Who was the first Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of independent India appointed after the adoption of the Constitution?

Introduction / Context:
The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body responsible for conducting free and fair elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice President. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) heads this body. Knowing who served as the first CEC of independent India is a common fact tested in Indian polity and general knowledge exams, as that person played a key role in organising the country's earliest general elections.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question asks for the first Chief Election Commissioner of independent India.
• Options include Kalyan Sundaram, Sukumar Sen, V. S. Ramadevi, and T. N. Seshan.
• We assume the reference is to the period just after the Constitution came into force in 1950.
• The focus is on identifying the earliest holder of the CEC office, not famous later commissioners.

Concept / Approach:
Sukumar Sen, a distinguished civil servant, was appointed as the first Chief Election Commissioner of India. He supervised the historic first general elections of 1951 to 1952, which were among the largest democratic exercises in the world at that time. Later CECs such as Kalyan Sundaram, V. S. Ramadevi (who was the first woman Chief Election Commissioner), and T. N. Seshan (known for electoral reforms) are also important, but they served after Sukumar Sen. Thus, the earliest CEC in independent India was Sukumar Sen.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the office of CEC was created by the Constitution and filled soon after 1950.Step 2: Identify Sukumar Sen as the civil servant chosen to organise and oversee the first general elections.Step 3: Recognise that Kalyan Sundaram and others came later in the chronological sequence of CECs.Step 4: Note that although T. N. Seshan and V. S. Ramadevi are prominent names, they are remembered for later reforms and milestones, not as the first CEC.Step 5: Select Sukumar Sen as the correct answer from the options.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard Indian polity books and official records of the Election Commission list Sukumar Sen as the first Chief Election Commissioner, with his tenure beginning in the early years of the Republic. They also credit him with laying the administrative foundations for the Indian electoral system, including electoral rolls and procedures. When you look at lists of CECs, Sukumar Sen's name always appears at the top, confirming that he was indeed the first to hold the post.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Kalyan Sundaram: He served as a CEC but not as the first; his tenure was later.
• V. S. Ramadevi: She is noted as the first woman Chief Election Commissioner, but she was not the first overall.
• T. N. Seshan: Famous for electoral reforms and assertive use of powers, he was a later CEC and not the first.

Common Pitfalls:
Because some Chief Election Commissioners are very prominent in media and exam questions, candidates sometimes assume that well known names like T. N. Seshan or V. S. Ramadevi must have been the first. Another common error is to ignore chronological ordering and focus only on fame. To avoid this, remember a simple timeline: Sukumar Sen as the first CEC organising the first general elections, followed later by others, with T. N. Seshan becoming famous much later for strong enforcement of electoral rules.

Final Answer:
The first Chief Election Commissioner of independent India was Sukumar Sen.