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Era of One Party Dominance
Class 12 Political Science Chapter 2 Notes

Here we provide notes for the first chapter of Class 12 Political Science, “The Era of One Party Dominance.” This chapter explores the key features of the one party dominance era.

These notes will be useful for students preparing for this year’s board exams. Prepared in simple and organized language, this material will help them quickly revise the chapter and remember key points.

Era of One Party Dominance

  1. At the time of the Constitution’s implementation on January 26, 1950, there was an interim government in the country.
  2. Now, according to the Constitution, elections were to be held for the new government.
  3. The Election Commission was formed in January 1950.
  4. Sukumar Sen became the first Election Commissioner.
  5. It was expected that the country’s first elections would be held in 1950.
  6. Indian leaders had a deep commitment (faith) in democracy since the time of the freedom movement.
  7. Therefore, after independence, India adopted the path of democracy and the parliamentary system, while many countries that became independent around the same time established undemocratic systems of governance.

Challenges for the Election Commission

  1. Conducting free and fair elections.
  2. The country’s large size
  3. Huge population (170 million voters)
  4. Demarcation of constituencies
  5. Preparing voter lists (the first draft left out the names of 4 million women; these women were listed as “daughter of so-and-so,” “wife of so-and-so”)
  6. Lack of literacy – only 15% literate
  7. Training election officials – 300,000 people were trained.
  8. For these reasons, elections had to be postponed twice.
  9. The first general elections were held from October 1951 to February 1952.

First general election

3200 MLAs and 489 MPs were elected by approximately 17 crore voters.

Opinion about the first general election

  1. An Indian editor called it the biggest gamble in history.
  2. The magazine ‘Organizer’ wrote that Jawaharlal Nehru would see and regret the failure of universal suffrage in India while he was alive.
  3. The first general elections in India were held from October 1951 to February 1952, but because elections were held in most places in 1952, the first general elections were called the 1952 elections.

Election Process

  1. Election campaign and vote counting – took 6 months.
  2. Four candidates per seat (on average).

Results of the 1952 elections

1. Democracy was successful in India.

2. People participated enthusiastically in the elections.

3. There was a tough competition between the candidates in the elections, and even the losing candidates declared the results fair.

4. The Indian people successfully carried out the largest experiment of democracy in world history.

5. Congress won 364 seats in the elections and emerged as the largest party.

6. The second-largest party was the Communist Party of India, which won 16 seats.

7. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of the country.

Congress dominance

  1. The Indian National Congress dominated the first three general elections.
  2. One-party dominance in India differs from single-party dominance in other countries in the following way:
  3. The PRI was established in Mexico in 1929 and ruled for 60 years. However, its form was dictatorial.
  4. In other countries, single-party dominance was achieved at the expense of democracy.
  5. In countries like China, Cuba, and Syria, the constitution allows only one party.
  6. In countries like Myanmar, Belarus, and Eritrea, single-party dominance was established through legal and military measures.
  7. One-party dominance in India has existed despite democracy and free and fair elections.

Due to the dominance of Congress

The Congress (a single party) dominated the first three general elections due to:

i. Important role in the freedom struggle

ii. Well-organized party

iii. Oldest political party

iv. Party’s nationwide network

v. Renowned leader

vi. A harmonious and inclusive nature.

vii. India’s electoral system.

  1. The Congress party’s nature is that of a social and ideological coalition.
  2. Farmers and industrialists, city dwellers and rural dwellers, workers and owners, middle, lower, and upper classes, and castes all found a place in the Congress party.
  3. The Congress party encompassed radical and moderate, right-wing, left-wing, and centrist ideologies.
  4. The Congress party’s coalitional nature posed challenges for opposition parties and gave it extraordinary power. In the first decade of electoral competition, the Congress played the role of both the ruling party and the opposition.
  5. For this reason, this period of Indian politics is called the Congress system.

Emergence of opposition parties

  1. In the 1950s, opposition parties received very little representation in the Lok Sabha or the Legislative Assembly.
  2. Opposition parties kept the ruling party (Congress) in check.
  3. Kept the possibility of alternatives alive in democratic politics.
  4. The presence of opposition parties maintained the democratic character of the system of governance.

Socialist Party

  1. Ideology – Democratic Socialism
  2. Formed in 1934 by a group of young leaders within the Congress party who wanted to make the party more transformative and egalitarian.
  3. The Socialist Party was formed separately from the Congress party in 1948.
  4. Criticism of the Congress party: It favors capitalists and landlords and neglects workers and farmers.
  5. Splits of the Socialist Party:
    i. Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party
    ii. Praja Socialist Party
    iii. Samyukta Socialist Party
  6. Key leaders: Jayaprakash Narayan, Achyut Patwardhan, Ashok Mehta, Acharya Narendra Dev, Ram Manohar Lohia, and S.M. Joshi.
  7. Impressions of existing parties: Socialist Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United), Janata Dal (Secular).

Communist Party of India

  1. Ideology – Communist
  2. Communist groups emerged in various parts of India in the early 1920s. They were inspired by the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.
  3. They separated from the Congress in December 1941.
  4. Unlike other Congress parties, they possessed a well-functioning party machinery and dedicated cadres that supported independence.
  5. They believed that the transfer of power in 1947 was not true independence.
  6. Won 16 seats in the first general elections and emerged as the largest opposition party.
  7. Prominent leaders: A.K. Gopalan, S.A. Dange, E.M.S. Namboodiripa, P.C. Joshi, Ajay Ghosh, and P. Sundarayya.
  8. The Communist Party of India split in 1964 into:
    i. Communist Party of India (Marxist Ideology)
    ii. Communist Party of India (Soviet Ideology)

Swatantra Party

  1. Founded in August 1959
  2. Emphasis on minimal government intervention in the economy.
  3. The party opposed taxation that disregarded the interests of economically weaker sections.
  4. It opposed government policies based on land ceilings, cooperative farming, and food grains in agriculture.
  5. Foreign Policy – It considered the policy of non-alignment and relations with the Soviet Union to be wrong.
  6. Advocated closer ties with the United States.
  7. Princes, landlords, and industrialists were attracted, but due to a lack of social support, it was unable to establish a strong network.
  8. Prominent Leaders – C. Rajagopalachari, K.M. Munshi, N.G. Ranga, and Minoo Masani.

Bharatiya Jana Sangh

  1. Established – 1951
  2. Founder President – Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
  3. Emphasis on the idea of ​​one country, one culture, and one nation.
  4. Favored making Hindi the official language, replacing English.
  5. Advocated for the unification of India and Pakistan to form a united India.
  6. Opposed concessions to religious and cultural minorities.
  7. Won 3 seats in the 1952 elections and 4 seats in the 1957 elections.
  8. Prominent leaders – Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Balraj.
  9. The Bharatiya Janata Party has its roots in the Jana Sangh.
This Chapter in Hindi Medium

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