1946 Madras Presidency Legislative Assembly election

none June 2019 June 2019 1946 Madras Presidency legislative assembly election British Raj parliamentary no 1937 Madras Presidency legislative assembly election 1937 1952 Madras State legislative assembly election 1952 30 March 1946INDIA (FAILURE OF CONSTITUTIONAL MACHINERY) HC Deb 16 April 1946 vol 421 cc2586-92 All 215 seats in the Legislature of Madras State 130x130px Tanguturi Prakasam Indian National Congress 163 4 75.81% 1.86% 130x130px Muhammad IsmailRalhan Om Prakash Encyclopaedia Of Political Parties, Volumes 33-50 Anmol Publications 1045 13 https://books.google.com/books?id=6qEHg_7sWGQC&pg=PA1045 978-81-7488-865-5 All-India Muslim League 28 17 13.02% 7.91% Prime Minister Governor's Rule Tanguturi Prakasam Indian National Congress The second legislative assembly election for the Madras Presidency after the establishment of a bicameral legislature by the Government of India Act of 1935 was held in 1946. The election was held after 6 years of Governor's rule starting from 1939, when the Indian National Congress government of C. Rajagopalachari resigned protesting Indian involvement in World War II. This was the last election held in the presidency - after Indian independence in 1947, the presidency became the Madras state. The election was held simultaneously with that of the Legislative Council. The Congress swept the polls by winning 163 out of 215 seats. The years after this election saw factionalism in Madras Congress party with divisions across regional (mainly Tamil and Andhra) and communal (Brahman and non-Brahman) lines. Competition among T. Prakasam (Andhra Brahman), C. Rajagopalachari (Tamil Brahman) and K. Kamaraj (Tamil non-Brahman) resulted in the election of Prakasam as the prime minister initially. But he was later defeated by Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiar (Tamil Nadu based ethnic Telugu non-Brahman) with Kamaraj's support. In turn, Reddiar himself was ousted to make way for P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja (Tamil non-Brahman) with the support of Kamaraj. Background Governor's rule in Madras The Congress government which had come to power in Madras Presidency in 1937 after winning the 1937 elections resigned in October 1939, protesting India's involvement in the Second World War.Christopher Baker The Congress at the 1937 Elections in Madras Modern Asian Studies 10 4 557–589 1976 311763 10.1017/s0026749x00014967 144054002 The Presidency came under the direct rule of the Governor on 30 October 1939, according to Section 93 of the Government of India Act of 1935. It was extended two times on 15 February 1943 and on 29 September 1945 by the proclamation of the Governor. The Labour government headed by Clement Attlee came to power in the United Kingdom in July 1945. It was more sympathetic to the cause of Indian Independence Movement. Indian viceroy Lord Wavell, proposed a plan to break the constitutional deadlock. Called the "Wavell plan", it resulted in the release of all Congress political prisoners and called for the repeal of Section 93 and for fresh elections to be held. The Congress agreed to resume its participation in the electoral process and elections were scheduled for 1946.Radhey Shyam Chaurasia 2002 History of Modern India, 1707 A. D. to 2000 A. D Atlantic Publishers 978-81-269-0085-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=MS_jrForJOoC&pg=PA388 388Nicholas Mansergh 1968 Survey of British Commonwealth Affairs: Problems of Wartime Cooperation and Post-War Change 1939-1952 Routledge 978-0-7146-1496-0 https://books.google.com/books?id=4reb6_TOYjsC&pg=PA209 299 Rajaji-Kamaraj rivalry in the Congress The years before the 1946 election saw a bitter struggle between C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) and K. Kamaraj for the leadership of Madras provincial Congress. Rajaji had quit the Congress on 15 July 1942 over differences with Congress leaders on issues related to Pakistan. After his departure, the Tamil Nadu Congress leadership was firmly in the hands of Kamaraj, who enjoyed enormous popularity in the Tamil region of the Madras Presidency. Rajaji re-entered Congress again in mid-1945. His return was much appreciated by Congress high command as they felt the Presidency needed his service greatly. Sathyamurthy was dead, Prakasam's popularity was confined to the Andhra region and Kamaraj was very young. Rajaji's claim to leadership found strong support in a Provincial Congress Committee meeting held in Tirupparankundram on 31 October 1945. To counter him, Kamaraj aligned himself with leaders like C. N. Muthuranga Mudaliar and M. Bhaktavatsalam. The Congress high command sent Asaf Ali to Madras in an effort to mediate between the pro- and anti-Rajaji factions. Kamaraj and Mudaliar wrote to the Congress high command protesting its interference in local politics and its preference of Rajaji. