UPSC (IAS) Prelims mock test Series
INDIAN POLITY
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IAS prelims General studies paper 1 |
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INDIAN POLITY (IAS) Prelims 2024 Study Materials Constituent Assembly Special
• In 1934 the idea of a Constituent Assembly for India was put forward for the first time by M. N. Roy.
• In 1935, the Indian National
Congress (INC), for the first time, officially demanded a Constituent Assembly to frame the Constitution of India.
• In 1938, Jawaharlal Nehru, on behalf
the INC declared
that ‘the Constitution of free India must be framed, without outside interference by a Constituent Assembly
elected on the basis of adult franchise’
• The demand was finally accepted in principle by the British Government in what is known as the ‘August Offer’ of 1940
•
In 1942, Sir Stafford Cripps, a member of the cabinet, came to India with
a draft proposal of the British Government
on the framing of an independent Constitution to be adopted after the World War II.
• The Cripps Proposals were rejected by the Muslim League which wanted India to be divided
into two autonomous states with two
separate Constituent Assemblies.
• Finally, a Cabinet Mission1 was
sent to India. While it rejected the
idea of two Constituent Assemblies, it put forth a scheme for the Constituent Assembly
which more or less satisfied
the Muslim League.
•
The Constituent Assembly was constituted in
November 1946 under the scheme
formulated by the Cabinet Mission Plan.
• The total strength of the Constituent Assembly
was to be 389. Of these, 296 seats were to be allotted to British India and 93
seats to the Princely States.
•
Out of 296 seats allotted to the British India,
292 members were to be drawn from the eleven governors’ provinces2 and four from the four chief commissioners’ provinces3, one from each.
•
Each province and princely state (or group of states in case of small states) were to be allotted
seats in proportion to their respective population.
• Seats allocated to each British province were to
be divided among the three principal
communities—Muslims, Sikhs and general (all except Muslims
and Sikhs), in proportion to their population.
•
The representatives of each community were to be
elected by members of that community
in the provincial legislative assembly and voting was to be by the method of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.
• The representatives of princely states were to
be nominated by the heads of the princely
states.
• The elections to the Constituent Assembly (for
296 seats allotted to the British Indian Provinces) were held in July–August 1946.
• The Indian National Congress won 208 seats, the
Muslim League 73 seats, and the small groups
and independents got the remaining 15 seats. However, the 93 seats allotted
to the princely states were not filled
as they decided
to stay away from the Constituent Assembly.
•
The Constituent Assembly held its first meeting
on December 9, 1946.
•
The Muslim League boycotted the meeting and
insisted on a separate state of Pakistan.
•
The meeting was thus attended by only 211 members.
• Dr Sachchidanand Sinha, the oldest member, was elected as the temporary
President of the Assembly,
following the French practice.
•
Later, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the
President of the Assembly. Similarly,
both H.C. Mukherjee and V.T. Krishnamachari were elected as the Vice-Presidents of the Assembly.
•
On December 13, 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru moved the
historic ‘Objectives Resolution’ in the Assembly.
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