Who was the first Indian to serve as the Chief Election Commissioner of India?

Introduction / Context:

Conducting free and fair elections in a large democracy like India requires an independent and capable Election Commission. The first Chief Election Commissioner of India played a crucial role in organising the country's initial general elections after independence. Knowing the name of this first Chief Election Commissioner is a common question in exams on Indian Polity and modern history.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The post under discussion is the Chief Election Commissioner of India.
• The question asks for the first person to hold this office after independence.
• Options include Morarji Desai, Sukumar Sen, Sardar Patel, and V.S Ramadevi.
• We assume you are aware of the basic roles of these political and administrative figures.

Concept / Approach:

Sukumar Sen, a distinguished Indian civil servant, was appointed as the first Chief Election Commissioner of India. He supervised the historic first general elections held in 1951 to 1952, which were massive in scale and complexity. His work laid the foundation for India's electoral system. Morarji Desai later became Prime Minister, Sardar Patel was Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, and V.S Ramadevi was one of the later Election Commissioners and also Governor, but none of them was the first Chief Election Commissioner.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Lists of Chief Election Commissioners published by the Election Commission of India and standard polity texts begin with Sukumar Sen as the first name. They highlight his role in conducting the first general elections and sometimes discuss his subsequent work in other countries as an election expert. The other personalities mentioned in the options are famous for different roles, such as political leadership or later constitutional positions. This documentary evidence confirms that Sukumar Sen was the first Chief Election Commissioner.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Option A, Morarji Desai, was a senior political leader who served as Prime Minister but never as Chief Election Commissioner. Option C, Sardar Patel, served as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister and was instrumental in integrating princely States, but did not head the Election Commission. Option D, V.S Ramadevi, served later as an Election Commissioner and held gubernatorial posts, but she was not the first Chief Election Commissioner. None of these names match the historical record for the very first holder of the office.

Common Pitfalls:

Students sometimes pick a very prominent political leader, such as Sardar Patel, assuming that he must have held most top positions at the time. Another error is confusing the first Chief Election Commissioner with later Commissioners or Governors with similar sounding roles. To avoid such mistakes, it is useful to associate Sukumar Sen specifically with the first general elections and with the origin of the Election Commission's work in India.

Final Answer:

The first Indian to serve as the Chief Election Commissioner of India was Sukumar Sen.