1937 Madras Presidency Legislative Assembly election

none June 2019 June 2019 1937 Madras Presidency legislative assembly election British Raj parliamentary no 1934 Madras Presidency legislative council election 1934 1946 Madras Presidency legislative assembly election 1946 February 1937 All 215 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Madras Presidency Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari.jpg 100 100 120 0 02 C. Rajagopalachari Indian National Congress Madras University Constituency 159 73.95% Raja of Bobbilli 17 February 2011.JPG 100 100 120 0 02 Raja of Bobbili Justice Party (India) Bobbili(lost) 18 8.37% 108 Prime Minister Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu Justice Party (India) C. Rajagopalachari Indian National Congress The first legislative assembly election for the Madras Presidency was held in February 1937, as part of the nationwide provincial elections in British India. The Indian National Congress obtained a majority by winning 159 of 215 seats in the Legislative Assembly. This was the first electoral victory for the Congress in the presidency since elections were first conducted for Madras Legislative Council in 1920. The Justice Party which had ruled the presidency for most of the previous 17 years was voted out of power. The assembly was constituted in July 1937 and C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) became the first Congress Prime Minister of Madras.http://legislativebodiesinindia.gov.in/States/tamilnadu/tamilnadu-w.htm Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly 25 November 2009 Indian Government https://web.archive.org/web/20100102222439/http://legislativebodiesinindia.gov.in/States/tamilnadu/tamilnadu-w.htm 2 January 2010 dead The Congress also won the election held simultaneously for the Legislative Council. The victory in Madras was the Congress' most impressive electoral performance in all the provinces of British India. The Congress Government that was formed after the elections lasted till October 1939, when it resigned protesting India's involvement in the Second World War. The next election was held in 1946. Government of India Act of 1935 The Government of India Act of 1935 abolished dyarchy and ensured provincial autonomy. It 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 seats, out of which majority were to be elected through limited adult franchise exercised through separate electorates devised for Hindus, Muslims & Christians, while others were distributed to various pro-government interest groups like Anglo-Indians, Europeans, Commerce & Landholders in addition to Labour and University Constituencies.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 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 Seven million people, roughly 15% of the Madras people holding land or paying urban taxes were qualified to be the electorate. Christopher Baker The Congress at the 1937 Elections in Madras Modern Asian Studies 10 4 557–589 1976 311763 10.1017/s0026749x00014967 144054002 Separate ballot boxes were kept for candidates of different political parties. The Congress was allotted the yellow coloured box, while the Muslim League was allotted green coloured box.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 Issues and campaign The Justice Party had been in power in Madras for 17 years since 1920. Its hold on power was briefly interrupted only once in 1926-28 when P. Subbarayan was a non-affiliated Prime Minister. Unpopularity of the Justice Government The Justice Government under the Raja of Bobbili had been steadily losing ground since the early 1930s. It was beset with factional politics and its popularity was eroding slowly due to the autocratic rule of Bobbili Raja. The Raja was inaccessible to his own party members and tried to destroy the power and influence of the District level leaders who were instrumental in the party winning power earlier. The Suthanthira Sangu, in its issue dated 26 February 1935 explained the destruction of the power of local bodies: The Local Boards Act has been recently amended, taluk boards