General elections were held in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

in December 1945 to elect members of the

Central Legislative Assembly The Central Legislative Assembly was the lower house of the Indian Legislature, the legislature of British India. It was created by the Government of India Act 1919, implementing the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. It was also sometimes calle ...

and the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

. The

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

emerged as the largest party, winning 57 of the 102 elected seats. The

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties British India *All-India Muslim League, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan ** Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organization above **Unionist Muslim L ...

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 Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. This election coupled with the provincial one in 1946 proved to be a

strategic Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "troop leadership; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art o ...

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 Constituent Assembly of India was partly elected and partly nominated body to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the Provincial assemblies of British India following the Provincial Assembly elections held in 1946 and nominated ...

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

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

Background

On 19 September 1945, the Viceroy

Lord Wavell Field Marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (5 May 1883 – 24 May 1950) was a senior officer of the British Army. He served in the Second Boer War, the Bazar Valley Campaign and the First World Wa ...

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. Although the

Government of India Act 1935 The Government of India Act 1935 (25 & 26 Geo. 5. c. 42) was an Act of Parliament (UK), act passed by the British Parliament that originally received royal assent in August 1935. It was the longest act that the British Parliament ever enact ...

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 The Government of India Act 1919 ( 9 & 10 Geo. 5. c. 101) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was passed to expand participation of Indians in the government of India. The act embodied the reforms recommended in the report ...

Results

Central Legislative Assembly

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.

Membership by province

Members of the Central Legislative Assembly

*President:

Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar (27 November 1888 – 27 February 1956) popularly known as ''Dadasaheb'', was an Indian politician and independence activist who served as the President (from 1946 to 1947) of the Central Legislative Assembly, then Spea ...

*Deputy President: Sir Muhammad Yamin Khan *Secretary:

M. N. Kaul Shri M.N. Kaul (16 September 1901 – 20 November 1984) was Secretary of 1st Lok Sabha, 2nd Lok Sabha and Secretary-General of 3rd Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament of India). He was appointed Secretary of Lok Sabha Constituted after the Fi ...

*Deputy Secretary: M. V. H. Collins *Assistant Secretary: A. J. M. Atkinson *Marshal: Khan Bahadur Sardar Nur Ahmed Khan

Nominated members

*Nominated Officials:

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a prin ...

Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 189516 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan (, Roman Urdu, romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the he ...

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ''Vallabhbhāī Jhāverbhāī Paṭel''; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was an Indian independence activist and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime ...

Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar (15 September 1897 – 26 September 1960) was a Pakistani politician who served as the sixth prime minister of Pakistan, appointed in this capacity on 17 October 1957. He resigned due to a vote of no confidence on 11 D ...

Asaf Ali Asaf Ali (11 May 1888 – 2 April 1953) was an Indian independence activist and noted lawyer. He was the first Indian Ambassador to the United States. He also served as the Governor of Odisha. Asaf Ali was born on 11 May 1888 AD in Seohara ...

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and Indian independence ...

, Doctor John Matthai,

Jagjivan Ram Jagjivan Ram (5 April 1908 – 6 July 1986), popularly known as Babuji, was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as a minister with various portfolios for over 30 years, making him the List of longest-serving members of the ...

Jogendra Nath Mandal Jogendranath Mandal ( Bengali: যোগেন্দ্রনাথ মন্ডল; 29 January 1904 – 5 October 1968) emerged as a prominent figure among the architects of the nascent state of Pakistan. He served as the inaugural Minister of ...

, Sir George Spence, Samuel Harrison Yardley Oulsnam,

Binay Ranjan Sen Binay Ranjan Sen, CIE, ICS (1 January 1898, Dibrugarh, India - 12 June 1993, Calcutta, India), was an Indian diplomat and Indian Civil Service officer. He served as Director General (1956–1967) of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization ...

Balwant Singh Puri Balwant is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Balwant Gargi (1916–2003), Punjabi dramatist, novelist, and short story writer *Balwant Singh of Bharatpur (1820–1853), the ruling Maharaja of princely state Bharatpur from 1825 *D ...

, S. C. Joshi, Krishnanath Ganesh Ambegaonkar,

Ram Nath Ram Nath (R. Nath, born 9 March 1933) is an Indian historian who specializes in Mughal architecture. He obtained a doctorate from the Agra University, and later taught at the University of Rajasthan. He is regarded as one of India's leading art h ...

