Election.Facts: Which Party Emerged As Key Challenger To Congress In First Lok Sabha Polls?

In the watershed Lok Sabha elections of 1952, a seismic shift in Indian politics unfolded as the Congress secured unprecedented victory decimating opposition parties. The inaugural general elections in India took place from 25th October 1951 to 21st February 1952, marking the first such event following India's independence in 1947. During this historic period, voters elected the 489 members of the first Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. 

Historical data from the Election Commission of India sheds light on the remarkable presence of the political parties in India at that time. There were more than 50 political parties in India that contested the Lok Sabha polls. Of them, the top six were the Congress, Communist Party of India, Socialist Party, Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party, People's Democratic Front and All India Ganatantra Parishad.

The results from the 1952 Lok Sabha elections showed people's trust in the Congress and Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru to lead India but at the same time, they also gave the opposition a good number of seats despite a pro-Congress wave due to independence. While the Congress won 364 seats, the Communist Party of India stood second by bagging 16 seats.

The Socialist Party got 12 seats, the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party nine seats, the People's Democratic Front seven and All India Ganatantra Parishad six. Hindu Mahasabha, Shiromani Akali Dal and Tamil Nadu Toilers' Party bagged four seats each.  The Bharatiya Jana Sangh, now known as the Bharatiya Janata Party, just got three seats at that time. Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad, Jharkhand Party, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Commonweal Party bagged three seats each.

In a surprising turn of events, the first Law Minister B. R. Ambedkar faced defeat in the Bombay (North Central) constituency. He ran as the Scheduled Castes Federation candidate but was overtaken by his lesser-known former assistant and Congress Candidate, Narayan Sadoba Kajrolkar. Kajrolkar secured 138,137 votes, surpassing Ambedkar's tally of 123,576 votes.