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel felt it would be good for Rajaji to enter the Central Assembly. But Rajaji was interested in provincial politics and he wanted to contest from Madras University constituency. In summary, the Congress high command's contention that Madras Presidency Congress would be leaderless without Rajaji was not well received by Kamaraj and others and they were not willing to accept that it was acting purely in the interests of the province.March to freedom in Madras Presidency, 1916-1947 Saroja Sundararajan 1989 623–636 Madras : Lalitha Publications After visiting Madras to participate in the silver jubilee celebrations of the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (Institution for the propagation of Hindi in South India) during January 1946, Gandhi wrote an article in the Harijan supporting Rajaji's candidacy. The article titled "Curious" had a reference to a "clique" in Madras Congress against Rajaji. He concluded the article by saying, Rajaji was by far the best man for the purpose in the Southern presidency, and, if I had the disposal in my hands, I would call Rajaji to office... But the disposal was with the Provincial Congree committee. My opinion was only that of an individual, to be taken for what it was worth. The article led to a huge controversy in Madras province and Gandhi received several telegrams and letters condemning his article. Some even threatened to fast if he did not withdraw the word "clique". However, Gandhi did not relent and withdraw his comments. On 12 February 1946, Kamaraj resigned from the Tamil Nadu Congress Parliamentary Board. Displeased with the controversy, Rajaji withdrew from active politics. Patel, who had worked hard to strengthen Rajaji's image, was enraged by his abrupt withdrawal and said, How could anybody support you, if you act like this? You do not even consult us, but that has always been your way of life. I can not understand you. However he accepted Rajaji's withdrawal from the Madras University constituency. This was the third time Rajaji had retired from political life, the other two occasions being in 1923 and 1936. ḝ Birth of Dravidar Kazhagam The Justice party which had been the main political alternative to the Congress in the Presidency went into political wilderness following its defeat in the 1937 elections. During the Anti-Hindi agitations of 1937-40, it allied itself closely with Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and his Self-Respect Movement. Periyar eventually took over the Justice party's leadership on 29 December 1938. On 27 August 1944, it was renamed as Dravidar Kazhagam (DK).W. B. Vasantha Kandasamy Florentin Smarandache Florentin Smarandache 2005 Fuzzy and Neutrosophic Analysis of Periyar's Views on Untouchability American Research Press 978-1-931233-00-2 https://books.google.com/books?id=hgb-MKcsSR0C 125408444 109 Under Periyar, the secessionist demand for Dravida Nadu became its main political plank. The DK boycotted the 1946 elections.http://www.periyar.org/html/ap_bios_eng3.asp Periyar - A Biographical sketch 29 December 2009 9 February 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120209054840/http://www.periyar.org/html/ap_bios_eng3.asp dead Participation of Communists In 1942, the ban on the Communist Party of India (CPI), which had been in place since 1934, was lifted.William Norman Brown 1972 The United States and India, Pakistan, Bangladesh Harvard University Press https://books.google.com/books?id=vHcBAAAAMAAJ https://archive.org/details/unitedstatesind00wnor registration 289 9780674924468 Under the leadership of P. C. Joshi, the communists decided to contest the 1946 elections. They contested 103 of the 215 seats and winning two (Railway Trade Union constituency and West Godhavari-Krishna-Guntur non-Union Factory Labour constituency).Ganapathy Palanithurai 1994 Caste, politics, and society in Tamilnadu Kanishka Publishers Distributors 978-81-7391-013-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=AHjaAAAAMAAJ&q=103+215 56K. K. N. Kurup 1989 Agrarian struggles in Kerala CBH Publications 978-81-85381-01-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=JdxwAAAAMAAJ&q=+164+215 13 Constituencies The Government of India Act of 1935 had created