1937 Punjab Provincial Assembly election
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175 seats of the Punjab Provincial Assembly 88 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 64.23% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Provincial assembly election was held in Punjab in the winter of 1936-37 as mandated by the Government of India Act 1935.
Background
[edit]After the passing of Government of India act 1935, Provincial assembly was set up in Punjab. It consisted 175 constituencies. Out of these 159 were single-member constituencies and 8 were double-members constituencies. In double-members constituencies one was reserved for the Schedule Caste according to Poona Pact.[1] In double constituencies each voter had two votes to cast his vote, one for SC candidate and one for general candidate but considered as one vote to calculate voter turnout.
All 175 constituencies were reserved on the basis of religion. It was as follows:-
| Constituency Type | Urban | Rural | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 8 | 34 | 42 |
| Muhammadans | 9 | 75 | 84 |
| Sikhs | 2 | 29 | 31 |
| Special^ | - | - | 18 |
| Total | 19 | 138 | 175 |
^Special constituencies (non-territory constituency) were further divided into Categories and sub-categories as follow:-
- Women - 4
- General - 1
- Mohammadans - 2
- Sikhs - 1
- European - 1
- Anglo-Indian - 1
- Indian Christian - 2
- Punjab Commerce and Industry - 1
- Landholders - 5
- General - 1
- Mohammadans - 3
- Sikhs - 1
- Trade and Labour Unions - 3
- University - 1
Election schedule
[edit]The election schedule was as follows:-[2]
| Election program | Date |
|---|---|
| Filing of nominations | 23 November 1936 |
| Scrutiny of nominations | 30 November 1936 |
| Polling | 1 December 1936 |
| Counting | 2 and 7 December 1936 |
| Counting in Special constituencies | 21 January 1937 |
Voter Statistics
[edit]During 1937 election there were total 27,84,646 voters. Out of these 64.23% voters cast their votes.
26,66,149 voters were in Territorial Constituencies and 1,18,497 were in Non-Territorial Constituencies.
In territorial constituencies the highest number of voters (39,290) were in '24-Hoshiarpur West (General-Rural)' and lowest number of voters (5,496) were in '62-Tarn Taran (Muhammadan-Rural)'. The highest vote turnout (89.87%) registered in '81-Shahpur (Muhammadan-Rural)' and lowest (3.93%) registered in '122-Ambala North (Sikh-Rural)'.
In Non-Territorial Constituencies the highest number of voters (58,106) were in '153-Amritsar (Women-Sikh)' and lowest number of voters (10) were in '163-Baluch Tumandars (Landholders)'. Highest vote turnout (98.35%) was registered in '158-Punjab Commerce and Industry (Commerce and Industry)' and lowest (40.53%) registered in '151-Inner Lahore (Women-Mohammadan)'.
Results
[edit]
| Party | Seats won | |
|---|---|---|
| Unionist Party (UoP) |
98 | |
| Indian National Congress (INC) |
18 | |
| Khalsa National Party (KNP) |
13 | |
| Hindu Election Board (HEB) |
12 | |
| Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) |
11 | |
| Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam (MAI) |
4 | |
| All-India Muslim League (AIML) |
2 | |
| Congress Nationalist Party (CNP) |
1 | |
| Independents (IND) |
16 | |
| Total | 175 | |
| Source=[3] | ||
Category wise result
[edit]| S. No. | Party | Category (Seats) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Urban (8) | General Rural (34) | Muhammadans Urban (9) | Muhammadans Rural (75) | Sikh Urban (2) | Sikh Rural (29) | Special (18) | Total (175) | ||
| 1 | Unionist Party | - | 15 | 3 | 72 | - | 2 | 6 | 98 |
| 2 | Indian National Congress | 7 | 3 | - | 2 | - | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| 3 | Khalsa National Party | - | - | - | - | 2 | 10 | 1 | 13 |