, M. V. Rangachari, Sir Wilfred Harold Shoobert, B. K. Gokhale, Govardhan Shankerlal Bhalja, Sir Pheroze Merwan Kharegat, Sir E. Ingoldsby *Nominated Non-Officials: Frank R. Anthony, Lieutenant Colonel Doctor J. C. Chatterjee, Rao Bahadur Namasivayam Sivaraj, Maniben Kara, S. Guruswami, Sir Cowasji Jehangir, 2nd Baronet, Rai Bahadur D. M. Bhattacharya, Raja Saiyid Ahmed Ali Khan Alvi, Chaudhri Sir Chand, Khan Bahadur Sharbat Khan, Raja Bahadur Ramachandra Mardaraj Deo, Captain Sardar Harendra Singh, Doctor P. G. Solanki, Colonel Kumar Shri Himmatsinhji, Lieutenant Commander Aftab Ali, D. D. Howell Thomas (European), L. S. Vaidyanathan

Elected Members

* Ajmer-Merwara:

Mukat Behari Lal Bhargava Mukat Behari Lal Bhargava (30 June 1903 – 18 December 1980) was an Indian politician, Freedom fighter a member of the Indian National Congress political party and a member of the Lok Sabha from 1951 to 1967. Born in 1903 in Bhilwara district i ...

*Assam: Rohini Kumar Chaudhuri (Assam Valley General), Arun Kumar Chanda (Surma Valley cum Shillong General), Nawab Ali Asghar Khan (Muslim), P. J. Griffiths (European) *Bengal:

Sarat Chandra Bose Sarat Chandra Bose (6 September 1889 – 20 February 1950) was an Indian barrister and independence activist. Early life He was born to Janakinath Bose (father) and Prabhabati Devi in Cuttack, Odisha on 6 September 1889. The family origina ...

, Nagendranath Mukherjee, Babu Debendra Lal Khan, Shashanka Shekhar Sanyal,

Kshitish Chandra Neogy Kshitish Chandra Neogy (1888–1970), also known as KC Neogy, was an Indian politician from West Bengal. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, member of the first Cabinet of independent India and the chairman of the first Financ ...

, Babu Satyapriya Banerjee, Abdur Rahman Siddiqui, Sir Hassan Suhrawardy,

Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan (M. T. Khan; March 1889 – 19 August 1963) was the Speaker of Pakistan's Constituent Assembly from 1948 to 1954 and National Assembly of Pakistan between 1962 and 1963. Early life Khan was born in March 1889 to the Benga ...

(Dacca-cum-Mymensingh Muslim), Haji Chowdhury Muhammad Ismail Khan (Burdwan & Presidency Muslim), Shaikh Rafiuddin Ahmad Siddique (Chittagong Muslim), Shah Abdul Hamid (Rajshahi Muslim), Geoffrey W. Tyson (European), C. P. Lawson (European), M. A. F. Hirtzel (European), Babu Dhritikanta Lahiri Choudhury (Landholders), Ananda Mohan Poddar *Bihar & Orissa:

Satya Narayan Sinha Satya Narayan Sinha (9 July 1900 – 26 July 1983) was an Indian National Congress politician who served as the member of Constituent Assembly and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. He was the first Leader of the House in Lok Sabha not to be ...

(Darbhanga cum Saran General), Bepin Bihari Verma (Muzaffarpur-cum-Champaran General),

Bhagirathi Mahapatra Bhagirathi Mohapatra was an Indian politician. He was a member of central legislative assembly from (1945-1947).He was a member of parliament, representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha the upper house of India's Parliament as a member of the India ...

(Orissa General), Sri Jagannathdas (Orissa General), Ramayan Prasad, Gauri Shankar Saran Singh, Banarsi Prasad Jhunjhunwala (Bhagalpur, Purnea & Santhal districts General),

Ram Narayan Singh Ram Narayan Singh often referred to as Babu Ram Narayan Singh (1885-1964) was a noted freedom fighter, social worker and politician from Hazaribagh. Early life He was born on 19 December 1884 in Tetaria village in Chatra district. His father's ...

(Hazaribagh General), Muhammad Nauman, Chowdhry Muhammad Abid Hussain, Khan Bahadur Habibur Rahman, Madan Dhari Singh *Bombay: Dr. Gopalrao V. Deshmukh (Bombay City General), R. Masani, Sukhdev Udhavdas (Sind General),

(Bombay Northern General), Ahmed Ebrahim Haroon Jaffer (Bombay Central Muslim),

Narhar Vishnu Gadgil Narhar Vishnu Gadgil (10 January 1896 – 12 January 1966) was an Indian freedom fighter and politician from Maharashtra, India. He was also a writer. He wrote in both Marathi and English. His son Vitthalrao Gadgil represented Congress later ...