a bicameral legislature in the Madras province. The legislature consisted of the governor and two legislative bodies – a legislative assembly and a legislative council. The assembly consisted of 215 members who were further classified into general seats and those reserved for special communities and interests:The State Legislature - Origin and Evolution:Brief History Before independence https://web.archive.org/web/20100413233934/http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/history/history.htm 2010-04-13 General Scheduled Castes Mohammadans Indian Christians Women Landholders Commerce and Industry Labour and Trade Unions Europeans Anglo Indians University Backward areas and tribes1163028886663211 The Act provided for a limited adult franchise based on property qualifications.Low David Anthony Eclipse of empire Cambridge University Press 1993 154 https://books.google.com/books?id=QBaYddlnKBEC&pg=PA154 978-0-521-45754-5 Separate ballot boxes were kept for candidates of different political parties. The Congress was allotted the yellow coloured box, while the Muslim League and the Communist Party of India were allotted green and red coloured boxes respectively.Ramakrishnan S. V தேர்தல் - 1946 "மஞ்சள் பெட்டிக்கே உங்கள் ஓட்டு" http://www.uyirmmai.com/Uyirosai/ContentDetails.aspx?cid=1644 Uyirmmai 30 May 2010 ta https://web.archive.org/web/20111006205631/http://www.uyirmmai.com/Uyirosai/ContentDetails.aspx?cid=1644 6 October 2011 deadBandyopādhyāẏa Śekhara From Plassey to partition: a history of modern India 2004 Orient Blackswan 978-81-250-2596-2 322 https://books.google.com/books?id=-EpNz0U8VEQC&pg=PA322 Results Party wise break up of seats after the 1946 election:Kurup K. K. N Agrarian struggles in Kerala CBH Publications 1989 13 https://books.google.com/books?id=JdxwAAAAMAAJ&q=Muslim+League+28 978-81-85381-01-5Dash Shreeram Chandra The Constitution of India; a comparative study Chaitanya Pub. House 1968 532 https://books.google.com/books?id=SoRaAAAAIAAJ&q=165 PartySeats Indian National Congress 163 All-India Muslim League 28 Independent party 7 Independents 6 Europeans 6 Communists 2 Not contested 2 Total 215 Government formation The election was concluded on 30 March 1946. A new government had to be formed before the Governor's rule lapsed on 29 April. The Congress, despite securing an overwhelming majority, was unable to agree upon a candidate for Prime Minister. Madras Presidency in 1946 was made of four linguistic regions - Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Mysore and Kerala and the Madras Congress Legislature Party (CLP) had four main factions. The factions were both regional - Tamil versus Andhra and Tamil versus Keralites and Karnataka members; and communal - Brahmin versus non-Brahmin. The largest faction was that of the sixty to seventy non-Brahman Tamil members headed by Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Kamaraj. The remaining Tamil members were either uncommitted or supported Rajaji, who also had the support of P. Subbarayan. They called themselves as the Reform Group and numbered between twenty and thirty. The Andhra faction made up of 77 members, was further divided between the supporters of Prakasam and Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya. There were also smaller Andhra factions of non-Brahmins from the Circars and non-Brahmins from the Rayalaseema. CLP also had eighteen members from Malabar and South Canara/Bellary.Faction and front: Party systems in South India James Walch 157–160 Young Asia Publications Opposition to Rajaji Mahatma Gandhi and the National Congress leadership supported the selection Rajaji as Prime Minister of Madras Presidency. This was against the Congress policy of not re-instating leaders who had opposed the Quit India Movement. Prakasam, Madhava Menon and Kamaraj, provincial presidents of Congress Committee in Andhra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively were invited to New Delhi for negotiations. Despite Gandhi's intervention, Rajaji's election was defeated by 148 votes to 38. T. Prakasam Kamaraj and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K. Madhava Menon supported C. N. Muthuranga Mudaliar for the post of prime minister and were opposed to Prakasam's candidacy. Rajaji and the Reform Group observed neutrality because of a prior agreement from 1937, which stipulated that the next Congress government would be headed by a member from Andhra. This led to the election of T. Prakasam by 82 votes to 69. Difference of opinion arose between Prakasam and Kamaraj over several issues including the inclusion