Question

The first election was the big test to democracy in India. Why?
A.At the time of the first election India was an illiterate and poor country.
B.Only rich countries of North America and Europe who have a nearly literate population had conducted elections.
C.Both a and b
D.None of these

Answer 1

Hint:In January 1950, the Election Commission was established. Model code of conduct was issued by the Election Commission which has the sole duty to hold free and fair elections, which is an essential feature of Democratic Republic. As per Constitution of India the election was to be held on the basis of Universal Adult Franchise.

Complete answer:
Democracy elections are essential since all citizens cannot take direct part in the decision making process therefore there is a need for representatives who will cater their needs. Election is considered the most visible symbol of democracy.
In 1950,an election commission was established. It was difficult to hold free and fair elections in a big country like India due to high population, illiteracy and poverty. In order to hold elections in India it was essential to draw boundaries of the electoral constituencies. There was no election that took place on such a large scale all over the world. There were around 17 crore eligible voters since the voting process but only around 15 percent were literate in India during that time. Therefore, the Election Commission had to develop a new method of voting.
The prosperous countries like Europe and America had democracy but it was not difficult for such countries to hold elections since the majority of the population was literate. India’s Universal adult franchise was seen as a bold step since many countries in Europe had not given the right of voting to women.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note:The first election was a big test of democracy since during that time India was an illiterate country with only 15 percent of the literate population and only prosperous countries like America and Europe had conducted with the majority of the population being literate.It was established in 1950.Elections are the main part of democracy.