have been abolished, a district board has been bifurcated and attempts have been made to bifurcate other boards, which are hostile to him.... He is superseding municipalities, which do not bow to his authority, removing chairmen not liked by him and trying to forfeit the liberty of these bodies by the appointment of Commissioners. The Justice party was seen as the collaborative party, agreeing with the British Government's harsh measures. Its economic policies during the Great Depression of the 1930s were also highly unpopular. Its refusal to decrease the land revenue taxation in non-Zamindari areas by 12.5% was hugely unpopular. The Bobbili Raja, himself a Zamindar, cracked down on the Congress protests demanding reduction of the revenue. This further reduced the popularity of the Justice Party. The Governor of Madras, Lord Erskine reported to the then Secretary of State Zetland in February 1937, that the peasants in South India had become fed up with the Justice Party and "every sin of omission or commission of the past fifteen years is put down to them [Justice Party]". The affluent lifestyle led by the Justice ministers at the height of the Great Depression were sharply criticized by the Madras Press. They drew a monthly salary of Rs. 4,333.60 when compared to Rs. 2,250 per month the ministers in the Central Provinces received. This invoked the ire of the Madras press. The newspaper India wrote: Is not Rs. 2,000 enough for Madras ministers, who were only second-rate vakils (lawyers) in the mufassal (rural areas)? When the poor are suffering for want of money, they are drawing fat salaries? What an injustice? When the country is on fire, when the axe of retrenchment has fallen on the poor and when the people are experiencing intense suffering under the heavy burden of taxation, the Madras Ministers have started on their tours immediately after passing the budget. Even the European owned newspaper The Madras Mail which had been the champion of the earlier Justice Governments was sickened by the ineptitude and patronage policies of the Bobbili Raja administration. On 1 July 1935, it wrote in its editorial: "if the Justice Party is really determined upon reorganisation... the spoils system must go. The extent of the discontent against the Justice Government is reflected in an article of Zamin Ryot: The Justice Party has disgusted the people of this presidency like plague and engendered permanent hatred in their hearts. Everybody, therefore, is anxiously awaiting the fall of the Justice regime which they consider tyrannical and inauguration of the Congress administration.... Even old women in villages ask as to how long the ministry of the Raja of Bobbili would continue Resurgence of the Congress The Swaraj Party which had been the Justice party's main opposition merged with the Indian National Congress in 1935 when the Congress decided to participate in the electoral process. The Madras Province Congress party was led by S. Satyamurti and was greatly rejuvenated by its successful organisation of the Salt Satyagraha and Civil Disobedience movement of 1930–31. The Civil Disobedience movement, the Land Tax reduction agitations and Union organizations helped the Congress to mobilize popular opposition to the Bobbili Raja government. The revenue agitations brought the peasants into the Congress fold and the Gandhian hand spinning programme assured the support of weavers. Preferential treatment given to European traders brought the support of the indigenous industrialists and commercial interests. The Congress had effective campaigners like Satyamurti and Rajaji while the Justice party had only Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar to counter them. The Congress election manifesto was populist in nature and promised to reduce land revenue taxes, to ensure decent working conditions and wages for the laborers, low rents and all around prosperity. It even appealed to the Europeans who had reserved seats in the Assembly. It also appealed to the nationalist sentiment of the populace. Commenting on the Congress's manifesto, the Indian Annual