When 3 animals turned up for election: Poll anecdotes (In pics)

Elections in India are not just about casting ballots and getting the majority. Elections also produce stories which are forgotten over the years but when unearthed, continue to amuse the listeners, irrespective of the time and age. Oneindia brings some such stories from past elections and gives the credit to eminent historian Ramachandra Guha who did a remarkable research work in his book India After Gandhi where he collected anecdotes.

Election anecdotes

In a forest district of Odisha, an elephant and two leopards were among the three visitors who had visited a polling booth in the whole day during the 1952 election. Source: India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

Election anecdotes

India's first prime minister kicked off the campaign for the first Lok Sabha election in 1952 in Ludiana in Punjab. The date was September 30, 1951. Source: India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha.

Election anecdotes

The second general election in India in 1957 cost Rs 45 million less than that of the first. The then election commissioner, Sukumar Sen (in photo) was the man who made this possible, thanks to his prudence. Source: India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

Election anecdotes

Ravi Narayana Reddy, a communist leader, polled more votes than the towering Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1952 election. He got 3,09,162 votes while Nehru got 2,33,571 votes. Source: India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha and www.indiavotes.com.

Election anecdotes

In the 1952 election, the voter turnout in Mumbai (Bombay then) was 70 per cent. Quite high than that of 2014, isn't it? Source: India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

Election anecdotes

A group of Buddhists in Himachal Pradesh cast their votes in October 1951 but had to wait for four months when the rest of India went to vote. Long wait indeed. Source: India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

Election anecdotes

In 2004, villagers living in some villages in the Andhra Pradesh-Maharashtra border were issued voter cards by both the states and guess what, they voted twice. Source: India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

Election anecdotes

In 2004, the then NDA prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had praised cricketer Mohammed Kaif in a rally in UP for his good performance in the historic tour of Pakistan held that year. Vajpayee took to woo Muslims but 10 years after, Kaif is contesting the election on Congress ticket. Source: India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

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