Q. With reference to ‘Composition of Constituent Assembly of India’, consider the following statements: 1. Each British Indian province and princely state were allotted fixed one seat in the constituent assembly. 2. The seats allocated to each British province were to be divided among the Muslims, Sikhs and General. 3. The members from chief commissioners’ provinces were represented in the constituent assembly. How many of the above given statements are correct?
Exp) