Page 1 :
Political Science, Class 12th, Chapter 2 Era of One-Party Dominance Notes, , HEMRAJ SIR, M.A. (POL. SCl.), B.Ed., , ©) The Election Commission of India was, set-up in January 1950. Sukumar Sen was, the first Chief Election Commissioner., , ©) India’s vast size and low literacy rate etc, were some of challenges to hold general, elections in 1952. Despite these, challenges the election was held, successfully in 1952., , © Inthe first general election it was decided, to place inside each polling booth a box

Page 2 :
for each candidate with the election, symbol of that candidate., , © By 2004 the entire country had shifted to, the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)., , (© The Congress dominated in the first three, general elections. It had many popular, faces like Jawaharlal Nehru, C, Rajagopalachari, Vallabhbhai Patel etc., Moreover Jawaharlal Nehru was, charismatic and a very popular leader., , © Congress worked at upper level as well as, at grass root level. Congress was, popularised due to the participation in, Civil Disobedience Movement., , © In Kerala, in 1957 the Communist Party, came to power in the world for the first, time through democratic elections., , ©) This was the first state where NonCongress Government was formed after

Page 3 :
independence., , © The dominance of Congress party was in, democratic condition. The roots of, extraordinary success of the Congress, party go back to the legacy of the, freedom struggle., , (©) The Congress brought together diverse, groups, whose interests were often, contradictory., , ©) By the time of independence, the, Congress was transformed into a rainbowlike social coalition broadly representing, India’s diversity in terms of classes and, castes, religions and languages and, various interests., , © This coalition-like character of Congress, gave it an unusual strength.

Page 4 :
© Groups within party with diverse, ideologies are called factions. Some of, these factions were based on ideological, considerations but very often these, factions were rooted in personal, ambitions and rivalries., , © The coalition nature of the Congress, party tolerated and in fact encouraged, various factions., , © The roots of almost all the Non-Congress, parties of today can be traced to one or, the other of the opposition parties of the, 1950s., , © These opposition parties offered a, sustained and often principled criticism, of the policies and practices of the, Congress party., , This kept the ruling party under check and

Page 5 :
often changed the balance of power, within the Congress., , © The Congress Socialist Party (CSP) was, formed within the Congress in 1934 by a, group of young leaders who wanted a, more radical and egalitarian Congress., , © In 1948, the Congress amended its, Constitution to prevent its members from, having a dual party membership. This, forced the socialists to form a separate, socialist party in 1948., , © They criticised the Congress for favouring, capitalists and landlords and for ignoring, the workers and peasants., , O, , In the early 1920s communist groups, emerged in different parts of India taking