Register said: The promises made in the election manifesto by the congress, while seeking suffrage, roused hopes, that the Congress government, if voted to power, would give relief to them. Perhaps the Agrarian distress forced the Indian National Congress to give up the policy and programme of non-cooperation and to undertake the responsibility of Government under a hated act The Congress campaign was effective and targeted all sections of the population like peasants, workers, weavers and businessmen. Against it the Justice party had no definite program or policies. It could only harp on the Brahmin domination in Congress. Amidst the backdrop of the Great Depression and economic distress their charge was not effective.Manikumar K. A. A colonial economy in the Great Depression, Madras (1929-1937) Orient Blackswan 2003 185–198 https://books.google.com/books?id=8eWkmxJRnoAC&pg=PA185 978-81-250-2456-9 Satyamurti utilised the services of popular actors like V. Nagayya and K. B. Sundarambal for the election campaign. In particular Sundarambal vigorously campaigned for the Congress. Satyamurti also produced a campaign film directed by A. Narayanan of Srinivasa Cinetone. It featured the speeches of Rajaji, Satyamurti and other Congress leaders. But the film was banned by the colonial government.S. Theodore Baskaran S. Theodore Baskaran War relic http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fline/fl2319/stories/20061006000707900.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20070515105257/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fline/fl2319/stories/20061006000707900.htm dead 15 May 2007 Frontline 30 May 2010 23 September 2006Narayanan Aranthai Suthanthira Poril Tamil Cinema (Tamil Cinema in the Independence Struggle) 1988 New Century Book House 74–77 The coloured box system enabled the most organised party - the Congress to have uniform slogans throughout the presidency. The slogan "vote for Gandhi and the yellow box", was very popular and helped the party to mobilise its supporters.Dharmjit Singh Lord Linlithgow in India: 1936-1943 2005 ABS Publications 978-81-7072-087-4 26 https://books.google.com/books?id=ex1uAAAAMAAJ&q=yellow+box Other parties The other parties contesting the election were the Madras Province Muslim League (MPML) headed by Jamal Mohammad, the People's Party of Madras started by Raja of Pithapuram (a breakaway faction from the Justice Party) and the Muslim Progressive Party led by Nawab C. Abdul Hakim and S. M. Pasha.More J. B. Prashant The political evolution of Muslims in Tamilnadu and Madras, 1930-1947 Orient Longman 1997 132 https://books.google.com/books?id=4mNuAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Muslim+Progressive+party+was+founded+upon+the+unique+influence+wielded+by 978-81-250-1011-1Innaiah N Between charisma and corruption: politics in Indian states with special study of Andhra Pradesh, 1890-1990 Navayuga Book Shop 1991 38 https://books.google.com/books?id=wUduAAAAMAAJ&q=pithapuram+raja Results SourceTaylor David Denis 1971 Indian Politics and the Elections of 1937 https://soas-repository.worktribe.com/OutputFile/389306 PhD University of London 26 August 2025 +PartyHindu urbanHindu ruralHindu womenMuslim urbanMuslim rural Muslim womenIndian ChristianIndian Christian women Anglo-IndianEuropeanBackward TribalCommerceLandholdersLabourUniversityTotal Indian National Congress14 (inclusive of 1 seat reserved for Dalits)123 (inclusive of 25 seats reserved for Dalits) 6 -4 -31 - -1 - -61159Justice Party14 (inclusive of 2 seats reserved for Dalits) - -8 -4 - - - -13 - -21All India Muslim League - - -18 - - - - - - - - -9People's Party - - - - - - - - - - - -1 - -1Muslim Progressive Party - - - -1 - - - - - - - - - -1Independent Hindus -4 (inclusive of 2 seats reserved for Dalits) - - - - - - - - -12 - -7Independent Muslims - - -151 - - - - - - - - -7Unaligned - - - - - -1 -23 -4 - - -10 Total15 (inclusive of 1 seat reserved for Dalits)131 (inclusive of 29 seats reserved for Dalits) 62261812316661215 Members elected +ReservationSir Stanley Reed http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.282213 