| 4 | Hindu Election Board | 1 | 9 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 12 |
| 5 | Shiromani Akali Dal | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| 7 | All-India Muslim League | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
| 8 | Congress Nationalist Party | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| 9 | Independents | - | 6 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 6 | 16 |
Special (18)
- Women (4)
- General (1)
- Indian National Congress - 1
- Mohammadans (2)
- Independents - 2
- Sikhs (1)
- Shiromani Akali Dal - 1
- General (1)
- European (1)
- Independent - 1
- Anglo Indian (1)
- Independent - 1
- Indian Christian (2)
- Unionist Party - 2
- Punjab Commerce and Industry (1)
- Independent - 1
- Landholders (5)
- General (1)
- Hindu Election Board - 1
- Mohammadans (3)
- Unionist Party - 3
- Sikhs (1)
- Khalsa National Party - 1
- General (1)
- Trade and Labour Unions (3)
- Hindu Election Board - 1
- Indian National Congress - 1
- Unionist Party - 1
- University (1)
- Independent - 1
Constituency wise result
[edit]
Color key for the Party of Candidates
Other color keys
- Candidate Elected Unopposed
- Constituency reserved for Schedule Caste
General Urban
| S. No. | Cons. No. | Constituency | Winner | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Southern Towns | Shri Ram Sharma | Indian National Congress | |
| 2 | 2 | South-Eastern Towns | Deshbandhu Gupta | ||
| 3 | 3 | Eastern Towns | Sudarshan Seth | ||
| 4 | 4 | Lahore City | Gopi Chand Bhargava | ||
| 5 | 5 | Amritsar City | Sant Ram Seth | ||
| 6 | 6 | North-Eastern Towns | Krishan Gopal Dutt | ||
| 7 | 7 | North-Western Towns | Bhimsen Sachar | ||
| 8 | 8 | South-Western Towns | Shiv Dayal | Hindu Election Board | |
General Rural
| S. No. | Cons. No. | Constituency | Winner | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 9 | Hissar South | Hey Ram | Unionist Party | |
| 10 | 10 | Hansi | Suraj Mal | ||
| 11 | 11 | Hissar North | Atma Ram | Independent | |
| 12 | 12 | Rohtak North | Chaudhary Tika Ram | Unionist Party | |
| 13 | 13 | Rohtak Central | Ram Sarup | ||
| 14 | 14 | Jhajjar | Chottu Ram | ||
| 15 | 15 | North-western Gurgaon | Rao Balbir Singh | Hindu Election Board | |
| 16 | 16 | South-Eastern Gurgaon | Prem Singh | Unionist Party | |
| 17 | South-Eastern Gurgaon | Sumer Singh | |||
| 18 | 17 | Karnal South | Anant Ram | ||
| 19 | 18 | Karnal North | Chaudhary Ranpat | ||
| 20 | Karnal North | Chaudhary Faqira | |||
| 21 | 19 | Ambala-Simla | Duni Chand | Indian National Congress | |
| 22 | Ambala-Simla | Jugal Kishore | Independent | ||
| 23 | 20 | Kangra North |
Gopal Das | Hindu Election Board | |
| 24 | 21 | Kangra South | Dina Nath | ||
| 25 | 22 | Kangra East | Bagwant Singh | Independent | |
| 26 | 23 | Kangra West | Bhagat Ram Sharma | ||
| 27 | 24 | Hoshiarpur West | Kartar Singh | Indian National Congress | |
| 28 | Hoshiarpur West | Mula Singh | Independent | ||
| 29 | 25 | Una | Rai Hari Chand | Unionist Party | |
| 30 | 26 | Jullundhar | Bhagat Ram Choda | Congress Nationalist Party | |
| 31 | Jullundhar | Seth Krishan Das | Unionist Party | ||
| 32 | 27 | Ludhiana-Ferozpur | Muni Lal Kalia | Indian National Congress | |
| 33 | Ludhiana-Ferozpur | Gopal Singh | Unionist Party | ||
| 34 | 28 | Western Lahore | Gokul Chand Narang | Hindu Election Board | |
| 35 | 29 | Amritsar-Sialkot | Chaudhary Rai | ||
| 36 | Amritsar-Sialkot | Bhagat Hans Raj | Unionist Party | ||
| 37 | 30 | Gurdaspur | Ripudaman Singh | Hindu Election Board | |
| 38 | 31 | Rawalpindi | Mukund Lal | ||
| 39 | 32 | South-Eastern Multan | Girdhari Lal | Independent | |
| 40 | 33 | Layallpur Jhang | Seth Ram Narain Arora | Hindu Election Board | |
