What made the first general election in India unusual compared to previous democracies?

All of the above

The first general election in India was not only remarkable due to the country's vast size and electorate, but it also served as a significant test for democracy in a nation grappling with poverty and illiteracy. Until then, democracy had primarily thrived in prosperous regions like Europe and North America, where literacy rates were high. Furthermore, several European countries had yet to grant voting rights to all women. In this context, India's bold experiment with universal adult franchise was perceived as a daring and risky endeavor.

Critics expressed skepticism about the viability of conducting elections in a country with millions of illiterate citizens. An Indian editor referred to it as "the biggest gamble in history," while a British member of the Indian Civil Service claimed that recording the votes of illiterate people was an "absurd farce." Despite these doubts, the elections had to be postponed twice and ultimately took place from October 1951 to February 1952. Although commonly referred to as the 1952 election, the majority of the country voted in January 1952. The entire process of campaigning, polling, and counting took six months.