SSC
The first Lok Sabha was duly constituted on:
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Answer: Option D — 17 April 1952
Detailed Solution
The first Lok Sabha, then called the House of the People, was duly constituted on 17 April 1952, after the first general elections were completed.
The first general elections:
- The elections were held in several phases between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952.
- It was the largest democratic exercise in the world at that time, with about 17 crore voters.
- About 45 per cent of the eligible voters cast their votes.
- Sukumar Sen was the first Chief Election Commissioner, who organised the elections.
- Symbols were used so that voters who could not read could identify parties and candidates.
Results:
- The Indian National Congress won a large majority, with 364 of the 489 seats.
- Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister to head an elected government.
- The Communist Party of India emerged as the largest opposition group.
The first Speaker:
G.V. Mavalankar was elected the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
- Ananthasayanam Ayyangar was elected the first Deputy Speaker.
The first session:
- The first session of the Lok Sabha began in May 1952.
- Before that, the Provisional Parliament, which was the Constituent Assembly functioning as a legislature, had made laws since 1950.
Term of the first Lok Sabha:
It completed its full five-year term, after which the second general elections were held.
The name "Lok Sabha":
The Hindi name Lok Sabha was formally adopted in 1954.
Importance of the first elections:
- They showed that a newly independent and largely poor and illiterate country could hold free and fair elections in which every adult citizen could vote.
- Many observers had doubted that this would be possible.
Why not the other options?
- ✗26 November 1949 is the date the Constitution was adopted.
- ✗15 August 1951 and 2 October 1952 are not related to the constitution of the Lok Sabha.
Quick tip
Remember: First Lok Sabha constituted on 17 April 1952; first Speaker G.V. Mavalankar.
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Parliament — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Parliament, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Parliament of India: the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their composition, powers and officers, sessions, the law-making process, money bills, joint sittings, parliamentary committees, and devices such as question hour, zero hour and the various motions. Typical questions ask about the maximum strength of each house, the minimum age for members, who certifies a money bill (the Speaker), who presides over a joint sitting, and which committee is chaired by a member of the opposition (the Public Accounts Committee, by convention). Note the special powers of the Rajya Sabha under Articles 249 and 312. Practise the Parliament questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.