1945 Indian general election

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1945 Indian general election
British Raj Red Ensign.svg
←  1934 December 1945 1951  →
102 elected seats
52 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Maulana Abul Kalam Azad 1988 stamp of India (cropped).jpg Jinnah1945c.jpg
Leader Abul Kalam Azad [1] Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Party INC AIML
Seats won5730
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 15Increase2.svg 30
Indian General Election 1945.svg
Subsequent administration

Interim Government of India
Coalition government

General elections were held in British India in December 1945 to elect members of the Central Legislative Assembly and the Council of State. [2] The Indian National Congress emerged as the largest party, winning 57 of the 102 elected seats. [3] The Muslim League won all Muslim constituencies, but failed to win any other seats. Of the 13 remaining seats, 8 went to Europeans, 3 to independents, and 2 to Akali candidates in the Sikh constituencies of Punjab. [4] This election coupled with the provincial one in 1946 proved to be a strategic victory for Jinnah and the partitionists. Even though Congress won, the League had united the Muslim vote and as such it gained the negotiating power to seek a separate Muslim homeland as it became clear that a united India would prove highly unstable. The elected members later formed the Constituent Assembly of India.

Contents

These were the last general elections in British India consequent elections were held in 1951.

Background

On 19 September 1945, the Viceroy Lord Wavell announced that elections to the central and provincial legislatures would be held in December 1945 to January 1946. It was also announced that an executive council would be formed and a constitution-making body would be convened after these elections. [2] [5]

Although the Government of India Act 1935 had proposed an all-India federation, it could not take place because the government held that the Princely states were unwilling to join it. Consequently, rather than choosing 375 members, only 102 elective seats were to be filled. Hence the elections to the central legislature were held under the terms of the Government of India Act 1919.

Results

Central Legislative Assembly

PartySeats
Indian National Congress 57
All-India Muslim League 30
Akali Dal 2
Europeans8
Independents5
Total102
Source: Schwartzberg Atlas

One Independent member from Bengal representing the Commerce Constituency (Bengal Mahajan Sabha) had after his election joined the INC changing the tally of the INC to 58 and Independents to 4. [6]

Membership by province

ProvinceEuropeansIndependentMinor partiesCongress
(General/Non-Muhammadan)		Congress
(Non-General)		Muslim LeagueTotal
Assam 10214
Ajmer-Merwara 11
Bengal 3161617
Bihar 16310
Orissa 22
Bombay 2162314
Central Provinces 4116
Delhi 11
Madras 1102316
North West Frontier Province 1 [7] 01
Punjab 12 (Akali Dal)36 [8] 12
Sind 112
United Provinces 118616
Total85250 [4] 730102

Members of the Central Legislative Assembly

[9]

Nominated members

Elected Members

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Indian National Congress: From 1885 till 2017, a brief history of past presidents". indianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 Vohra, Ranbir (19 December 2012). The Making of India: A Political History. M.E. Sharpe. p. 176. ISBN   9780765629852.
  3. ↑ "-- Schwartzberg Atlas -- Digital South Asia Library". dsal.uchicago.edu.
  4. 1 2 "-- Schwartzberg Atlas -- Digital South Asia Library". dsal.uchicago.edu.
  5. ↑ Sen, S. N. (1997). History of the Freedom Movement in India (1857-1947). New Age International. p. 317. ISBN   9788122410495.
  6. ↑ https://www.abhilekh-patal.in/jspui/handle/123456789/4416368
  7. ↑ History Modern India, S. N. Sen ISBN   8122417744
  8. ↑ Mujahid, Sharif al (2010). "1945-46 Elections and Pakistan: Punjab's Pivotal Role" (PDF). Pakistan Vision. 11 (1). Pakistan Study Centre. ISSN   1681-5742.
  9. ↑ Reed, Sir Stanley, ed. (1947). "The Indian Legislative Assembly". The Indian Year Book. p. 75.
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