The elections, initially scheduled for earlier dates, had to be postponed twice and eventually took place from October 1951 to February 1952. However, due to the majority of the country voting in January 1952, this election is commonly referred to as the 1952 election. The process of campaigning, polling, and counting took a span of six months. The elections were highly competitive, with an average of more than four candidates contesting for each seat. Encouragingly, over half of the eligible voters participated by turning out to vote on election day. The results, when declared, were deemed fair even by those who did not emerge victorious. The Indian experiment successfully disproved the sceptics and critics.

What was the total Lok Sabha seats in the first general election?

489

The First Session of this Lok Sabha commenced on 13 May 1952. Total Lok Sabha seats were 489 and total eligible voters were  around 17crores.

The First General elections of India:

The First General elections of India were conducted mainly in four months from October 1951 to February 1952.
It is referred to as the 1952 election as most parts of the country voted in January 1952.
Elections were competitive- there were on average more than four candidates for each seat.
Voting right was given on the basis of Universal Adult Franchise.
The Congress achieved a surprising victory in the first Lok Sabha election, winning 364 out of 489 seats, far surpassing any other political party. The opposition accepted the result.
The Communist Party of India secured the second-highest number of seats, but it only managed to win 16 seats. It emerged as the opposition party in the Lok Sabha.