The election atmosphere is heating up in the cold weather of Delhi. Aam Aadmi Party is in power and BJP and Congress are in opposition. All three parties are busy preparing their political pitch. In the electoral battle, big stakes are being played for victory and sweat is being shed for victory. Till now we have told you sequentially the results of seven elections held from 1993 to 2020 in Delhi Assembly elections. Now in the special series we will talk about those faces who won the election of Delhi and became the Chief Minister. Starting with the story of 1952.
This was the year when there was a provision for interim assembly in Delhi and elections were held on 42 seats. There were 36 single-member assembly seats in Delhi and 6 two-member assembly seats. That is, only one candidate was elected MLA on 36 seats, while on 6 seats two candidates each reached the assembly after winning the elections. A total of 48 members were elected. Candidates of both Congress and Jan Sangh parties had won the elections from Reading Road seat. However, 4 years after this election, the Delhi Assembly was dissolved and the administrative system also changed. That means such an opportunity never came again in Delhi.
Know Chaudhary Brahma Prakash Yadav…
If the people of Delhi are asked, what is the name of the first Chief Minister? Perhaps most people will take the name of Madan Lal Khurana. But very few people would know that Delhi got its first Chief Minister from Madan Lal Khurana 41 years ago i.e. in 1952. In 1952, when Delhi became a Part-C state of the Indian Union, Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Yadav of Congress was elected the first Chief Minister. He was also given the charge of Planning and Development Minister. At that time his age was only 34 years. Yadav was known for his organizational and administrative skills. However, his tenure as Chief Minister lasted for about three years (2 years, 332 days). In 1955, Congress made Gurmukh Nihal Singh the second Chief Minister of Delhi, who remained in his post till 1956. Gurmukh had won from Daryaganj assembly seat. The assembly was dissolved after a year on the basis of the recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission. Later in 1966, Delhi Metropolitan Council came into existence.
Also read: Delhi Assembly Election History: When Kejriwal equaled Sheila, BJP got only 8 and Congress got swept.
Born in Kenya and studied in Delhi
Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Yadav’s ancestors were residents of Rewari area of Haryana. Later his parents went to Kenya. Brahma Prakash was born on 16 June 1918 in Nairobi. When he was 13 years old, the family returned to Delhi and started living in Shakurpur village. Brahma Prakash did his early education from Delhi only. In the early 1940s, he actively participated in Gandhiji’s ‘Quit India’ movement and also went to jail several times. In 1943, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment and after Central Jail, he was kept in Firozpur Jail. Later, when he came out and continued the rebellion, he was arrested again. Yadav continued fighting against British rule even after going underground.
Famous as Sher-e-Dilli and Mughal-Azam
He also contested the Lok Sabha elections twice and won. Took the responsibility of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Irrigation and Cooperation in the Central Government. He also received an award as a worthy MP for his excellent tenure in Parliament. Brahm Prakash was very popular in Delhi and the public considered him a true servant and he was famous by the names of ‘Sher-e-Dilli’ and ‘Mughal-e-Azam’. He was quite famous for his simplicity. Instead of traveling in a special vehicle, Yadav used to travel in government buses like an ordinary citizen and listen to the problems of the people.
Also read: Delhi Assembly Election History: That election of Delhi, in which Congress’s game was over and AAP established its rule.
Yadav died in 1993
Delhi Assembly was constituted for the first time on 7 March 1952. Chaudhary Brahma Prakash won from Nangloi assembly seat. He became the first Yadav Chief Minister of the country. He was in favor of village and agricultural cooperative societies and was a staunch supporter of the Panchayati Raj system. He also formed the National Association of Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities in 1977. Delhi Assembly was formed in 1993 and elections were then held, Yadav died in the same year. In 2001, the Postal Department issued a commemorative postage stamp on Chaudhary Brahma Prakash.
How did Brahm Prakash become the Chief Minister of Delhi?
When Congress won majority and came to power, the party decided to make Deshbandhu Gupta the Chief Minister. But before taking oath he met with an accident (plane crash) and died. After which the party handed over the command of Delhi to Brahm Prakash (34 years). Brahma Prakash became the youngest Chief Minister.
Brahm Prakash did not have good rapport with Nehru.
The Constitution came into force in the country in 1950. Delhi was made a state under Part C of the States Act, 1951. At that time the Chief Commissioner was the head of the state, there was no provision for a Lieutenant Governor. Under the Act of 1951, a Council of Ministers and a Chief Minister were appointed in Delhi, who assisted and advised the Chief Commissioner in the day-to-day functioning. At that time the Prime Minister was Jawahar Lal Nehru and Brahm Prakash was sitting on the chair of Delhi. The coordination between the two was also not good. Even the then Union Home Minister Govind Ballabh Pant did not like Brahm Prakash, who had a lot of influence in Delhi. Soon Brahma Prakash had a fight with the then Chief Commissioner Anand Pandit, who was close to Nehru. There was always a rift between Brahma Prakash and Pandit. When the jaggery scam came to light in 1955, Brahm Prakash was forced to resign on 12 February 1955. The next day i.e. on 13 February 1955, Gurmukh Nihal Singh was sworn in as the Chief Minister.
Also read: Delhi Assembly Election History: Sheela lost, the assembly was swept and the assembly remained hung… Delhi’s 2013 election story.
How was the election of 1952…
In the first elections in Delhi, apart from independents, 10 parties had fielded candidates. These include All India Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), Communist Party of India, Forward Bloc (Marxist), All India Hindu Mahasabha, Indian National Congress, Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party, All India Ram Rajya Parishad, Revolutionary Socialist Party, All India Scheduled Cost Federation, Socialist The name of the party was included. A total of 48 MLAs were elected. All the seats were kept general. That means there was no seat reserved. 187 candidates were in the fray. Maximum 13 candidates had contested the elections in Mehrauli.
891669 voters were registered in the elections and 521766 people voted. A total of 58.52% voting took place. 25 seats were required for majority. When the results came, Congress achieved majority by winning 39 seats. BJS won 5 seats. Socialist Party won the elections on two seats and HMS and Independent won one seat each.
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