| 41 | Layallpur Jhang | Harnam Das | Unionist Party | ||
| 42 | 34 | West Multan | Sham Lal | Hindu Election Board | |
Muhammadan Urban
| S. No. | Cons. No. | Constituency | Winner | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 35 | Southern Towns | Gulam Samad | Unionist Party | |
| 44 | 36 | South-Eastern Towns | Mian Abdul Haye | ||
| 45 | 37 | Eastern Towns | Barkat Ali | All-India Muslim League | |
| 46 | 38 | Inner Lahore | Khalid Latif Gauba | Unionist Party | |
| 47 | 39 | Outer Lahore | Abdul Aziz | Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam | |
| 48 | 40 | Amritsar City | Saiffudin Kitchlew | Independent | |
| 49 | 41 | North-Eastern Towns | Mazhar Ali Azhar | Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam | |
| 50 | 42 | Rawalpindi Towns | Sheikh Muhammad Alam | ||
| 51 | 43 | Multan Towns | Ghulam Hussain | ||
Muhammadan Rural
| S. No | Cons. No. | Constituency | Winner | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 44 | Hissar | Saheb daad Khan | Unionist Party | |
| 53 | 45 | Rohtak | Shafi Ali Khan | ||
| 54 | 46 | North-Western Gurgaon | Yasin Khan | ||
| 55 | 47 | South-Eastern Gurgaon | Abdur Rahim | ||
| 56 | 48 | Karnal | Faiz Ali | ||
| 57 | 49 | Ambala-Simla | Abdul Hamid Khan | ||
| 58 | 50 | Kangra East-Hoshiarpur | Rai Faiz Khan | ||
| 59 | 51 | Hoshiarpur West | Rana Nasrullah Khan | ||
| 60 | 52 | Jullundur North | Abdur Rahman | ||
| 61 | 53 | Jullundur South | Abdur Raab | ||
| 62 | 54 | Ludhiana | Mohammed Hassan | Indian National Congress | |
| 63 | 55 | Ferozpur Central | Shah Nawaz Khan Mamdot | Unionist Party | |
| 64 | 56 | Ferozpur Eastern | Amjad Ali Khan | ||
| 65 | 57 | Fazilka | Akbar Ali | ||
| 66 | 58 | Lahore South | Muzaffar Ali Khan Qizilibash | ||
| 67 | 59 | Chunian | Muhammad Husain | ||
| 68 | 60 | Kasur | Iftik Haruddin | Indian National Congress | |
| 69 | 61 | Amritsar | Maqbul Mahmud | Unionist Party | |
| 70 | 62 | Tarn Taran | Faqir Hussain Khan | ||
| 71 | 63 | Ajanala | Fazl Din | ||
| 72 | 64 | Gurdaspur East | Ali Akbar | ||
| 73 | 65 | Batala | Badar Mohy-ud-din Qadri | ||
| 74 | 66 | Shakargarh | Abdur Rahim | ||
| 75 | 67 | Sialkot North | Shahab-ud-din | ||
| 76 | 68 | Sialkot Center | Ghulam Rasul Cheema | ||
| 77 | 69 | Sialkot South | Shahab-ud-din Virk | ||
| 78 | 70 | Gujranwala North | Nasiruddin Chatha | ||
| 79 | 71 | Gujranwala East | Husain Bhinder | ||
| 80 | 72 | Hafizabad | Riasat Ali Chatha | ||
| 81 | 73 | Sheikhupura | Ghulam Mohyuddin Qasuri | ||
| 82 | 74 | Nankana Sahib | Karamat Ali | ||
| 83 | 75 | Shahdara | Afzal Ali Shah Hasni | ||
| 84 | 76 | Gujarat North | Fateh Mohammed | ||
| 85 | 77 | Gujarat East | Fazal Ali Khan | ||
| 86 | 78 | South-Eastern Gujarat | Muhammad khan | ||
| 87 | 79 | Gujarat West | Irshadullah Ranjha | ||
| 88 | 80 | South-Western Gujarat | Muhammad Ashraf Warraich | ||
| 89 | 81 | Shahpur | Allah Baksh Khan Tiwana | ||
| 90 | 82 | Khushab | Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana | ||
| 91 | 83 | Bhalwal | Umar Hayat Khan | ||
| 92 | 84 | Sargodha | Habibullah Khan Tiwana | ||
| 93 | 85 | Jehlum | Mohammed Khan Akram | ||
| 94 | 86 | Pind Dadan Khan | Gazanfar Ali Khan | All-India Muslim League | |
| 95 | 87 | Chabwal | Sarfraj Ali Khan | Unionist Party | |
| 96 | 88 | Rawalpindi Sadar | Yusuf Khan | ||
| 97 | 89 | Gujar Khan | Farman Ali Khan | ||
| 98 | 90 | Rawalpindi East | Raja Fateh Khan | ||
| 99 | 91 | Attock North | Muzaffar Khan | ||
| 100 | 92 | Attock Central | Mohammed Nawaz Khan | ||
| 101 | 93 | Attock South | Mohyuddin Lal Badshah | ||
| 102 | 94 | Mianwali North | Gulam Qadir Khan | ||
| 103 | 95 | Mianwali South | Muzaffar Khan | ||
| 104 | 96 | Montgomery | Fateh Sher Khan Langrial | ||