The Indian Year Book 1936 37 Vol XxiiiConstituencyMemberHindu Madras City NorthP. M. Adikeshavalu NaickerMadras City North CentralG. Rangiah Naidu Madras City South Central T. PrakashamMadras City South Central (Depressed Classes) J. Shivashanmugham PillaiMadras City South N. S. VaradachariarVisakhapatnam Town T. VishwanadhamKakinada Town B. SambamurthiBezwada-cum-Masulipatnam Towns A. Kaleshwara RaoGuntur-cum-Tenali Towns Konda VenkatappayaTanjore-cum-Kumbhakonam Towns V. Bhuvaraghava AiyangarTiruchirappalli-cum-Srirangam Towns P. Ratnavelu ThevarMadurai TownN. M. R. Subbaraman AiyarTirunelveli-cum-Palayamkottai TownsK. P. Yagneswara SharmaCoimbatore TownC. P. Subbiah MudaliyarSalem Town V. R. Perumala Chetty TekkaliP. Shyamasundara RaoChicacoleC. NarasimhamChicacole (Depressed Classes) G. GuruvuluBobbiliV. V. GiriPalakondaY. V. Bhaskara RaoVizianagaram Alluri Yogi NaiduVizianagaram (Depressed Classes) P. L. NarasimharajuSarvasiddhiD. L. NarasimharajuViravalliD. VenkataramaswamiVishakapatnam V. J. GuptaRajamahendriB. Raja RaoRajamahendri (Depressed Classes) K. Veeraraghavaswami NaiduAmalapuram K. Venkata RaoAmalapuram (Depressed Classes) P. LakshmanaswamiKakinada M. PallamrajuKakinada (Depressed Classes) B. S. MurthiEllore M. BapineeduEllore (Depressed Classes) G. VenkannaBhimavaramD. Narayana RajuNarasapurG. Venkata Reddy NaiduBandar Maharaja Pusapati Alakanarayana Gajapati Raju of Vizianagaram/Raja Y. Shivarama Prasad of ChallapalliThe former died soon after being elected, so the latter was elected in the by-polls held in March 1937.Bandar (Depressed Classes) V. KurmaiyyaBezwada Raja Vasireddy Durgasadashiveshwara Prasad of Muktyala (in Krishna district) Bezwada (Depressed Classes)K. Venkatanarayana RaoGunturA. Rami ReddyNarasaraopet K. Venkata ReddyTenaliK. ChandramauliOngole P. Buchappa NaiduOngole (Depressed Classes) P. SubbbayaGudurB. Venkatanarayana Reddy Gudur (Depressed Classes) K. ShanmughamNellore V. VenkatasubbaiyaKavaliB. Gopala ReddyKandukurB. Perumal NaiduRajampetN. Ranga ReddyCuddapahK. Koti ReddyCuddapah (Depressed Classes) S. NagayyaPenukonda K. Subba RaoPenukonda (Depressed Classes) D. KadirappaGootyR. Venkatappa NaiduAnantapurC. Obi ReddyBellary H. Sitarama ReddyBellary (Depressed Classes) Govinda DasHospetB. AnantacharKurnool O. Lakshmanaswami RaoKurnool (Depressed Classes) S. NagappaNandyalG. Venkata ReddyChandragiri K. VaradachariTiruttani R. B. Ramakrishna RajuTiruttani (Depressed Classes) M. DoraikannuMadanapalleN. Ramakrishna ReddyChittoorC. R. Parthasarathi AiyangarKanchipuramP. S. Srinivasa AiyarChingleputK. Bhashyam AiyangarChingleput (Depressed Classes) Rao Bahadur M. C. RajahSaidapetP. Natesha Mudaliyar Thiruvallur M. Bhaktavatsalam MudaliyarThiruvallur (Depressed Classes) O. Chengam PillaiThirupattur-North Arcot K. A. Shanmuga MudaliyarGudiyattam B. T. SheshadrichariarVellore V. M. Ramaswami MudaliyarRanipetB. Bhaktavatsala NaiduRanipet (Depressed Classes) J. AdimulamChheyarD. Ramalinga ReddiyarThiruvannamalaiN. Annamalai PillaiThiruvannamalai (Depressed Classes) A. RamalingamTindivanam R. Venkatasubba ReddiyarTindivanam (Depressed Classes) K. KulashekharanVillupuramS. Chidambaram AiyarChidambaram R. Ponnuswami PillaiChidambaram (Depressed Classes) A. S. Sahajananda SwamiCuddalore K. Sitarama ReddiyarThirukkoyilur A. SubramanianThirukkoyilur (Depressed Classes Rao Sahib V. I. Munuswami PillaiTanjoreV. Nadimuthu PillaiTanjore (Depressed Classes) M. MarimuthuKumbhakonamP. Venkatarama AiyarMayavaramS. RamanathanMannargudiA. Vedaratnam PillaiMannargudi (Depressed Classes) K. Kolandavelu NayanarNagapattinam A. M. P. Subbarama ChettiyarTiruchirappalli K. Periyaswami GounderTiruchirappalli (Depressed Classes) N. Halasyam AiyarMusiriP. Marimuthu PillaiAriyalurB. Venkatachalam PillaiAriyalur (Depressed Classes) R. MaruthaiDindigul K. Kuppuswami AiyarPalani R. S. Venkatarama AiyarPalani (Depressed Classes) K. Balakrishnan KutumbanPeriyakulamK. Shaktivadivelu GounderThirumangalamA. K. A. Ramachandra ReddiyarMelurL. Krishnaswami BharatiSrivilliputthurP. S. Kumaraswami RajaSatturK. Kamaraja