The idea of a Constituent Assembly was first proposed by M.N. Roy.
The Indian National Congress officially accepted the idea and demanded its formation from the British India Government.
Jawaharlal Nehru suggested that the Constituent Assembly should be formed without any foreign interference.
August Offer
The British Government accepted the demand for a Constituent Assembly, but only in principle.
- It proposed that the assembly would comprise of mainly Indians (implying the rest would be British).
- The Congress rejected the August Offer.
Cripps Mission
The British government proposed a new plan suggesting the Constituent Assembly would be made up of only Indians.
- It recommended that only a single Constituent Assembly would be formed for all of India.
- The Muslim League rejected the Cripps Mission, as they wanted a separate assembly for Pakistan.
Cabinet Mission
This mission successfully led to the constitution of the Constituent Assembly and provided its detailed structure and framework.
Total Members: 389
- 296 seats were allotted to British Provinces.
- 93 seats were allotted to Princely States.
The 296 British Province seats were further divided into 292 from governor-led provinces and 4 from chief commissioner-led provinces.
Basis of Allotment
Seats in both British Provinces and Princely States were allotted based on population. One seat was allocated for roughly every 1 million people.
Manner of Election/Selection
- Princely States: Members were selected through nomination by the heads of the princely states.
- British Provinces: Members were selected through indirect elections.
July-August 1946
Elections for the Constituent Assembly were held.
December 9, 1946: First Meeting
The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly was attended by 207 members.
The oldest member, Dr. Sachchidanand Sinha, was elected as the first temporary Chairman.
December 11, 1946: Second Meeting
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first permanent Chairman/President of the Constituent Assembly.
Later, H.C. Mukherjee and V.T. Krishnamachari were made Vice Presidents of the assembly.