(Bombay Central General), B. S. Hiray, Dattatraya Parashuram Karmarkar (Bombay Southern General),

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

(Bombay City Muslim), Seth Abdullah Haroon (Sind Muslim), Mahomed Musa Killedar (Bombay Northern Muslim), H. G. Stokes (European), Leslie Gwilt (European), Manu Subedar, Sardar Narayanrao Ganpatrao Vinchoorkar, Vadilal Lallubhai *Central Provinces and Berar: Prasadrao Keshavrao Salve, G. B. Dani, P. B. Gole,

Seth Govind Das Seth Govind Das (16 October 1896 – 18 June 1974) was an Indian independence activist and parliamentarian. He belonged to the Maheshwari merchant family of Raja Gokuldas of Jabalpur. The family began as the banking firm of Sevaram Khusha ...

(Hindi Divisions), Khan Saheb Nawab Siddique Ali Khan (Muslim), Seth Sheodass Daga (Landholders) *Delhi:

*Madras:

Ammu Swaminathan Ammu Swaminathan or A. V. Ammakuti (22 April 1894 – 4 July 1978) was an Indian social worker and political activist during the Indian independence movement and a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. Early life Ammukutty Swaminadha ...

, N. Narayana Murthy, V. Gangaraju, Nayukulu Gogineni Ranga (Guntur-cum-Nellore General),

Madabhushi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar Madabhushi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar (4 February 1891 – 19 March 1978) was the first Deputy Speaker and then Speaker of the Lok Sabha in the Indian Parliament. He also served as the 5th Governor of Bihar. Early life and education He was b ...

(Madras ceded districts & Chittoor General), V. C. Vellingiri Gounder, R. Venkatasubba Reddiar, T. V. Satakopa Chari, S. T. Adityan, A. Karunakara Menon, Muhammad Rahmatullah, J. Jamal Moideen Saib, Haji Abdul Sathar Haji Essak Seit (West Coast & Nilgiris Muslim),

Ralph Camroux Morris Colonel Randolph "Ralph" Camroux Morris (3 March 1895 – 19 December 1977, London) was a coffee planter, British Army officer, and hunter-naturalist who was born in India. A pioneer of wildlife conservation in India, a member of the Bombay Natural ...

(European), M. K. Jinachandran, Tiruppur Angappa Ramalingam Chettiar (Salem & Coimbatore cum North Arcot General) *NWFP:

Abdul Ghaffar Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (; 6 February 1890 – 20 January 1988), also known as Bacha Khan () or Badshah Khan () was a Pathan activist and formerly an Indian independence activist from the North-West Frontier Province, and founder of the Khudai ...

*Punjab: Thakur Das Bhargava, Raizada Hans Raj (Jullundur General),

Diwan Chaman Lall Diwan Chaman Lall (30 October 1892 – 12 November 1973) was an Indian politician and diplomat who served as a Member of the Rajya Sabha. Early life Chaman Lall was born on 30 October 1892 to Dewan Bahadur Daulat Rai. He received an honors de ...

(West Punjab General), Syed Ghulam Bhik Nairang (East Punjab Muslim),

Zafar Ali Khan Zafar Ali Khan (1873 – 27 November 1956) was a Pakistani writer, poet, translator and a journalist who played an important role in the Pakistan Movement against the British rule. He was one of the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam's founding memb ...

(East Central Punjab Muslim), Hafiz Mohammad Abdullah (West Central Punjab Muslim), Nawab Sahibzada Sayed Sir Muhammad Mehr Shah (North Punjab Muslim), Captain Syed Abid Hussain, Khan Bahadur Makhdum Syed Sher Shah Jeelani, Sardar Mangal Singh (East Punjab Sikh), Sardar Sampuran Singh (West Punjab Sikh), Squadron Leader Sardar Surjit Singh Majithia *United Provinces: Pandit Balkrishna Sharma, Krishna Chandra Sharma, Pandit Sri Krishna Dutta Paliwal (Agra General), Seth Damodar Swaroop, Pandit Govind Malaviya,

Sri Prakasa Sri Prakasa (3 August 1890 – 23 June 1971) was an Indian politician, freedom-fighter and administrator. He served as India's first High Commissioner to Pakistan from 1947 to 1949, Governor of Assam from 1949 to 1950, Governor of Madras from ...

(Allahabad & Jhansi General), Mohanlal Saksena, Sardar Jogendra Singh, Muhammad Ismail Khan, Sir Muhammad Yamin Khan (Agra Muslim),

Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 189516 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 1947 until Assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan, his assassinati ...

, Khan Bahadur Hafiz M. Ghazanfarulla, Doctor Sir Ziauddin Ahmad (UP Southern Muslim), Khan Bahadur Raja Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan, A. C. Inskip (European), Sir Vijaya Ananda

References

{{Pakistani elections

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

General elections in British India