HIS-103

Lecture- 10

East Pakistan Provincial Elections

in 1954 & the United Front
 Introduction
• The year 1954 was a landmark year for the people of East
Pakistan when the first election under the India Act of 1935
and on the basis of universal suffrage was held from 8-12
March
• This was the first election since Pakistan became an
independent country in 1947
• It was a watershed in Pakistan’s political development,
because for the first time, it defeated the ruling Muslim League
which fought for and created Pakistan
• It also brought into sharp focus the interests and aspirations of
the people of East Pakistan by voting for a united Front of
opposition parties which contested the elections on a broad
platform of regional autonomy which later was transformed
into a struggle for national liberation in Bangladesh.
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 The Contesting Parties
• The contesting parties in the elections were the
ruling Muslim League and a five-party alliance called the
United Front (Jukto Front)

• The major partners of the Front were Awami Muslim

League led by Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani,
the Krishak Sramik Party led by AK Fazlul Huq, Nezam-e-
Islam led by Maulana Atahar Ali, Ganatantrik Dal led by
Haji Mohammad Danesh and Khilafat-e-Rabbani Party led
by Abul Hashim

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 Background
• During the early period of Pakistan, economic disparity,
poor representation of Bengalis in government, and
politico-cultural repression pursued by the ruling elite of
Pakistan accentuated political problems in East Pakistan
• Most importantly, the deprivation of Bengalis from due
participation in the decision-making process gave rise to
the politics of regionalism in East Pakistan
• The resultant development was that the political forces of
East Pakistan were gradually pushed to launch new
political platforms and organize movements against the
central government based in the western part of the country

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 Background
• The general elections to the East Bengal legislative
assembly due in 1951 could not be held until 1954
• Several postponements of the elections under various
pretexts only proved malicious motives, organizational
weaknesses and vulnerability of the ruling party, Muslim
League
• Mounting antagonism against the Muslim League resulted
in the formation of a United Front
• The decision to form a united front was initially endorsed
on 14 November 1953 at the historic council session of the
Awami League held at Mymensingh
• Subsequently, the Front dominated the political landscape
of East Pakistan and had its usefulness as an effective
political platform to unite diverse political groups.
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 The Elections
• In the elections held from 8 to 12 March, 1285 candidates
contested for 304 seats, 5 seats having been won uncontested
• Of them, 986 were Muslim candidates for 228 seats, 101
Hindu candidates for 30 seats, and 151 scheduled caste
candidates for 36 seats.
• The seats for the non-Muslims were contested by candidates
mainly from the Pakistan National Congress, United
Progressive Party and the Scheduled Caste Federation
• A total of 19,541,563 voters were registered for the elections
of whom 73,44,216 (37.19%) cast their votes
• Out of the total electors, 9,239,720 were women

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 Turn-Out of Voters
• For Muslim constituencies, the turnout of voters was 37.6
percent.
• Although low by contemporary international standards, the
turnout seemed considerable in view of the inadequate
communication facilities, and the poor turnout of the
women voters because of the prevailing conservative
outlook in the society.
• For some reasons, communists did not campaign under
their own party banner but preferred to contest as nominees
of the United Front; 15 seats were won by them.

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 21 Points Manifesto
• The United Front campaigned on a 21-point election manifesto
• Recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan
• Abolition of Zamindari system
• Nationalizing jute trade
• Introduction of cooperative farming
• rehabilitation of refugees
• flood control
• modernizing agriculture
• reforming the education system
• rescinding all black laws
• rationalizing the pay scales
• eradication of corruption
• separating judiciary from the executive
• erection of a monument in memory of language martyrs
• converting Burdwan House into a Bangla language development institute
• declaring 21 February as Shaheed Day and a public holiday, and
• establishment of full provincial autonomy
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 Victory of United Front
•The elections resulted in a landslide victory for the
United Front which won 228 seats in a House of 309
(including nine reserved seats for women).
•On the other hand, the Muslim League, the party in
power directly or indirectly ever since 1937, managed to
get only 7 seats.
•Of the total of 228 elected Front members, 143
belonged to Awami Muslim League, 48 to Krishak
Sramik Party, 22 to Nezam-e-Islam, 13 to Ganatantrik
Dal and 2 to Khilafat-e-Rabbani Party.
•Of the non-Muslim seats, Congress got 25, Scheduled
Caste Federation 27, and the United Front of the
Minorities 13

