The first electoral exercise of independent India dates back to 1951-52 with over 1800 candidates, 489 seats and nearly 173 million electors. In 2024, the first phase of general elections has been concluded and the clock is ticking for the second phase.
Elections in India signify numerous developments, promises and narratives that give people heads-up into selecting their representatives judiciously. However, a distinct development in Gujarat has caught everyone’s attention. After a gap of 12 years a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, Mukesh Dalal, from Surat has been elected unopposed.
For the BJP which is chasing a third term at the Centre, the development has given a boost to their morale. However, the circumstances in which the BJP candidate won are being presented vividly by various political outfits, especially after it was learnt that the Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani’s nomination was cancelled for alleged discrepancy.
BJP’s victory in the Surat parliamentary constituency comes close on the heels of 10 party candidates winning uncontested in the just-held assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh.
Taking into consideration Dalal’s case, there have been over 30 candidates who have won the parliamentary elections unopposed since 1951.
Dalal is, perhaps, the first BJP candidate who has won the parliamentary seat uncontested. However, a maximum number of candidates from the Congress have made it to the Parliament unopposed earlier. Thus, both the prominent, national political parties of India have made significant contributions to the development of the country's electoral game plan.
At a time, when the BJP is being held responsible for Kumbhani’s candidature being cancelled, the number that the grand old party has in its kitty when it comes to winning Lok Sabha elections unopposed is alarming. Some prominent Congress figures that fall in this category are YB Chavan, Farooq Abdullah, TT Krishnamachari, PM Sayeed, SC Jamir and others.
YB Chavan- Indian politician played a significant role in the independence movement. He was a senior leader of the Congress. Chavan served as the third chief minister of Bombay state from 1956 to 60. In the by-elections in 1962, Chavan was elected unopposed as Member of Parliament from the Nashik parliamentary constituency.
Farooq Abdullah- He served as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state for a considerable period of time. In 2017, he was elected to represent the Srinagar constituency in the Lok Sabha. He demanded greater autonomy for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the Indian union.
TT Krishnamachari- He was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Madras on a Congress Party ticket. Krishnamachari served as the Finance Minister in 1956 and brought key tax reforms. Born in 1899, he was the Madras High Court judge.
PM Sayeed- A Congress veteran, Sayeed, never experienced defeat in 40 years of his political career till he represented the Lakshadweep Lok Sabha seat. He was elected to Lok Sabha for 10 consecutive terms. Sayeed, who was born in 1941, was also Union Minister in several Congress’s regime.
SC Jamir- Jamir was nominated as the first Lok Sabha Member from the state of Nagaland in 1961. Before 1971, he won all the Lok Sabha elections uncontested. Jamir served as Chief Minister of Nagaland five times. For his first two terms he was a member of the Progressive United Democratic Front. However, his party merged with the Congress in 1989.
It has been learnt that a maximum of seven candidates won the general elections uncontested in 1957, followed by five each in 1951 and 1967 polls. Whereas, three candidates won uncontested in 1962 and two in 1977. In 1971, 1980 and 1989 one candidate each won the general elections uncontested.
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