina on, and high Excerpt from a broadcast talk by CEC Sukumar Sen,
level of integrity to conduct the elec ons efficiently. from the Delhi Station of AIR on March 21, 1951

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