With the schedule for holding the 16th Lok Sabha elections having been announced Wednesday, you

invariably start thinking whether the party or alliance of parties that you voted for five years ago has fulfilled the trust you placed in them. Your assessment is crucial, because your vote this time will be based on an understanding of the ramifications of the exercise of state power. You would also want to assess each partys stand on major issues facing the nation before casting your vote. Since independence in 1947 from British rule, India has held parliamentary elections 15 times. The five-year term of the 15th Lok Sabha consisting of 543 members elected from 28 states and seven union territories (plus two nominated members) is due to end on May 31, 2014. The country saw tremendous changes following independence. Jawaharlal Nehru, considered the nations architect, was appointed prime minister by the Congress party in 1947. Thereafter India managed to sever any remaining links with Britain by choosing to become a sovereign democratic republic in 1950. The next year, the country decided to go in for general elections to constitute the House of the People the Lok Sabha as provided for in the constitution. The number of eligible voters in the first general election in 1951-52 was 105 million. The electorate grew to 714 million in the 2009 polls and will be 814 million in the 16th Lok Sabha polls beginning next month. In the young nations first general election in 1951-52, there were three types of constituencies: 314 with single seats, 86 with two seats and one with three seats. The total seats thus were 489 from 401 constituencies. The Congress won 364 seats under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru in the inaugural polls. Two seats were reserved for AngloIndians. In the second general elections in 1957 too, there were 91 two-seat constituencies apart from 312 single seat ones. The Congress won 371 seats of the total 494. The multiple-seat constituencies were abolished before the third general elections. In the 1962 elections, the 18 states and union territories elected 494 members. The Congress remained ahead with 361 seats. Nehru died on May 27, 1964 after holding office for about 17 years. He was succeeded by Lal Bahadur Shastri, who held power for just over two years. Shastri became a national hero following the victory in the India-Pakistan war of 1965. His Jai Jawan Jai Kisan slogan became very popular during the war, which was formally ended under the Tashkent Agreement of January 10, 1966. Shastri died in Tashkent the following day of a heart attack. Gulzari Lal Nanda, a Gandhian, was interim prime minister on two occasions for 14 days each after the death of Nehru (from May 27, 1964, to June 9, 1964) and again after the death of Shastri (from Jan 11 to 24, 1966). Nehrus daughter, Indira Gandhi, held the high office from Jan 24, 1966, to March 24, 1977 and again from Jan 14 to Oct 31, 1984, just 300 days short of her father.

The fourth general elections in 1967 saw the Congress tally coming down to 283 in a total of 520 seats, with the Swatantra Party, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the SSP and the DMK gaining some strength. The fifth general elections were held early in March 1971 and the Congress under Indira Gandhi did remarkably well, winning 352 seats out of a total of 518. The Iron Lady of India alienated a sizable chunk of her supporters by imposing emergency rule in 1975 to save her government from an opposition onslaught after an adverse court verdict. Four opposition parties the Congress (O), the Jana Sangh, the Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Socialist Party fighting the sixth Lok Sabha elections in 1977 under a single banner Janata Party defeated the Congress for the first time. Their total was 298 seats in a house of 542. The Congress got pushed down to 153. The Janata Party, however failed to hold together and yielded ground to the Congress in the seventh general elections in 1980. The Congress, led by Indira Gandhi, won 351 seats. Indira Gandhi was assassinated on Oct 31, 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards, in revenge for the disastrous Operation Bluestar army operation she had ordered earlier in the year to flush out heavily armed militants from Amritsars Golden Temple. Her son Rajiv Gandhi was elevated to the prime ministers office and soon led the Congress to win the 1984 general elections with 414 seats, the partys highest strength ever. Rajiv Gandhi got mired in many controversies: the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Bhopal Gas Disaster and the Shah Bano case. In 1988, Gandhi reversed a coup in the Maldives, antagonising militant Tamil groups such as PLOTE. He was also responsible for first intervening and then sending the Indian Peace-Keeping Force to Sri Lanka in 1987, which soon ended in open conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In mid-1987, the Bofors scandal damaged his corruption-free image and resulted in a major defeat for his party in the 1989 elections. The Congress could win just 197 seats. For the first time, V.P. Singh, who was finance minister in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet, headed a minority government of the National Front. He was the seventh prime minister of India and held office for slightly less than a year, from Dec 2, 1989, to Nov 10,1990. He was succeeded by Chandra Shekhar of the Samajwadi Janata Party, who was in office till March 6, 1991. Rajiv Gandhi remained Congress president until the 1991 elections, but was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber during the poll campaigning. In the 10th Lok Sabha elections, no party could get a majority (Cong 244, BJP 120, JD 59, CPI-M 35) and a minority government was formed by the Congress with the help of the Left parties. Headed by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, it proved to be a stable government and lasted for the next five years. The 1996 elections resulted in a hung parliament, which saw three prime ministers in two years and forced the country back to the polls in 1998. It was the worst result for the Congress in its history.

