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General elections were held in British India in December 1945 to elect members of the Central Legislative Assembly and the Council of State.[2] The Indian National Congress emerged as the largest party, winning 57 of the 102 elected seats.[3] The Muslim League 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.[4] This election coupled with the provincial one in 1946 proved to be a strategic 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.
These were the last general elections in British India; consequent elections were held in 1951 in India and 1970 in Pakistan.
- ^ "Indian National Congress: From 1885 till 2017, a brief history of past presidents". indianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Vohra, Ranbir (19 December 2012). The Making of India: A Political History. M.E. Sharpe. p. 176. ISBN 9780765629852.
- ^ "-- Schwartzberg Atlas -- Digital South Asia Library". dsal.uchicago.edu.
- ^ "-- Schwartzberg Atlas -- Digital South Asia Library". dsal.uchicago.edu.