Which factors contributed to the dominance of the Congress party in India in the first few general elections?

A- It had a well-organised party structure.
B- It was a new party and thus everyone wanted to test it.
C- Leaders from the opposition parties joined the Congress.
D- The Congress started its campaign earlier than other parties.
E- Leaders from the freedom struggle joined the Congress.

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

A, D, and E

The correct answer is Option 2 - A, D, and E

A- It had a well-organised party structure.
D- The Congress started its campaign earlier than other parties.
E- Leaders from the freedom struggle joined the Congress.

The incorrect statements are:

B- It was a new party and thus everyone wanted to test it. (Congress was not a new party. It is one of the oldest party of India)
C- Leaders from the opposition parties joined the Congress. (This statement is incorrect as many leaders from Congress who left the party later formed the opposition parties)

The Indian National Congress had the consistent ability to secure three-fourths of the seats in the Lok Sabha in the first 3 General Elections (1952-57-62).

It was widely expected to win the first few General elections due to the following reasons:

Its inclusive nature.
Its coalition-like nature.
Its solid organisational structure.
Its strong association with the national movement.
It had the ‘first off the blocks’ advantage.
The Congress started its campaign earlier than other parties.
Presence of charismatic leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and other freedom fighters.
A well-organized machinery, spread all over India, etc.