The BJP became the largest party within the Lok Sabha, a first for a non-Congress party. President Shankar Dayal Sharma invited Atal Bihari Vajpayee as leader of the BJP to form a government. Sworn in on May 15, the new prime minister was given two weeks to prove his majority in parliament. In the weeks leading up to the first confidence vote on May 31, the BJP attempted to build a coalition by moderating positions to garner support from regional and Muslim parties. On May 28, Vajpayee conceded that he could not arrange support from more than 200 of the 545 members of parliament, and thus resigned, ending his 13-day government. The second largest party, the Congress declined to attempt to form a government. Instead it chose to support one headed by the Janata Dal, leading to former Karnataka chief minister H.K. Deve Gowda becoming the prime minister. The Janata Dal and a bloc of smaller parties formed a United Front and got support from 332 of the 545 members in the Lok Sabha. Deve Gowda became the 14th prime minister of India. In April 1997, the Congress party, which was supporting the United Front government from outside, decided to withdraw support, which led to its collapse. To avoid elections, a compromise was reached. The Congress party agreed to support another United Front government under a new leader provided its concerns, such as not being consulted before taking important decisions and being marginalized, were addressed. The United Front elected I. K. Gujral as its new leader and he was sworn in as prime minister on April 21, 1997. He was the first prime minister from the Rajya Sabha. Gujral continued in office for over 11 months, including three months as caretaker prime minister. The next elections were held in 1998 when the Congress left the United Front government led by Gujral after it refused to drop the DMK from the government. The DMK had been linked by an investigative panel to Sri Lankan separatists blamed for the killing of Rajiv Gandhi. The outcome of the new elections was also indecisive, with no party or alliance able to create a strong majority. Although the BJPs Vajpayee retained his position of prime minister getting support from 286 members out of 545, the government collapsed again in late 1998 when the AIADMK, with its 18 seats, withdrew its support, leading to new elections in 1999. It also marked the first time since independence that Indias traditional governing party, the Congress, failed to win two consecutive elections. The 13th Lok Sabha elections are of historical importance as it was the first time a united front of parties managed to attain a majority and form a government that lasted a full term of five years, thus ending a period of political instability at the national level . The BJP went into the election as head of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition of over 20 right-wing parties. The results were decisively in favour of the BJP and the NDA. The NDA picked up 269 seats, and a further 29 seats were taken by the Telugu Desam Party which gave support to the BJP-led government but was not strictly part of its alliance.

Elections were then held in four phases between April 20 and May 10, 2004, with over 670 million people eligible to vote, electing 543 members of the 14th Lok Sabha. On May 13 the ruling BJP and NDA conceded defeat. The Congress returned to power after a record eight years out of office. It was able to put together a comfortable majority of more than 335 members out of 543 with the help of its allies. The 335 members included both the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the governing coalition formed after the election. Besides, it received external support from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Kerala Congress (KC) and the Left Front. In the 15th general elections held in 2009, the UPA was able to put together a comfortable majority with support from 322 members. Though this is less than the 335 members who supported the UPA in the last parliament, UPA alone had a plurality of over 260 seats as opposed to 218 seats in the 14th Lok Sabha.

