The first general election was the first big test of democracy in a poor and illiterate country. Till then democracy had existed only in the prosperous countries. By that time many countries in Europe had not given voting rights to all women. In this context India’s experiment with universal adult franchise appeared very bold and risky. India’s general election of 1952 became a landmark in the history of democracy all over the world. It was no longer possible to argue that domocratise elections could not be held on conditions of poverty or lack of education. It proved that democracy could be practized anywhere in the world. The next two general elections strengthened democratic set-up in India.
