Democratic Swarajya Party

The Democratic Swarajya Party was a political party in British India. It was founded in the Bombay Province in October 1933 with the aim of attaining Purna Swaraj (Total Independence) through constitutional means.[1]

The first Democratic Swarajya Party was established by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1920 within the Indian National Congress.[2] After his death, his supporters such as N. C. Kelkar, M. R. Jayakar, Ramrao Deshmukh, Bhaskar Balwant Bhopatkar, Jamnadas Mehta, Rambhau Mandlik and Karandikar became members of the Swaraj Party within the Congress and contested elections for the legislative councils.[3] Since the Congress boycotted the councils following the civil disobedience movement, old-Tilakites were dissatisfied and decided to contest the elections and enter the councils. Therefore, Kelkar, along with B. S. Moonje, Madhav Shrihari Aney and Jamnadas Mehta revived the Democratic Swarajya Party on October 29, 1933 in Bombay.[4]

  1. ^ "DEMOCRATIC SWARAJ PARTY. (Hansard, 11 December 1933)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 11 December 1933.
  2. ^ Inamdar, N. R. (1983). Political Thought and Leadership of Lokmanya Tilak. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  3. ^ Cashman, Richard (January 1975). The Myth of the Lokamanya: Tilak and Mass Politics in Maharashtra. University of California Press. p. 214. ISBN 9780520024076. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  4. ^ Pandey, Pande & Bisht (2000). Current Economic Issues and Policies: 2000 A.D. p. 164. ISBN 9788186565780.