1952 elections The Congress had won 364 out of 489 Lok Sabha seats in the first-ever general election held in India. Its vote share was 45 per cent. The CPI was the second party with just 16 seats. Jawaharlal Nehru became the prime minister, the first of independent India. Total electors in this election was 23,70,41,443 while total number of votes polled was 16,02,75,056. The voters' turnout was 67.6 per cent. Nehru himself won from Phulpur constituency. Fifty-four parties had contested in this election. Fact: Noted leader B R Ambedkar was defeated from Bombay constituency in this election. 1957 elections The Congress had won 371 out of 494 seats in this election. Its vote-share rose to 47.8 per cent. The CPI was the second party with 27 seats. Nehru returned to power for the second successive term. Total electors in this election was 26,52,41,358 total number of votes polled was 18,20,75,041. The voters' turnout was 68.6 per cent. Sixteen parties had contested in this election. Fact: This election saw the rise of Feroz Gandhi, the husband of Indira Gandhi, who won with a comfortable margin from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. 1962 elections The Congress made a hat-trick by winning 361 out of 494 seats. The party's vote-share was 44.7 per cent. The CPI's tally touched 29 this time. Total electors in this election was 21,63,61,569 total number of votes polled was 11,98,96,443. The voters' turnout was 55.4 per cent, a fall of around 13.1 per cent. Twenty-eight parties had contested in this election. Fact: India lost two prime ministers in quick succession during this time. While Nehru passed away in May 1964, his successor Lal Bahadur Shastri died in January 1966. 1967 elections The Congress continued with its dominance in the elections, although reduced, and returned to power for the fourth successive term. The party won 283 out of 520 seats (less by 83 seats compared to 1962). Its vote-share was 40.8 per cent. Indira Gandhi became the prime minister after this election. The Swatantra Party was the second party with 44 seats. Total electors in this election was 25,02,07,401 total number of votes polled was 15,26,97,161. The voters' turnout was 61 per cent, a decent rise from that of 1962. Twenty-six parties had contested in this election. Fact: The Congress party saw a fragmentation between Congress (O) and Congress (I) during this term. 1971 elections This was the first mid-term election in the history of independent India. The Congress won 352 out of 518 seats and formed its fifth successive government at the Centre. The party's vote share was 43.7 per cent. The CPI(M) was the second party with 29 seats. The Congress(O) won 16 seats. Total electors in this election was 27,41,89,132 total number of votes polled was 15,15,36,802. The voters' turnout was 55.3 per cent. Indira Gandhi won her second election and became the prime minister for the third term. Fifty-four parties had contested in this election. Fact: The Congress won 352 seats, an increase by over 70 seats, riding on Indira Gandhi's Garibi Hatao campaign.

1977 elections A historic election which saw the dethroning of the Congress after a long rule of 30 years. The preceding Emergency had played a major role in the defeat of Indira Gandhi. Both she and her son Sanjay Gandhi also lost from their seats. The Janata Alliance, which was a coalition of various anti-Congress(I) factions, formed the government after winning 345 out of 542 seats. The Bharatiya Lok Dal had won 295 seats while the Congress won a paltry 154 seats, 198 less than what it had won in 1971. The Congress's vote-share was reduced to below 35 per cent. Morarji Desai became the first non-Congress prime minister. Total electors in this election was 32,11,74,327 while total number of votes polled was 19,42,63,915. The voters' turnout was 60.5 per cent. Fifty-four parties had contested in this election. Fact: The Janata government was soon hit by internal rift and could not complete its full term, leading to another election within three years. 1980 elections Indira Gandhi returned as the prime minister for the fourth time after yet another mid-term election. The Congress won 353 out of 542 seats while the Janata Party (Secular) was the second party with 41 seats. The Congress's voteshare was nearly 43 per cent. Total electors in this election was 35,62,05,329 while total number of votes polled was 20,27,52,893. The voters' turnout was 56.9 per cent. Thirty-eight parties had contested in this election. Fact: Charan Singh, who was sworn in as the prime minister in June 1979, called the election in January 1980 after the Congress refused to keep its promise of backing him. Singh remains the only PM who never faced the parliament 1984 elections They were called after the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated on October 31, 1984. The Congress rode a massive sympathy vote to finish with 415 seats, the highest ever since independence, and Rajiv Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, became the prime minister. The Congress's vote-share was 48.1 per cent. The Telugu Desam Party finished a distant second with 30 seats. Total electors in this election was 40,03,75,333 while total number of votes polled was 25,62,94,963. The voters' turnout was 64 per cent. A total of 37 parties had contested the polls. Fact: TDP became the first regional party to become a national opposition party. 1989 elections The second non-Congress government gad come to power after the 1989 elections. Rajiv Gandhi's Congress suffered serious adverses in this election, thanks to the Bofors scam, and the party's tally went down to 197. Vishwanath Pratap Singh became the prime minister of the National Front government led by Janata Dal with 143 seats. The vote-share of the Congress and Janata Dal were 39.5 and 17.8 per cents, respectively. The BJP had supported the VP Singh government from outside. Total electors in this election was 49,89,06,129 while total number of votes polled was 30,90,50,495. The voters' turnout was 61.9 per cent. A total of 115 parties had contested the polls. Fact: It was the only time that the BJP extended support to a third-front government. 1991 elections The Congress returned to power after a short stint of Chandra Sekhar as the prime minister, but far away from its dominance, it headed a minority government with PV Narasimha Rao as its prime minister. The Congress got 244 out of 545 seats and gathered 36.4 per cent of the votes polled. The BJP finished second with 120 seats, the first time ever that it had crossed the three-figure mark while its vote-share was 20 per cent. Total electors in this election was 51,15,33,598 while total number of votes polled was 28,58,56,465. The voters' turnout was 55.9 per cent. One-hundred and forty-seven parties had contested the polls. Fact: Narasimha Rao, the first-ever non-Gandhi prime minister, saw two important events happning during his stay in office. One was the liberalisation of the Indian economy and the other was the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in December 1992. 1996 elections These elections saw a hung parliament. The BJP, led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was the largest party with 161 seats (vote share 20.3 per cent) but he could not prove majority in the Lok Sabha and resigned after serving just 13 days as the PM. The Congress was the second largest party with a paltry 140 seats (vote-share 28.3 per cent) but it declined to form a government. It instead chose to back a United Front government of the Janata Dal and other parties (192 seats with 28.52 per cent vote-share) and H D Deve Gowda took over as the prime minister. The Congress, however, withdrew support and the Deve Gowda government collapsed in April 1997. A compromise was made and IK Gujral was elected the new Janata Dal prime minister but his government did not last long much after leaders of the 13-party United Front coalition rejected the Congress' demand to oust the DMK, and its three representatives in Gujral's cabinet, after a report said that it had a good relation with a Sri Lankan guerrilla group suspected of killing Rajiv Gandhi. Total electors in this election was 59,25,72,288 while total number of votes polled was 34,33,08,090. The voters' turnout was 57.9 per cent. Two-hundred and eleven parties had contested the polls. Fact: The years between 1996-98 were periods of uncertainty in Indian politics. After Narasimha Rao's tenure ended in 1996, the country had to wait for another three years to see the beginning of next regime that lasted its full term