NadarSattur (Depressed Classes) R. S. ManikkamRamnad U. Muthuramalinga ThevarThirupattur-RamnadV. S. R. M. Valliappa ChettiyarShivagangaMuthu Kr. Ar. Kr. Arunachalam ChettiyarTuticorinA. R. A. S. Duraiswami NadarKoilpattiL. S. KarayalurKoilpatti (Depressed Classes) Pal Chinnamuthu SermadeviLakshmi Ammal Tirunelveli T. S. Chokkalingam PillaiPollachiPalaniswami GounderPollachi (Depressed Classes) Krishna KutumbanPalladamK. S. Ramaswami GounderErodeK. S. Periyaswami GounderDharapuramS. V. Venaudaya GounderGobichettipalayamK. N. Nanjappa GounderGobichettipalayam (Depressed Classes) D. SrinivasaiayanCoimbatoreV. C. Palaniswami GounderNilgiriH. B. Ari GouderHosurP. T. VenkatachariDharmapuriM. G. Natesha ChettyTiruchengode P. SubbarayanOmalurK. A. Nachiappa GounderNamakkalN. Nagaraja AiyangarNamakkal (Depressed Classes) M. P. PeriyaswamiSalem S. C. Venkatappa Chettiyar Kundapura A. Balakrishna ShettyKundapura (Depressed Classes) K. IshwaraPuttur K. R. KarantMangaloreB. Venkataraya BaligaChirakkal P. MadhavanKottayamM. P. DamodaranMalappuram A. Karunakara MenonMalappuram (Depressed Classes) E. P. KannanCalicut A. ChanduKurumbranadC. K. Govindan NayarPalghat R. V. Raghava MenonPonnani K. Raman MenonMadras City women Rukmini LakshmipathiEllore Town women C. Ammanna RajaThalassery-cum-Calicut Towns womenA. V. Kuttimalu AmmaCuddalore women Anjalai AmmaBellary women Dr. N. Lakshmi DeviDindigul women K. Lakshmi Amma Muslim Madras City Abdul Hamid KhanCalicut-cum-Kannur-cum-Thalassery Towns Haji P. I. Kunhammad Kutti Vishakapatnam-cum-East Godavari Mir Akram Ali West Godavari-cum-Krishna Mehbub Ali BaigGunturSheikh Muhammad Laljan NelloreMuhammad Abdus SalamCudappah S. Ghaus Mohiuddin Kurnool Khan Abdul Rahim Khan Bellary D. Abdur RaufAnantpurMuhammad RahmatullahChittoor Yakub HassanChingleput-cum-South ArcotBashir Ahmed SyedNorth ArcotM. Ahmed BadshahTanjore Ahmed Thambi Muhammad Mohiuddin Marakkayar Tiruchirappalli Khan Bahadur P. Khalifullah RowtherMadurai Khan Sahib Muhammad Abdul Kadir Rowther Ramnad Syed IbrahimTirunelveli V. S. T. Sheikh Mansoor TharanganarSalem-cum-Coimbatore-cum-NilgiriKhan Sahib K. A. Sheikh Dawood Chirakkal Abdur Rahman Ali Raja of ArakkalKottayamA. K. Kaderkutty Calicut P. M. Syed Attakoya ThangalMalappuram Muhammad Abdur RahmanK. UnnikammuPalghat M. Sheikh RowtherP. Moideen KuttyPuttur Khan Bahadur Muhammad SchamnadMangalore Haji Syed Hussain Madras City women Mrs Khadija Yakub Hassan Indian Christian Northern Circars D. R. Isaac Guntur-cum-Nellore J. Raja RaoCentral DistrictsM. Samuel JonathanMadras-cum-ChingleputDiwan Bahadur A. Appadurai PillaiSouth Arcot-cum-Tiruchirappalli-cum-Salem-cum-Coimbatore V. J. Samu PillaiTanjore-cum-Madurai-cum-RamnadRao Bahadur A. T. PannirselvamTirunelveli J. L. P. Roche VictoriaWest Coast C. J. VarkeyTirunelveli-cum-Palayamkottah-cum-Tuticorin Towns women Mrs Jebamoney MasilamoneyBackward Tribes P. Pedda PadaluAnglo-IndianE. H. M. Bower E. M. D'MelloEuropeanG. E. Walker G. B. ReadeJ. Nuttal CommerceEuropean Sir William Owen Wright G. L. Orchard John Mackenzie Smith Madras PlantersWilliam Kenneth Macauley Langley Southern Indian Chamber of Commerce T. T. KrishnamachariNattukottai Nagarathar Association Kumararaja M. A. Muttiah Chettiyar of ChettinadLandowners Northern V. Narayana Gajapati Raju of ChemuduRaja M. Venkataramaia Appa Rao of Mirzapuram (in Krishna district) Northern Central G. Krishna RaoSouthern Central K. S. Saptarishi ReddiyarSouthern T. V. K. Kamaraja Pandiya Nayaka of BodinayakkanurWest Coast R. M. PalatLabour Railway Trade Union G. KrishnamurthiTextile Workers' Trade Union G. Chelvapathy Chetty Textile Workers N. G. Ramaswami Nayudu Madras City dock and factories (excluding textiles and railways) P. R. K. SharmaVishakapatnam-cum-East Godavari dock and factories Subba Rao KarunakaranWest Godavari-cum-Krishna-cum-Guntur factories V. V. Narasimhan Madras UniversityC. Rajagopalachari Analysis Causes for defeat The victory of Congress over the Justice Party has been ascribed to various reasons. N. Ram, editor-in-chief of The Hindu and Robert L. Hardgrave, professor emeritus in the