of Madhava Menon in the cabinet. Kamaraj supported his inclusion and Prakasam supported Raghava Menon who belonged to the pro-Rajaji group. Dissatisfaction with Prakasam's textile mill policies and his slow implementation of prohibition, lead to his fall. Prakasam was voted out of power and submitted his resignation on 14 March 1947. The Reform Group allied with other opponents of Prakasam for his ouster. P. Kandaswamy The political career of K. Kamraj Concept publishing company 2001 New Delhi 50 6874248M https://openlibrary.org/b/OL6874248M/political_career_of_K._Kamaraj T. Prakasam cabinet Council of Ministers in T. Prakasam's cabinet (1 May 1946 – 23 March 1947) Justice Party golden jubilee souvenir, 1968 Justice Party 1968 50–65 https://books.google.com/books?id=rCZYAAAAMAAJ MinisterPortfolio T. Prakasam Prime Minister, Public, Home, police, Food, and FinanceV. V. Giri Industries, Labour, Electricity, Co-operation, Planning, and ForestM. Bhaktavatsalam Public Works, Irrigation, and HighwaysT. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar EducationK. T. Bashyam (Bashyam Iyengar) Law, Courts, Prisons, and LegislatureP. S. Kumaraswami Raja Development, Agriculture, Livestock and FisheriesDaniel Thomas Local administrationRukmini Lakshmipathi Public Health and MedicalK. R. Karanth Land revenueK. Koti Reddi Hindu religious endowments, and Revenue (other than Land revenue) Vemula Kurmayya Public informationBikkina Veeraswami Forest, Cinchona, Fisheries, and Village industries (18 June 1946 - 03 Feb 1947)R. Raghava Menon House control, Motor transport, and FoodBikkina Venkataratnam Forest, Cinchona, Fisheries, and Village Industries (06 Feb 1947 - 23 March 1947) Changes Bikkina Veeraswamy's Resignation from Ministerial Post Due to Ill Health on 15 January 1947 thumb|alt=Bikkina Veeraswamy's Resignation from Ministerial Post Due to Ill Health - January 15, 1947|Bikkina Veeraswamy's Resignation from Ministerial Post Due to Ill Health - January 15, 1947 Forest Minister Bikkina Veeraswami submitted his resignation from the ministerial post. Citing ill health as the reason, he wrote to Prime Minister Prakasam, requesting the acceptance of his resignation. As he was undergoing treatment at General Hospital. After that, he was replaced by Bikkina. Venkatarathanam as minister for Forest, Cinchona, Fisheries, and Village industries on 6 February. Bikkina. Venkatarathanam thumb Bikkina Venkata Ratnam is the thirteenth Minister within the Madras Cabinet. He succeeded Bikkina Veeraswami, who resigned. Venkata Ratnam holds ministerial responsibilities for Forests, Cinchona, Fisheries, and Village Industries. His appointment surprised many members during the Madras Legislative Assembly session. Hailing from the village of Chodavaram in the East Godavari District, Venkata Ratnam is an agriculturist. He has a long-standing political history, including membership in the old Legislative Council. He also served in leadership roles in various cooperative organizations. Venkata Ratnam has been an active member of the Indian National Congress since 1920 and has faced imprisonment twice for political involvement. Venkataratnam's swearing-in ceremony took place before the Governor, and he then occupied the same office as his predecessor in the Secretariat. Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiar On 21 March 1947, Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiar was selected as the prime minister supported by Kamaraj and the anti-Prakasam factional alliance. In 1948, Prakasam sought re-election by contesting against Reddiar, who in addition to Kamaraj, was supported by other notable Andhra members such as N. Sanjeeva Reddy and Kala Venkata Rao. Prakasam was defeated by a vote of 112 to 84. Gradually Reddiar became dissatisfied with Kamaraj's interference in his administration. When he showed signs of independence, Kamaraj ousted him by vote of no confidence in the CLP on 31 March 1949. Omandurar's cabinet Council of Ministers in Omandur Ramasami Reddiar's cabinet (24 March 1947 – 6 April 1949) MinisterPortfolio Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiar Prime Minister, Public, Hindu religious endowments and Harijan uplift M. Bhaktavatsalam Public works and PlanningP. Subbarayan Home and Legal (Law and Order) T. S. S. Rajan Food, Motor transport and LabourT. