General Elections: Over the years

The Nehru era: 1947 to the mid-60s
Riding on the popularity of the then PM Jawahar Lal Nehru, the Indian National Congress party won an incredible 364 out of 489 seats in the first general elections. The nearest rival, the Samyukta (United) Socialist Party, could manage only 12 seats. The Bharatiya Jan Sangh, parent party of the current BJP, won just three seats.