1998 elections The BJP had emerged as the largest party in these elections with 182 seats (25.6 per cent vote-share) while the Congress had managed just 141 seats (25.8 per cent vote-share). The BJP-led alliance called the National Democratic Alliance with 256 seats (out of 545 seats) and 37.5 per cent vote-share formed the government at the Centre under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Congress-led UPA got 164 seats (30.8 per cent vote) while the Third Front got 74 seats. But the government fell short by a single ballot in the confidence vote in April 1999 after one of the NDA allies, AIADMK pulled out. Total electors in this election was 60,58,80,192 while total number of votes polled was 37,54,41,739. The voters' turnout was 62 per cent. One-hundred and seventy-eight parties had contested the polls. Fact: After serving for 13 days, Vajpayee's second stint as the PM lasted for 13 months. 1999 elections The BJP had emerged as the largest party again with 182 seats while the Congress's tally got reduced to 114. The BJP's vote-share this time was 23.8 per cent while that of the Congress was 28.3 per cent. Out of 543 seats, the NDA got 299 (41.1 per cent) while the UPA got 139 seats (35 per cent). The Third Front accumulated just 41 seats. Vajpayee returned as the PM for the third term and completed his term. Total electors in this election was 61,95,36,847 while total number of votes polled was 37,16,69,104. The voters' turnout was 60 per cent. One-hundred and seventy-eight parties had contested the polls. One-hundred and seventy-one parties had contested the polls. Fact: The BJP-led caretaker government gained from the Kargil War against Pakistan that year to come back to power. 2004 elections The Congress-led UPA came to power after these elections and Manmohan Singh took over as the second non-Gandhi prime minister. The Congress won 145 seats (26.5 per cent) in this election while the UPA won 225 seats (voteshare 36.8 per cent) while the BJP won 138 seats (22.2 per cent vote-share) while the NDA won 189 seats (35.9 per cent). The Third Front won 55 seats. Total electors in this election was 67,14,87,930 while total number of votes polled was 38,93,42,364. The voters' turnout was 58 per cent. One-hundred and seventy-eight parties had contested the polls. Twohundred and seventeen parties had contested the polls. Fact: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi refused to become the PM in 2004, saying it was a response to her inner call.