Sukumar Sen spent 14 months organizing elections in Sudan. (symbolic)
New Delhi:
India’s first Lok Sabha elections in 1951–52, which created a stir around the world, also caught the country’s attention and it invited the then Chief Election Commissioner Sukumar Sen to conduct its first parliamentary elections in 1953.
According to archival records of the Election Commission, Sen spent 14 months organizing elections in Sudan, drawing considerable lessons from Indian election literature and laws and making suitable modifications to suit the needs of the Afro-Arab nation.
According to ECI archival literature, the success of the first general elections (1951–52) placed India on the “solid ground” of democracy.
“Several inquiries were received from countries in the Middle East, Africa and South America for detailed information on the elections. Chief Election Commissioner Sukumar Sen was nominated to chair an international commission to conduct elections in Sudan, a former British colony. “Record said.
“They spent 14 months organizing elections, partially modifying Indian laws and procedures on the subject, to suit the needs of the Afro-Arab nation. Elections in Sudan based on universal adult suffrage were successful despite literacy rates only Two percent,” it added.
In 1954, when the Government of India instituted civilian awards, Sen was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contributions.
Sen, an Indian Civil Service officer, was the Chief Secretary of West Bengal when he was appointed as the first Chief Election Commissioner of India.
“India’s reputation as a democratic nation received further international support when GV Mavalankar, Speaker of the Lok Sabha in Jamaica, was elected as the President of the General Council of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in 1956. This was the first time that an Asian member was elected to this position. Was elected Chairman,” the records said.
Sukumar Sen’s role in creating the environment for democratic practice has also been acknowledged by the 17th Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi in his book “An Undocumented Wonder: The Great Indian Election”.
“The first elections of 1952 under Sen’s leadership were important, because they set the standard for all subsequent elections. Sen started from scratch. There was no staff, permanent or temporary, no infrastructure, no training facilities “There was no institutional memory, as a large number of employees who conducted the 1944 assembly elections had either defected or were killed in the riots. Sen started with a clean slate,” he said.
“Today, more than seven decades later, the great Indian election has become a global standard for free, fair and credible elections. However, during this period there have been several electoral reforms, the most prominent of which was the shift from individual color ballot From hai boxes to ballot papers and ultimately to electronic voting machines, perhaps 80 per cent of the system is the same as its founder Sen created,” Mr Qureshi writes in his book.
India is preparing for the next general election to elect its 18th Lok Sabha, the schedule of which is likely to be announced next month. The last general elections in the country were held in 2019.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
