Election anecdote: When BR Ambedkar lost in first Lok Sabha polls

Zee Media Bureau/Manisha Singh New Delhi: The first Lok Sabha polls was spread over five months, between October 1951 and February 1952. When India became independent on August 15, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru became its first Prime Minister. He formed the first union cabinet with members picked from various communities. Just before the polls were to be held, Syama Prasad Mookerji (industries minister) broke away and set up the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Dr BR Ambedkar too formed the Scheduled Caste Federation which later became the Republican Party of India. Another Congress leader Acharya JB Kriplani found the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party and Ram Manohar Lohia and JP Narayan became the forces behind the Socialist Party. However, Jawaharlal Nehru was elected as the PM and the Lok Sabha lasted its full term. There was no leader of Opposition then. Dr BR Ambedkar lost in Bombay (reserved seat) but Gulzari Lal Nanda and Lal Bahadur Shastri won their seats. Ambedkar was defeated by Congress` NS Kajrolkar. However, later he entered the Parliament as a member of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), representing Bombay. He was again defeated in his second attempt to enter the Lok Sabha through a 1954 by-election from Bhandara constituency. Also known as Baba Saheb, Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, charged by the Assembly to write India`s new Constitution after independence.