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1957 Indian general election
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| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| country | India |
| type | parliamentary |
| previous_election | 1951–52 Indian general election |
| previous_year | 1951–52 |
| next_election | 1962 Indian general election |
| next_year | 1962 |
| election_date | 24 February – 14 March 1957 |
| seats_for_election | 494 of the 505 seats in the Lok Sabha |
| majority_seats | 248 |
| image1 | |
| leader1 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| party1 | Indian National Congress |
| seats1 | **371** |
| seat_change1 | 7 |
| popular_vote1 | **57,579,589** |
| percentage1 | **47.78%** |
| swing1 | 2.79pp |
| image2 | |
| leader2 | Ajoy Ghosh |
| party2 | Communist Party of India |
| seats2 | 27 |
| seat_change2 | 11 |
| popular_vote2 | 10,754,075 |
| percentage2 | 8.92% |
| swing2 | 5.63pp |
| image4 | |
| leader4 | Jayaprakash Narayan |
| party4 | Praja Socialist Party |
| seats4 | 19 |
| popular_vote4 | 12,542,666 |
| percentage4 | 10.41% |
| image5 | Oil lamp.svg |
| leader5 | Debaprasad Ghosh |
| party5 | Bharatiya Jana Sangh |
| seats5 | 4 |
| popular_vote5 | 7,193,267 |
| percentage5 | 5.97% |
| last_election5 | 3.06%, 3 seats |
| swing5 | 2.91pp |
| seat_change5 | 1 |
| map_image | Wahlergebnisse in Indien 1957.svg |
| title | Prime Minister |
| posttitle | Prime Minister after election |
| before_election | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| before_party | Indian National Congress |
| after_election | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| after_party | Indian National Congress |
| last_election1 | 44.99%, 364 seats |
| registered | 193,652,179 |
| turnout | 45.44% ( 0.57pp) |
| last_election2 | 3.29%, 16 seats |
| map_caption | Results by constituency |
| last_election4 | *New* |
| swing4 | *New* |
| seat_change4 | *New* |
| outgoing_members | List of members of the 1st Lok Sabha |
| elected_members | List of members of the 2nd Lok Sabha |
General elections were held in India between 24 February and 14 March 1957, the second elections to the Lok Sabha after independence. Elections to several state legislatures were held simultaneously.
Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian National Congress easily won a second term in power, taking 371 of the 494 seats. They gained an extra seven seats (the size of the Lok Sabha had been increased by five) and their vote share increased from 45% to 48%. The INC received nearly five times more votes than the Communist Party, the second largest party. In addition, 19% of the vote and 42 seats went to independent candidates, the highest of any Indian general election.
Electoral system
There were 494 seats elected using first past the post voting. Out of the 403 constituencies, 91 elected two members, while the remaining 312 elected a single member. The multi-seat constituencies were abolished before the next election.
The elections were overseen by Sukumar Sen, the Chief Election Commissioner, who used the existing election infrastructure to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Historian Ramachandra Guha wrote "this general election cost the exchequer Rs45 million less than the previous one. The prudent Sen had safely stored the 3.5 million ballot boxes the first time round and only half a million additional ones were required."
Conduct
The first instance of booth capturing in India was recorded in 1957 in the General Elections of that year in Rachiyahi, in Begusarai's Matihani assembly seat.
Results
Results by state
| State | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| seats | Seats won | INC | CPI | PSP | GP | SCF | JKP | BJS | Others | Ind. | App. | Indian National Congress}};" | Communist Party of India}};" | Praja Socialist Party}};" | All India Ganatantra Parishad}};;" | Scheduled Castes Federation}};" | Jharkhand Party}};;" | Bharatiya Jana Sangh}};;" | Others}};;" | Independent}};;" | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | Andhra Pradesh | 43 | Assam | 12 | Bihar | 53 | Bombay | 66 | Delhi | 5 | Himachal Pradesh | 4 | Kerala | 18 | Jammu and Kashmir | 6 | Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands | 1 | Madhya Pradesh | 36 | Madras | 41 | Manipur | 2 | Mysore | 26 | North-East Frontier Agency | 1 | Orissa | 20 | Punjab | 22 | Rajasthan | 22 | Tripura | 2 | Uttar Pradesh | 86 | West Bengal | 36 | Anglo-Indians | 2 | Total | 505 | 371 | 27 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 42 | 11 | |||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 41 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 38 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | 9 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 35 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 | 2 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 70 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: [ECI](https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200943/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1957/Vol_I_57_LS.pdf) |
Andhra Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Bombay
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
Madras
Mysore
Orissa
Punjab
Rajasthan
Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal
Women performance in elections
Based on the published data from the Election Commission of India (ECI) website.
Participation
| State/UT | Total seats | Women contestants | Elected | Women contestants (%) | Elected (%) | Women | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 43 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3.5% | 6.9% | |
| Assam | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6.5% | 14.3% | |
| Bihar | 53 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3.7% | 9.4% | |
| Bombay | 66 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3.11% | 4.5% | |
| Kerala | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.7% | 0 | |
| Madhya Pradesh | 36 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 6.6% | 8.3% | |
| Madras | 41 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3.2% | 2.4% | |
| Mysore | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Manipur | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Orissa | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Punjab | 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.3% | 4.5% | |
| Rajasthan | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tripura | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Uttar Pradesh | 86 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2.05% | 13.75% | |
| West Bengal | 36 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11.59% | 1.1% | |
| Delhi | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 14.8% | 20% | |
| Himachal Pradesh | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| **India** | **494** | **45** | **37** | **22** | **2.96%** | **4.45%** |
Notes
References
References
- "Statistical Report on General Election, 1957 : To the Second Lok Sabha Volume-I". Election Commission of India.
- "Statistical Report on General Election, 1957 : To the Second Lok Sabha Volume-II". Election Commission of India.
- Guha, Ramachandra. (2022). "India after Gandhi: the history of the world's largest democracy". Picador India.
- (14 February 2005). "Where booth capturing was born". The Times of India.
- (21 September 2015). "In central Bihar, development runs into caste wall". The Times of India.
- "Empty words in legend's forgotten village".
- "The myth of history's first booth capturing taking place in Begusarai's Rachiyahi".
- "Statistical Report on General Election, 1957 : To the Second Lok Sabha Volume-I". Election Commission of India.
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