How Many Members Were There in The Constituent Assembly

Introduction

The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to draft the Indian Constitution. The "Provincial Assembly" elected it. Following India's independence from British rule in 1947, its members formed the 'Provisional Parliament of India,' which served as the country's first parliament. The Constituent Assembly had 389 members in total, with 292 representing provinces, 93 from princely states, and four from the chief commissioner provinces of Delhi, Ajmer-Merwara, Coorg, and British Baluchistan.

Description of the constituent assembly

The Constituent Assembly of India was formed to prepare a constitution for India. It was made up of indirectly elected MPs (including the now-separate countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh). It was India's first parliament following independence in 1947, and it lasted around three years. The Assembly was not elected using universal adult suffrage, and Muslims and Sikhs were given special treatment as minorities. After failing to block the assembly's formation, the Muslim League boycotted it. Despite the fact that the Congress Party dominated the Constituent Assembly under a one-party system, the Congress Party comprised a wide range of viewpoints, from conservative businessmen to radical Marxists to Hindu revivalists. The Assembly convened for the first time on December 9, 1946, in New Delhi, and had its final session on January 24, 1950. Jawaharlal Nehru stressed the assembly's hope: "The first task of this assembly is to free India through a new constitution, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked masses, and to give every Indian the fullest opportunity to develop himself according to his capacity."

Background and election

The Constituent Assembly was founded when India was still under British rule, following discussions between Indian leaders and members of the United Kingdom's Cabinet Mission to India in 1946. Early in 1946, provincial assembly elections were conducted. Members of the Constituent Assembly were chosen indirectly by members of newly elected provincial assemblies and initially included delegates from Pakistan's provinces (some of which are now in Bangladesh). The Constituent Assembly had 389 members, of whom fifteen. The freshly elected Constituent Assembly constituted the Interim Government of India on September 2, 1946. The Congress Party had a substantial majority in the Assembly (69 per cent of the seats), while the Muslim League controlled practically all of the seats allotted for Muslims in the Assembly. Members of minor parties such as the Scheduled Caste Federation, the Communist Party of India, and the Unionist Party were also present. In June 1947, representatives from Sindh, East Bengal, Balochistan, West Punjab, and the North West Frontier Province met in Karachi to create Pakistan's Constituent Assembly. In August 1947, India and Pakistan gained independence, and members of the Constituent Assembly who had not withdrawn to Karachi formed India's Parliament. The Muslim League sent 28 members to the Indian Assembly, and 93 were later nominated from the princely states, giving the Congress Party an 82 percent majority.

Facts

The Constituent Assembly worked for over three years (two years, eleven months, and seventeen days) to finish its momentous mission of establishing the Constitution of Independent India. During this time, it had eleven sessions totalling 165 days. 114 of these days were spent deliberating on the draft constitution.

Members were chosen by indirect election by members of the Provincial Legislative Assemblies, in accordance with the Cabinet Mission's recommendation. The system was as follows:

(I) 292 members were chosen via provincial legislative assemblies;

(II) 93 members represented Indian princely states.

(III) 4 members represented Chief Commissioners' Provinces. The Assembly's total membership would thus be 389.

However, as a result of the Mountbatten Plan split on June 3, 1947, a separate Constituent Assembly was established for Pakistan, and MPs from several provinces ceased to be members of the Assembly. As a result, the Assembly's membership decreased to 299;

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the Objectives Resolution on December 13, 1946.

1. This Constituent Assembly announces its firm and solemn determination to proclaim India as an Independent Sovereign Republic and to draught a Constitution for her future government;

2. Where in the territories that now comprise British India, the territories that now comprise the Indian States, and such other parts of India that are outside of British India and the States, as well as such other territories as are willing to be constituted into Independent Sovereign India, shall be a Union of them all; and

Important Constituent Assembly Committees and Their Chairmen

Conclusion

The Indian Constituent Assembly was elected to create the Indian Constitution. Following India's independence from British control in 1947, its members established the 'Provisional Parliament of India,' which functioned as the country's first legislature. "The first task of this assembly is to free India through a new constitution," Jawaharlal Nehru said. The Constituent Assembly was created in 1946, while India was still under British administration. The Congress Party held a sizable majority in the Assembly (69 percent of the seats), but the Muslim League held nearly all of the seats reserved for Muslims.