Humanities, Government and Asian Studies at University of Texas, Austinhttp://asnic.utexas.edu/asnic/hardgrave/rlh.html Robert L. Hardgrave Faculty page, University of Texas 2 December 2009 9 May 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080509065804/http://asnic.utexas.edu/asnic/hardgrave/rlh.html dead attribute the defeat of the Justice party to its collaboration with the British Government. According to Hardgrave: The Justice Party had strangled itself on the rope it had woven: Support of the British Raj had brought it to power, but with the impact of national self-consciousness and aspiration for Swaraj, its imperial connection brought its defeat Dr. David A. Washbrook, senior research fellow of History at Trinity College, CambridgeDavid Washbrook contact page, Trinity College https://web.archive.org/web/20110606125544/http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/10%26conid%3D349 2011-06-06 and Andre Beteille say the elitist nature of the Justice Party members caused its defeat. Marguerite Ross Barnett attributes the Justice party's defeat to two causes - 1) The loss of Dalit and Muslim support and 2) Flight of the social radicals to the Self-Respect Movement. According to P. Rajaraman: ...internal dissension, ineffective organisation, inertia and lack of proper leadership led the Justice Party along the path of decline.The Justice Party: a historical perspective, 1916-37 Rajaraman P. 1988 233 Poompozhil Publishers https://books.google.com/books?id=GGMmAAAAMAAJ Notable losses Many incumbent ministers of the Justice Government were defeated in this election. The Prime Minister Raja of Bobbili was defeated by V. V. Giri of Congress by a margin of over 6000 votes in the Bobbili Assembly constituency. Other prominent Justice losers included Kumararaja of Venkatagiri, P. T. Rajan, A. P. Patro and the Raja of Ramnad.Manikumar K. A. A colonial economy in the Great Depression, Madras (1929-1937) Orient Blackswan 2003 197 https://books.google.com/books?id=8eWkmxJRnoAC&pg=PA197 978-81-250-2456-9Innaiah N Politics for power: the role of caste and factions in Andhra Pradesh, 1880-1980 Scientific Services 1981 49 https://books.google.com/books?id=8NO1AAAAIAAJ&q=bobbili+constituency Government formation Chief Ministership of Rajagopalachari thumb|1937 Madras Legislative Assembly The elections were held and the results declared in February 1937. Rajaji was elected as the leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in March 1937. Despite being the majority party in the Assembly and the council, the Congress was hesitant to form a Government. Their objections stemmed from the special powers given to the Governor by the Government of India Act of 1935. According to the act, the Governor was given 1) special responsibilities in the area of Finance and (2) control and absolute discretionary powers over the cabinet in certain other issues. The Governor had the power to overrule the Cabinet. The Congress refused to accept power (in all the six provinces where they had won) with such caveats. The Governor of Madras, Lord Erskine, decided to form an interim provisional Government with non-members and opposition members of the Legislative Assembly. V. S. Srinivasa Sastri was first offered the Prime Ministership of the interim government but he refused to accept it. Eventually an interim Government was formed with Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu of the Justice Party as Prime Minister on 1 April 1937. Congress leaders like S. Satyamurti were apprehensive about the decision to not accept power. They carried out a campaign to convince Congress High Command (Mohandas K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru) to accept power within the limitations set by the Government of India Act. They also appealed to the British Government to give assurances that the Governor's special powers will not be misused. On 22 June, Viceroy Linlithgow issued a statement expressing the British Government's desire to work with the Congress in implementing the 1935 Act. On 1 July, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) agreed to form Governments in the provinces they had won. On 14 July, Rajaji was sworn in as the Prime Minister.Ramanathan K. V. The Satyamurti letters: the Indian freedom struggle through the eyes of a parliamentarian, Volume 1 Pearson Education India 2008 301–5 https://books.google.com/books?id=NY_XjIE6sVUC&pg=PA301 978-81-317-1488-1Menon Visalakshi From movement to government: the Congress in the United Provinces, 1937-42 Sage 2003 75 https://books.google.com/books?id=UO-OxAoL4YIC&pg=PT38 978-0-7619-9620-0Nagarajan Krishnaswami Dr. Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar: a biography Annamalai University 1989 63–70 https://books.google.com/books?id=0AMcAAAAIAAJ&q=erskine The first legislative assembly convened for the first time on 15 July and elected Bulusu Sambamurti and A. Rukmani Lakshmipathi as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.Kaliyaperumal M The office of the speaker in Tamilnadu : A study Madras University 1992 47 http://dspace.vidyanidhi.org.in:8080/dspace/bitstream/2009/4880/3/MAU-1992-055-2.pdf 2010-01-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20110721181616/http://dspace.vidyanidhi.org.in:8080/dspace/bitstream/2009/4880/3/MAU-1992-055-2.pdf 2011-07-21 dead Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu's Cabinet Council of ministers in K. V. Reddy Naidu's interim provisional cabinet (1 April - 14 July 1937):Justice Party Golden Jubilee Souvenir, 1968 MinisterPortfolioKurma Venkata Reddy NaiduPrime Minister, Public, Revenue and LegalA. T. PanneerselvamHome and FinanceM. A. Muthiah ChettiarLocal self-governmentP. Kalifulla Sahib BahadurPublic WorksM. C. RajahDevelopmentR. M. PalatEducation and Public health Rajagopalachari's Cabinet Council of Ministers in Rajagopalachari's Cabinet (15 July 1937 – 29 October 1939):Ilakkumi Nārāyaṇan Ka T Gangadharan Chandrasekar N Salem city: an ethnohistory (1792-1992) Vysya College 1999 80 https://books.google.com/books?id=sypuAAAAMAAJ&q=rajan Justice Party golden jubilee souvenir, 1968 Justice Party 1968 58 https://books.google.com/books?id=rCZYAAAAMAAJ&q=subbarayan MinisterPortfolioC. RajagopalachariPrime Minister, Public and Finance T. PrakasamRevenueP. SubbarayanLaw and EducationBayya Suryanarayana MurthyLabour and IndustriesBezawada Gopala ReddyLocal Administration T. S. S. RajanPublic Health and Religious EndowmentsMaulana Yakub Hasan SaitPublic WorksV. I. Munuswamy PillaiAgriculture and Rural DevelopmentS. RamanathanPublic Information and Administration ReportsKongattil Raman MenonCourts and Prisons Changes On 7 January 1939, Raman Menon died and C. J. Varkey, Chunkath was inducted into the cabinet. Education portfolio was transferred from Subbarayan to Varkey and instead Subbarayan was given additional charge of Courts and Prisons. Impact The 1937 elections marked the start of the Indian National Congress' participation in the governance of India. In the Madras Presidency, it also marked the beginning of Rajaji's ascendancy in the Congress Legislature Party. Though it was Satyamurti who had led the election campaign, he gave up the leadership of the Legislature to Rajaji in accordance to the wishes of the national leaders of the Congress in Delhi. This election also marked the beginning of Congress dominance in the politics of Madras Presidency and later the Madras State. Except for an interlude during 1939–46, the Congress would go on to rule Madras uninterrupted till 1967. The Justice Party was demoralized by its defeat and the Raja of Bobbili temporarily retired from active politics. The party remained in political wilderness and eventually came under the control of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy in 1938 and transformed into the Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944.Manikumar K. A. A colonial economy in the Great Depression, Madras (1929-1937) Orient Blackswan 2003 180 https://books.google.com/books?id=8eWkmxJRnoAC&pg=PA180 978-81-250-2456-9 Notes References expanded Category:State Assembly elections in the Madras Presidency Category:1937 elections in India Category:February 1937 in Asia