| 105 | 97 | Okara | Jehangir Khan | ||
| 106 | 98 | Dipalpur | Nur Ahmed Maneka | ||
| 107 | 99 | Pakpattan | Sultan Ahmed Hotiana | ||
| 108 | 100 | Lyallpur | Mohammed Nurullah | ||
| 109 | 101 | Samunduri | Sadat Ali Khan | ||
| 110 | 102 | Toba Tek Singh | Nasir-ud-din Shah | ||
| 111 | 103 | Jaranwal | Rai Shahadat Ali Khan | ||
| 112 | 104 | Jhang East | Nawazish Ali Khan | ||
| 113 | 105 | Jhang Central | Mubarak Ali Shah | ||
| 114 | 106 | Jhang West | Talib Hussain Khan | ||
| 115 | 107 | Multan | Ashiq Hussain Qureshi | ||
| 116 | 108 | Shujabad | Raja Shah Gilani | ||
| 117 | 109 | Lodhran | Vilayat Hussain Shah | ||
| 118 | 110 | Mailsi | Ahmad Yar Khan Doultana | ||
| 119 | 111 | Khanewal | Habit Khan Daha | ||
| 120 | 112 | Kabirwala | Wali Mohammed Sial Hiraz | ||
| 121 | 113 | Muzaffargarh Sadar | Fazl Karim Baksh Qureshi | ||
| 122 | 114 | Alipur | Mohammed Hasan | ||
| 123 | 115 | Muzaffargarh North | Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani | ||
| 124 | 116 | Dera Gaji Khan North | Gulam Murtaza | ||
| 125 | 117 | Dera Gaji Khan Central | Faiz Mohammed | ||
| 126 | 118 | Dera Gaji Khan South | Husain Khan Gurchani | ||
Sikh Urban
| S. No. | Cons. No. | Constituency | Winner | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 127 | 119 | Eastern Towns | Santokh Singh | Khalsa National Party | |
| 128 | 120 | Western Towns | Ujjal Singh | ||
Sikh Rural
| S. No. | Cons. No. | Constituency | Winner | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 129 | 121 | South-Eastern Punjab | Narotam Singh | Shiromani Akali Dal | |
| 130 | 122 | Ambala North | Baldev Singh | ||
| 131 | 123 | Kangara North-Hoshiarpur | Hari Singh | ||
| 132 | 124 | Hoshiarpur South | Harjab Singh | Indian National Congress | |
| 133 | 125 | Jullundur West | Gurbachan Singh | Khalsa National Party | |
| 134 | 126 | Jullundur East | Kabul Singh | Indian National Congress | |
| 135 | 127 | Ludhiana East | Kapur Singh | Independent | |
| 136 | 128 | Ludhiana Central | Lal Singh Kamla | Unionist Party | |
| 137 | 129 | Jagraon | Dasaundha Singh | Khalsa National Party | |
| 138 | 130 | Ferozpur North | Sodhi Harnam Singh | Khalsa National Party | |
| 139 | 131 | Ferozpur East | Rur Singh | Indian National Congress | |
| 140 | 132 | Ferozpur West | Pritam Singh Sidhu | Independent | |
| 141 | 133 | Ferozpur South | Tara Singh | Shiromani Akali Dal | |
| 142 | 134 | Lahore West | Tehja Singh | Indian National Congress | |
| 143 | 135 | Kasur | Chanan Singh | Shiromani Akali Dal | |
| 144 | 136 | Amritsar North | Sohan Singh Josh | Unionist Party | |
| 145 | 137 | Amritsar Central | Basakha Singh | Khalsa National Party | |
| 146 | 138 | Amritsar South | Partap Singh Kairon | Shiromani Akali Dal | |
| 147 | 139 | Gurdaspur North | Inder Singh | Khalsa National Party | |
| 148 | 140 | Batala | Sundar Singh Majithia | ||
| 149 | 141 | Sialkot | Balwant Singh | Independent | |
| 150 | 142 | Gujranwala-Shahadara | Joginder Singh | Khalsa National Party | |
| 151 | 143 | Sheikhupura West | Naunihal Singh Mann | ||
| 152 | 144 | Gujarat Shahpur | Prem Singh | Shiromani Akali Dal | |
| 153 | 145 | North-Western Punjab | Uttam Singh Duggal | Khalsa National Party | |
| 154 | 146 | Montgomery East | Jagjit Singh Bedi | Shiromani Akali Dal | |
| 155 | 147 | Lyallpur West | Sampuran Singh | ||
| 156 | 148 | Lyallpur East | Giani Kartar Singh | ||
| 157 | 149 | South-Western Punjab | Ajit Singh | Khalsa National Party | |
Special
| S. No | Cons. No. | Constituency | Winner | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | |||||
| 158 | 150 | Lahore City (General) | Parbhati Devi | Indian National Congress | |
| 159 | 151 | Inner Lahore (Muhammadan) | Rashida Latif | Independent | |
