Elections of 1945-46
Now we come to the Elections of 1945–46, which served as the political mirror of India’s mood at the twilight of British rule.
These elections are crucial because they revealed, in the clearest numerical form, how India had become deeply polarized — with the Congress emerging as the voice of united Indian nationalism, and the Muslim League establishing itself as the sole spokesman of Indian Muslims.
The Context: A New Political Moment
After the Second World War, the British Labour Party, under Prime Minister Clement Attlee, came to power in July 1945.
The Labour Party had long been sympathetic to Indian aspirations and wanted to transfer power peacefully.
To achieve this, Attlee’s government needed to know one thing clearly:
➡️ Who actually represents the Indian people — the Congress, the Muslim League, or someone else?
So, it decided to hold fresh elections to the Central and Provincial Legislatures, which would:
- Reflect the political strength of each party.
- Serve as the basis for negotiations on India’s future constitution.
These elections were therefore not just routine — they were decisive in shaping the path to Independence and Partition.
Timing and Structure of the Elections
- The Central Assembly elections were held in winter 1945, and
- The Provincial Assembly elections took place in early 1946.
They were conducted under the existing Government of India Act of 1935, which meant:
- Separate electorates for different religious communities continued.
- Franchise (right to vote) was limited — only property owners, taxpayers, and educated elites could vote.
In fact, barely 10–12% of Indians could vote in provincial elections, and only 1% in the central elections!
So, this was not universal democracy — it was still colonial, restricted, and communal in structure.
The Election Results: A Tale of Two Nations Emerging
Let’s analyze the outcome separately for the Congress and the Muslim League.
(A) Indian National Congress
At the Centre:
- The Congress swept the general (non-Muslim) constituencies, winning 57 out of 102 seats in the Central Legislature.
- It secured over 91% of the non-Muslim votes, showing its overwhelming legitimacy among Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and other groups.
In the Provinces:
- Out of 1,585 provincial seats, Congress won 923/1585 — a clear majority.
- It formed ministries in most provinces except Punjab, Sindh, and Bengal, where Muslims formed the majority.
In essence:
Congress reaffirmed its status as the national party, representing the secular, multi-religious mainstream of India.
(B) All India Muslim League
If the Congress victory was dominant among non-Muslims, the League’s victory among Muslims was even more complete — almost total.
At the Centre:
- The League won all 30 Muslim seats, with an 86.6% share of the Muslim vote.
In the Provinces:
- Out of 509 seats reserved for Muslims, the League captured 442 — that’s nearly 87% of all Muslim seats.
This sweeping success transformed the League from a minority pressure group into a mass political force.
For the first time, Muslim voters across India — from Punjab to Bengal — rallied behind one party and one slogan: “Pakistan.”
Formation of Governments
The results determined who ruled where:
| Province | Ruling Party / Coalition |
|---|---|
| Bengal | Muslim League Ministry |
| Sindh | Muslim League Ministry |
| Punjab | Coalition of Congress, Unionists, and Akalis |
| Rest of India (UP, CP, Bihar, Madras, Bombay, NWFP, etc.) | Congress Ministries |
Thus, India was politically divided along communal lines — the Congress ruled Hindu-majority provinces, and the League dominated Muslim-majority ones.
This division was not just political — it foreshadowed Partition.
Why the 1946 Elections Were a Watershed Moment
These elections were truly a turning point — perhaps even more important than the 1937 elections — for three key reasons:
(1) Clear Bipolarity Emerged
- The Congress emerged as the spokesman of a united, secular India.
- The Muslim League emerged as the sole representative of Indian Muslims.
There was no longer any space for intermediate political forces.
This two-nation political reality set the stage for the British to eventually propose Partition as the only workable solution.
(2) Legitimization of the Pakistan Demand
The Muslim League campaigned aggressively on the slogan:
“A vote for the League and Pakistan is a vote for Islam.”
The election became a religious referendum, not just a political one.
The League depicted the Congress–League contest as a struggle between the Gita and the Quran, between Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan.
For the first time, the idea of Pakistan, which once seemed theoretical, gained mass political endorsement from Muslim voters.
(3) Strengthened British Argument for Two-Nation Negotiation
The results gave the British a convenient reason to negotiate separately with the League and Congress —
since, numerically, both had clear but mutually exclusive mandates.
From now on, every constitutional plan — including the Cabinet Mission Plan (March 1946) — had to reckon with this dual reality.
The Underlying Limitations: The Nature of the Electorate
Even though the elections were decisive in terms of political messaging, we must remember:
- Barely 1 in 10 Indians could vote at all.
- Thus, these results reflected the voice of the elite political classes, not the ordinary Indian masses.
- Yet, within that limited space, the trend was unmistakable — the communal divide had reached its peak.
Historical Implications
The 1945–46 elections did three things simultaneously:
- Confirmed Congress’s national dominance — proving it spoke for India’s majority population.
- Empowered the Muslim League — validating Jinnah’s claim that it alone represented Muslims.
- Weakened the British excuse to delay power transfer — they now had two clear negotiating partners.
In short, the elections politically legitimized Partition before it even happened.
Concluding Insight
In essence, the Elections of 1945–46 were not just about numbers — they were about national identities.
While the Congress fought for a united India, the Muslim League fought for a separate Pakistan — and both emerged victorious in their own constituencies.
Thus, by the beginning of 1946, India stood politically divided, and the British, now weary and pragmatic, decided to call both sides to the table.
That next step was the Cabinet Mission Plan (March 1946) — the final constitutional effort to keep India united and that will be topic for the next section.