Can any Bollywood drama ever compare with the awesome spectacle of an Indian election?
Let us check out how much you know about the Great Election Tamasha.
A quiz we will publish every working day till May 13, the day we know who we have elected to the 14th Lok Sabha.
1. Bharatiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Indian National Congress... Which two parties are missing from this list of national parties? a. Janata Dal (United), Janata Dal (Secular). b. Samajwadi Party, Nationalist Congress Party. c. All India Forward Bloc, Indian National Lok Dal.
Wrong! Try again..
Wrong! The correct answer is A. The Janata Dal was born in 1988 after disgruntled Congressmen V P Singh and Arun Nehru left the parent party and got together with strands of the Janata Party. Like the Janata Party, the Janata Dal had its share of mavericks, some of who like Ramakrishna Hegde and H D Deve Gowda for instance, disliked each other on sight. Trouble raised its ugly head the afternoon the Janata Dal Parliamentary Party convened in November 1989 to elect its new leader. To Chandra Shekhar's consternation, he was not offered the crown, despite being told he would be the country's next prime minister. Devi Lal and Arun Nehru conspired to keep Shekhar out and make V P Singh PM. Shekhar stormed out of the Central Hall of Parliament and it was all downhill from there. Eleven months later, V P Singh resigned and Chandra Shekhar became prime minister. The Janata Dal later split into the Janata Dal (United), Janata Dal (Secular) after history repeated itself in 1996. Hegde was aghast that Deve Gowda was made prime minister ahead of him, and made his feelings apparent. Deve Gowda sacked Hegde from the party and voila, a new party was born!
Correct! The Janata Dal was born in 1988 after disgruntled Congressmen V P Singh and Arun Nehru left the parent party and got together with strands of the Janata Party. Like the Janata Party, the Janata Dal had its share of mavericks, some of who like Ramakrishna Hegde and H D Deve Gowda for instance, disliked each other on sight. Trouble raised its ugly head the afternoon the Janata Dal Parliamentary Party convened in November 1989 to elect its new leader. To Chandra Shekhar's consternation, he was not offered the crown, despite being told he would be the country's next prime minister. Devi Lal and Arun Nehru conspired to keep Shekhar out and make V P Singh PM. Shekhar stormed out of the Central Hall of Parliament and it was all downhill from there. Eleven months later, V P Singh resigned and Chandra Shekhar became prime minister. The Janata Dal later split into the Janata Dal (United), Janata Dal (Secular) after history repeated itself in 1996. Hegde was aghast that Deve Gowda was made prime minister ahead of him, and made his feelings apparent. Deve Gowda sacked Hegde from the party and voila, a new party was born!
2. Uttar Pradesh has the most Lok Sabha seats. Which state has the second-most number of Lok Sabha seats? a. Andhra Pradesh. b. West Bengal. c. Maharashtra.
Wrong! Try again..
Wrong! The correct answer is C. Both Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have 42 MPs. Maharashtra has 48 MPs. Bihar, which occupied the number 2 slot with 54 seats before Jharkhand state came into being, now has 40 seats. The rest (14 seats) are now with Jharkhand. Madhya Pradesh, once India's largest state, used to have 40 seats till Chhattisgarh state was formed in 2000. Now, the state has 29 seats, while Chhattisgarh has 11. Rajasthan, now India's largest state, has 25 seats.
Correct! Both Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have 42 MPs. Maharashtra has 48 MPs. Bihar, which occupied the number 2 slot with 54 seats before Jharkhand state came into being, now has 40 seats. The rest (14 seats) are now with Jharkhand. Madhya Pradesh, once India's largest state, used to have 40 seats till Chhattisgarh state was formed in 2000. Now, the state has 29 seats, while Chhattisgarh has 11. Rajasthan, now India's largest state, has 25 seats.
3. In the first general election, this party won the second-most number of seats after the Congress. In 1999, it won just four. What party are we speaking about? a. The Socialist Party. b. The Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party. c. The Communist Party of India.
Wrong! Try again..
Wrong! The correct answer is C. The CPI won 16 seats, the Socialist Party 12 and the KMMP 9 in 1952. The Jan Sangh won 3 seats while smaller parties took a total of 47 seats. Independents won 38 seats and the Congress won 364 seats in India's first general election. In the last five elections the CPI has steadily declined -- from winning 12 seats in 1989, 14 seats in 1991, 12 seats in 1996, 9 seats in 1998 and finally 4 in 1999.
Correct! The CPI won 16 seats, the Socialist Party 12 and the KMMP 9 in 1952. The Jan Sangh won 3 seats while smaller parties took a total of 47 seats. Independents won 38 seats and the Congress won 364 seats in India's first general election. In the last five elections the CPI has steadily declined -- from winning 12 seats in 1989, 14 seats in 1991, 12 seats in 1996, 9 seats in 1998 and finally 4 in 1999.
4. The average age of the first Lok Sabha was 46.5. What was it in the last Lok Sabha? a. 46.7. b. 55.5. c. 49.4.
Wrong! Try again..
Wrong! The correct answer is B. Amazingly, the first Lok Sabha, elected in 1952, is the second youngest in our democratic history. Only the 12th Lok Sabha, elected in 1998, was younger, with an average age of 46.4. The second Lok Sabha, elected in 1957, was the third youngest at 46.7. At a time when India has the largest population of young people in the world, the last Lok Sabha, elected in 1999, was the oldest ever, with an average age of 55.5.
Correct! Amazingly, the first Lok Sabha, elected in 1952, is the second youngest in our democratic history. Only the 12th Lok Sabha, elected in 1998, was younger, with an average age of 46.4. The second Lok Sabha, elected in 1957, was the third youngest at 46.7. At a time when India has the largest population of young people in the world, the last Lok Sabha, elected in 1999, was the oldest ever, with an average age of 55.5.
5. When Pyare Lal Shankhwar of the BSP defeated Arun Kumar Kori of the Samajwadi Party in Ghatampur in Uttar Pradesh in 1999, what record did he set for that election? a. He was the oldest winner. b. He won by the smallest margin. c. He was the youngest winner.
Wrong! Try again..
Wrong! The correct answer is B. Shankhwar won by just 105 votes. He bagged 156,582 votes while Kori was just behind at 156,477 votes. The BJP's Kamal Rani -- the winner in 1998 -- was 490 votes behind Kori, at 155,987 votes. In 1998, Rani's winning margin was a healthy 42,489 votes. In second position for the smallest margin in 1999 was S Murgesan of the AIADMK who won Tenkasi by 887 votes. Interestingly, both Ghatampur and Tenkasi are Scheduled Caste seats.
Correct! Shankhwar won by just 105 votes. He bagged 156,582 votes while Kori was just behind at 156,477 votes. The BJP's Kamal Rani -- the winner in 1998 -- was 490 votes behind Kori, at 155,987 votes. In 1998, Rani's winning margin was a healthy 42,489 votes. In second position for the smallest margin in 1999 was S Murgesan of the AIADMK who won Tenkasi by 887 votes. Interestingly, both Ghatampur and Tenkasi are Scheduled Caste seats.
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