The first state in India to hold elections in which every adult could vote, even before the first general elections, was:

Manipur held elections to its Legislative Assembly in 1948 in which every adult had the right to vote, under the Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947. This was before India's first general elections of 1951 to 1952.

Background:

• Manipur was a princely state ruled by Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh.
• After independence in 1947, the Maharaja introduced a constitutional monarchy with an elected legislature.
• The Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947 provided for a Legislative Assembly elected by all adults.

The 1948 elections:

• Elections were held in June and July 1948.
• Every adult, man and woman, was given the right to vote.
• The Assembly met for the first time in October 1948.

Merger with India:

• In September 1949, the Maharaja signed the Merger Agreement with the Government of India at Shillong.
• Manipur became part of India on 15 October 1949, and the elected Assembly was dissolved.
• The merger has been controversial in Manipur, as some groups argue that it was signed without the consent of the elected Assembly.

Later political status:

• Manipur became a Part C state in 1950.
• It became a Union territory in 1956.
• It became a full state on 21 January 1972, under the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.

Manipur today:

• Its capital is Imphal.
• It has a Legislative Assembly of 60 members and two Lok Sabha seats.
• Loktak Lake, with its floating islands called phumdis, and Keibul Lamjao National Park, the world's only floating national park, are located in Manipur.
• Manipuri dance is one of India's classical dance forms.

India's first general elections:

They were held between October 1951 and February 1952, with about 17 crore voters.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Travancore-Cochin, Mysore and Hyderabad did not hold such elections before Manipur.