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 Causes of United Front’s Victory
• 21 points demands were put up by leaders like AK Fazlul Huq,
Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, Maulana Bhashani and Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman
• With the support of left political workers, the United Front
leaders could operate with considerable ease at the grassroots
level
• The United Front could fully exploit issues like the killing of
students on 21 February 1952, and ever rising prices of
essential goods, particularly of salt and rice.
• The large scale detention of opposition political workers also
made the people suspicious of the intentions of the Muslim
League.

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 Causes of Muslim League’s Defeat
• The following are the reasons for the defeat of the Muslim League:
• Refusal to make Bengali a state language and repressive measures
taken by the Nurul Amin Government during the language movement;
• Policy of the Government at the centre towards East Pakistan -
injustice, exploitation and absence of equity;
• Centre’s opposition to provincial autonomy;
• Economic depression prevailing in the province;
• Delay in framing the constitution;
• Failure of the Muslim League to establish mass contact;
• Vesting the provincial chief-Ministership and the Muslim League
Presidentship in one and the same person;
• Want of workers and hostile attitude of students and youth towards the
Muslim League;
• Lack of strong personality in the League; and
• Failure of the League Government to root out corruption

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 Reaction of the Media
• The Pakistan Times, in a strong editorial, wrote : “Never before, in the
history of parliamentary strife, has the Party in Power suffered such an
ignominious and decisive defeat; and never was such a nemesis so richly
deserved.”
• It was also a vote for the United Front and its 21-Point Programme, voting
for a clear-cut socio-economic programme; the people of East Pakistan had
demonstrated their political consciousness.
• The result was a revolt of the East Pakistan against the West Pakistan
• It was the verdict of an “oppressed”, “persecuted”, “neglected” and
“economically discontented” people against the ruling Muslim League
leadership.
• It was a vote against the Muslim League and the wrong policies followed
by its Government both at the centre and in the Province.

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 Aftermath of the Elections
• The resultant development after the election was that the
United Front leader, A K Fazlul Huq, was invited on 3 April
1954 by the provincial governor to form the government
• Importantly, however, the election result was a signal to the
end of the dominance of the national elite in the politics of
East Bengal; landowners had given away to a younger
generation of professional university-trained elite, comprising
lawyers, journalists, teachers and businessmen.
• A vast majority of the elected members were new, relatively
young and inexperienced in government and politics.

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 Aftermath of the Elections
• The architects of the United Front victory in East Pakistan
were the triumvirate, A K Fazlul Huq, Huseyn Shaheed
Suhrawardy, and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, and it
was most likely that the charisma of each of them influenced
voters much.

• However, within a year or so after the election, the United

Front disintegrated because of clashes of personalities, intra-
alliance disagreements and dissension, and divergent party
programmes.

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 Conclusion
• This election of 1954 was the first post-partition general
elections on the basis of adult franchise under separate
electorates
• It is commonly known as the United Front election 
• The opposition political parties, under the leadership of the
mainstream party, Awami League formed the United Front to
fight the electoral battle against the ruling Muslim League.
• With ‘boat’ as the election symbol, the United Front achieved a
landslide victory.
• In fact, the United Front reflective of all shades of political
spectrum in the province emerged mainly due to the failure of
the Muslim League as a ruling party, and other historical,
political and economic reasons

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 Conclusion
• This electoral win by United Front marked a watershed in the
politics of East Pakistan.
• The ruling Muslim League not only suffered a crushing defeat,
but it was virtually wiped out as a political force from East
Pakistan as well.  
• For the Bengalis, it was a revolution through ballot.
• But the United Front Government led by Fazlul Huq was
short-lived.
• The central Government of Pakistan dissolved it on the 56th
day of its assumption of power.

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