Following the election, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy of the Muslim League was invited to form the government. He became the Chief Minister of Bengal in April 1946 and led a Muslim League-only ministry, one of the few provinces to be governed solely by the League during this period. [3]
Suhrawardy's government functioned during a period of intense political negotiations over the future of India. His administration promoted provincial autonomy, economic reform aimed at Muslim-majority rural areas, and furthered the League's vision of Pakistan. The strong electoral mandate in Bengal was later used by Muslim League leaders to argue that Muslims in eastern India supported partition. [5]
United Bengal plan
In the months leading up to Partition, a proposal emerged to create an independent, undivided Bengal, separate from both India and Pakistan. This initiative, known as the United Bengal Plan, was spearheaded by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, the then Chief Minister of Bengal, and Sarat Chandra Bose, a prominent Congress leader and elder brother of Subhas Chandra Bose. [6]
The plan envisioned Bengal as a sovereign nation-state, free from communal division, where Hindus and Muslims would co-govern a pluralistic society. Proponents argued that Bengal's unique cultural and economic unity should not be destroyed by partition. They emphasized Bengal's interdependent religious communities and sought to avoid the displacement and violence that partition would likely bring. [7]
At the same time, constitutional negotiations were underway at the national level. The Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946 proposed a federal structure for India, grouping provinces into sections with significant autonomy, leaving open the possibility for provinces like Bengal to choose their political future. The United Bengal Plan was thus seen by its advocates as a practical response aligned with the Cabinet Mission's emphasis on provincial autonomy and regional grouping. [5]
Suhrawardy and Bose received some backing from other political figures, including Kiran Shankar Roy and Abul Hashim, then Secretary of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League. They also sought support from Mahatma Gandhi and the British Cabinet Mission, both of whom showed some interest in the idea as a potential solution to the communal deadlock. [8]
However, the proposal faced strong resistance from both the Indian National Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha, particularly in western Bengal. Many Hindu leaders feared that an independent Bengal with a Muslim majority would marginalize Hindu interests and effectively align Bengal with Pakistan. The All-India Muslim League, while initially cautious, ultimately supported partition along religious lines, consistent with its wider campaign for Pakistan. [9]
On 20 June 1947, in a special session of the Bengal Legislative Assembly, members voted on the issue of partition. The Muslim-majority legislators voted for joining Pakistan, while non-Muslim members voted for remaining in India. This resulted in the partition of Bengal under the Indian Independence Act 1947, forming East Bengal (Pakistan) and West Bengal (India) on 15 August 1947. The Suhrawardy ministry came to an end with the dissolution of the United Bengal Assembly. [8]
