1946 ELECTIONS

Introduction:
Pakistan is the national demand of the Muslims of India
and the Muslim League is their sole representative
organization. Soon after the announcement regarding the
general election, the Muslim League started preparation to
contest them. The League’s position in 1945 was entirely
different from what it had been at the time of the previous
election held in1937. It was now well established as a
mass organization with branches in every province,
district, tehsils, and village. To cope with the finance of the
election Quaid-i-Azam asked the Muslims in his
characteristic style “give us the silver bullets and we will
finish the job.”
For Jinnah and the Muslim League election campaign was
urgent and also extraordinarily hectic and brisk. He
suffered bouts of serious illness at the time. However,
Quaid-i-Azam did not slacken his pace and in a ere of 24
weeks, between mid-July and the end of December 1945
“addressed hundreds and had talks with thousands,” as he
stated. During this short period, he spoke at more than
twenty-six gatherings across the provinces of Bombay,
Sindh, Baluchistan, and the Frontier, gave out thirty-two
press statements and interviews, met several delegations,
and received and answered a great deal of political
correspondence. In this endeavor, Jinnah was helped by a
team of highly committed deputies. He had formed the All
India Muslim League Committee of Action in December
1943 and later the Central Parliamentary Board whose
proceedings are also printed in this volume. These small
bodies of dedicated office-holders selected Muslim
League candidates, settled differences and appeals over
the award of League tickets, distributed funds, coordinated
elections work from their Delhi head office, and travelled
and supervised election activity all over India. In this, they
were supported admirably by the All India and Provincial
Muslim Students Federations whose members, especially
at Aligarh, set examples of selflessness, sacrifice and
dedication.

Background:
On 19 September 1945, following negotiations between
Indian leaders and members of the 1946 Cabinet Mission
to India from the United Kingdom, the Viceroy Lord
Wavell announced that elections to the provincial
and central 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.[1][6] These
elections were important as the provincial assemblies thus
formed were to then elect a new Constituent
Assembly which would begin formulating a constitution for
an independent India. All contesting parties began
campaigning. The Congress contended that it represented
the entire Indian population while the Muslim League
professed to speak for the whole Muslim population.[7] The
dominant issue of the election campaign became the issue
of Pakistan.[4][8][9]
Originally, the Muslim League had been a party which
received most of its support from the Muslim-minority
provinces, where fear of Hindu ‘domination’ was greater
as was the sense of ‘a loss of privilege’, and to showcase
its argument for Muslim nationhood the League needed
support from both Muslim-majority as well as Muslim-
minority provinces. In the election campaign, the League
resorted to establishing networks with traditional power
bases, such as landowners and the religious elite, in the
Muslim-majority provinces to win support. Religious
slogans were utilized and the term ‘Pakistan’ was put
forward. Some scholars state that the meaning of Pakistan
was kept vague so that it meant different things to different
people.[10] On the other hand, Venkat Dhulipala observes
that, rather than being vague, the proposals for Pakistan
were vigorously debated in public, maps printed, economic
foundations analysed and Pakistan was envisioned as a
modern Islamic state.[11][12]
In contrast to earlier elections, the religious commitment
was intertwined with a declaration of Muslim communal
unity. Casting the vote became an Islamic act.
[13]
 Consequently, for the Muslim electorate, Pakistan
represented both a nation-state for India's Muslims, but
one which surpassed the common state structure, and an
awakening of an Islamic polity where Islam would be
blended with the state's functioning.[14]
Unlike previous elections under British rule where voting
was restricted by property and educational
 qualifications,the elections of 1946 saw the voting
franchise extended to a quarter of Indian adult population.

1946 Indian provincial elections

1946

1585 provincial seats contested

Abul Kalam Azad Muhammad Ali Jyoti Basu

Jinnah
INC AIML CPI
 seat Did not contest Byculla Railway Employees
won 923 425 8
Results:
The results were in favour of the Muslim league's demand
of Pakistan.[18] Of the total of 1585 seats, Congress won
923 (58.23%) [19] and the All-India Muslim League won 425
seats (26.81% of the total), placing it as the second-
ranking party. It captured all Muslim constituencies in the
central assembly as well as most of the Muslim
constituencies in the provincial legislatures.[20] The vote
opened the path to Pakistan.[3] The system of separate
electorates ensured that Muslim contestants would
compete with other Muslim candidates instead of facing
non-Muslim contestants. Thus, the establishment of
Pakistan was debated mainly among Muslims themselves.
[21]

The Muslim League's biggest success was in Bengal

where out of 119 seats for Muslims, it won 113. The
League reinforced its vote in the Muslim minority
provinces. It won 54 out of 64 Muslim seats in the United
Provinces and 34 of Bihar's 40 Muslim seats. It captured
all Muslim seats in Bombay and Madras. The party
demonstrated that it was the representative of Muslim
India.[4][3]
The Communist Party of India had presented 108
candidates, out of whom only 8 won a seat.[22] The set-
back came as a result of the decision of the party not to
support the Quit India movement of 1942.[23] Seven out of
the eight seats it won were reserved for labour
representatives. All in all, the Communist Party obtained
2.5% of the popular vote. Albeit far from competing with
the two main parties, the communists became the third
force in terms of the popular vote.[22] Amongst the
communist candidates elected were Jyoti Basu (railways
constituency in Bengal), Ratanlal Brahman (Darjeeling)
and Rupnarayan Ray (Dinajpur).[24]
The results for the North-West Frontier Province came
through in March. Congress achieved a strong majority,
largely due to the personality of Abdul Ghaffar Khan,
enabling them to form a government without trouble.[19]
In Punjab, the concerted effort of the Muslim League led to
its greatest success, winning 75 seats of the total Muslim
seats and becoming the largest single party in the
Assembly. The Unionist Party suffered heavy losses
winning only 20 seats in total. The Congress was the
second-largest party, winning 43 seats, whilst
the Sikh centric Akali Dal came third with 22 seats.[19]
In Assam, Congress won all of the general seats and most
of those were reserved for special interest, thus forming
the local government. The Muslim League won all of the
Muslim seats.[19]
In the Muslim majority province of Sind, the Muslim
League won the most seats. Congress however also
achieved strong results, and initially hoped to form a
coalition in government with four Muslims who had
defected from the Muslim League. At the last minute, one
of the four Muslim dissidents went over to the Muslim
League, handing them a majority of one. Congress then
lobbied three European members, who would swing the
balance of power into their favour, but their overtures were
rejected. The Governor of Sindh, therefore, asked the
Muslim League to form the local government.

Overall Muslim League Performance:

In the 1946 elections, the appeal for Pakistan was crucial
for the Muslim league's victory. According to Robert Stern,
religious fervour played part in the league's victory. In
Punjab also religious appeal was the factor in the battle
between the league and the Muslim members of the
Unionist party who were not interested in Pakistan.[27]
Muslim
Province Muslim Seats Win %
League

Assam 34 31 91%

Bengal 119 113 95%

Bihar 40 34 85%

Bombay 30 30 100%

Central
14 13 93%
Provinces

Madras 29 29 100%

NWFP 36 17 47%

Orissa 4 4 100%
Punjab 86 74 86%

Sind 34 28 82%

United Provinces 66 54 82%

Total 492 429 87%

Conclusion:
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.