| 160 | 152 | Outer Lahore (Muhammadan) | Jahanara Shah Nawaz | ||
| 161 | 153 | Amritsar South (Sikh) | Raghbir Kaur | Shiromani Akali Dal | |
| Anglo-Indian | |||||
| 162 | 154 | Punjab Anglo-Indian | E. Few | Independent | |
| European | |||||
| 163 | 155 | European | William Roberts | Independent | |
| Indian Christian | |||||
| 164 | 156 | East-Central Punjab | S. P. Singha | Unionist Party | |
| 165 | 157 | West-Central Punjab | Jalal-ud-din Amber | ||
| Commerce and Industry | |||||
| 166 | 158 | Punjab Commerce and Industry | Binda Saran | Independent | |
| Landholders | |||||
| 167 | 159 | Eastern Punjab (General) | Raja Narender Nath | Hindu Election Board | |
| 168 | 160 | Central Punjab (Sikh) | Jagjit Singh | Khalsa National Party | |
| 169 | 161 | Northern Punjab (Muhammadan) | Sikandar Hayat Khan | Unionist Party | |
| 170 | 162 | Western Punjab (Muhammadan) | Hayat Khan Noon | ||
| 171 | 163 | Baluch Tumandars (Muhammadan) | Jamal Khan Leghari | ||
| Trade and Labour Unions | |||||
| 172 | 164 | Punjab Trade and Labour Unions | Sita Ram | Hindu Election Board | |
| 173 | 165 | Eastern Punjab | Diwan Chaman Lall | Indian National Congress | |
| 174 | 166 | Northern Punjab | Ahmad Baksh Khan | Unionist Party | |
| University | |||||
| 175 | 167 | Punjab Universities | Manohar Lal | Independent | |
Government formation
[edit]
After the result Unionist party got majority in the assembly on its own. Unionist Party leader Sikandar Hayat Khan claimed the formation of Government in the State. Khalsa National Board and Hindu Election Board also joined the government.
On 5 April 1937 Sikandar Hayat Khan formed the Government and 5 other members also took oath. The ministers and their ministries were as follows:-[4]
| Name | Ministry | Party | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sikandar Hayat Khan | Prime minister and Law and order | UoP | North Punjab (Landholders) (Mohammadans) | |
| Chottu Ram | Revenue and Irrigation | UoP | Jhajjat (General-Urban) | |
| Mnohar Lal | Finance and Industry | IND | Punjab Universities | |
| Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana | Electricity, Police and Local governments | UoP | Khushab (Muhammadans-Rural) | |
| Sundar Singh Majithia | Development | KNP | Batala (Sikh-Rural) | |
| Mian Abdul Hayee | Education and Health | UoP | South East Town (Muhammadans-Urban) | |
On 2 April 1941 after the death of Sundar Singh Majithia, the ministry of Development was handed over to Dasaundha Singh (KNP) from Jagraon (Sikh-Rural) constituency.[5] In 1942 after Sikandar-Baldev Pact KNP leader and minister Dasaundha Singh was removed from the cabinet and Baldev Singh joined the cabinet.[6]
On 26 December 1945 Sikandar Hayat Khan died due to a heart attack. Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana succeeded him on 30 December 1945.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Elections in Punjab 1920-1947 (Pdf),(p. 16), Book by Kirpal C. Yadav. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ Elections in Punjab 1920-1947 (Pdf),(p. 84), Book by Kirpal C. Yadav. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ Political Development and Political Parties in Punjan 1849-1948 (Pdf), (p. 74), Pakistan Journal of Social Science Vol. 29, No. 1 (June 2009) pp. 65-78. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ Turmoil in Punjab politics Book by Subhash Chandra Arora. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ Turmoil in Punjab politics Book by Subhash Chandra Arora. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ Sikandar-Baldev Pact. www.thesikhencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Firoz Khan Noon to Khizar Hayat Khan, 21 August 1945, SHC/Punjab vol. IV, 15.