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar EducationDaniel Thomas Prohibition, Excise, Registration and HousingVemula Kurmayya Harijan uplift, Fisheries and Rural developmentH. Sitarama Reddi Industries and InformationK. Chandramouli Local administration and Co-operativeK. Madhava Menon Agriculture and ForestKala Venkata Rao RevenueA. B. Shetty Public healthS. Gurubatham Khadi, Firka development and Cottage industries Changes Subbarayan resigned on 5 April 1948, Daniel Thomas on 15 June 1948 and Kala Venkata Rao on 24 January 1949. P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja, the next Prime Minister who formed the Government on 6 April 1949 (as Chief Minister from 26 January 1950) was believed to be a stooge of Kamaraj. His election was opposed by P. Subbarayan, Rajaji and Prakasam. Kumaraswamy Raja ruled Madras till the 1952 election when he lost his seat in Srivilliputhur constituency. Duncan B. Forrester Kamaraj: A Study in Percolation of Style Modern Asian Studies 4 1 43–61 Cambridge University Press 1970 311752 10.1017/s0026749x00010970 145472845 I. N. Tewary Political system: a micro perspective Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. 1999 New Delhi 13 https://books.google.com/books?id=32tA0QGMCiQC&q=kamaraj+1952+election&pg=PA13 Kumaraswamy Raja cabinet Council of ministers in Kumaraswamy Raja cabinet (7 April 1949 – 9 April 1952) MinisterPortfolio P. S. Kumaraswami Raja Public and Police T. S. S. Rajan Health, Religious Endowment and Resettlement of Ex-Service PersonnelM. Bhaktavatsalam Public Works and InformationH. Sitarama Reddi Land Revenue, Labour, Planning and DevelopmentK. Chandramouli Local Administration and Co-operationBezawada Gopala Reddy Finance and Commercial TaxesK. Madhava Menon Education, Courts and PrisonsKala Venkata Rao HealthA. B. Shetty Agriculture and VeterinaryB. Parameswaran Firka Development, Khadi, Cottage Industries, Fisheries, Cinchona and Harijan UpliftC. Perumalswami Reddiar Industries, Mines and MineralsJ. L. P. Roche Victoria Food and FisheriesNeelam Sanjiva Reddy Prohibition and Housing Changes Sanjiva Reddi resigned on 10 April 1951. Roche Victoria became minister on 2 June 1949 and Kala Venkata Rao on 26 September 1951. Some of the ministers resigned on 8 February 1952, when the results of 1952 election came out. Kumarasamy Raja, Rajan, Reddiar, Parameswaran, Sitarama Reddi, A. B. Shetty stayed on as a caretaker ministry till the next cabinet was formed on 10 April. Impact The provincial legislatures formed by the 1946 elections elected the members (from their own members) to the Indian Constituent Assembly in December 1946. The Constituent Assembly drafted the Constitution of the Indian Republic and also served as India's first Parliament after India's independence on 15 August 1947. Since Congress had an overwhelming majority in both houses of the Madras legislature it was able to send a large number of its members to the Assembly.Some Facts of Constituent Assembly List of Constituent Assembly members from Madras Presidency:Members of the Constituent Assembly No Name Party No Name Party 1O. V. AlagesanCongress26T. PrakasamCongress 2Ammu SwaminathanCongress27Stanley Henry PraterAnglo-Indian and Domiciled European Association 3Madabhushi Ananthasayanam AyyangarCongress28Raja of Bobbili 4Moturi SatyanarayanaCongress29R. K. Shanmukham ChettyCongress 5Dakshayani VelayudhanCongress30T. A. Ramalingam ChettiarCongress 6G. DurgabaiCongress31Ramnath GoenkaCongress 7Kala Venkata RaoCongress32O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar Congress 8N. Gopalaswami AyyangarCongress33N. G. RangaCongress 9D. Govinda DasCongress34Neelam Sanjiva ReddyCongress 10Jerome D'SouzaCongress35K. SanthanamCongress 11P. KakkanCongress36B. Shiva RaoCongress 12K. KamarajCongress37Kallur Subba RaoCongress 13V. C. Kesava RaoCongress38Ullal Srinivas MallyaCongress 14T. T. KrishnamachariCongress39P. SubbarayanCongress 15Alladi Krishnaswamy IyerCongress40C. SubramaniamCongress 16L. Krishnaswami BharathiCongress41V. SubramaniamCongress 17P. Kunhiraman NairCongress42M. C. Veerabahu PillaiCongress 18M. Thirumala RaoCongress43P. M. VelayudapaniCongress 19V. I. Muniswamy PillaiCongress44A. K. MenonCongress 20M. A. Muthiah Chettiar45T. J. M. WilsonCongress 21V. Nadimuthu PillaiCongress46Muhammad IsmailAll-India Muslim League 22S. NagappaCongress47K. T. M. Ahmed IbrahimAll-India Muslim League 23P. L. Narasimha RajuCongress48Mahboob Ali BaigAll-India Muslim League 24Bhogaraju Pattabhi SitaramayyaCongress49B. PockerAll-India Muslim League 25C. Perumalswamy ReddiarCongress See also 1946 Madras Presidency legislative council election References External links Text of Gandhi's article in Harijan and Kamaraj's resignation announcement expanded Category:State Assembly elections in the Madras Presidency Category:1946 elections in India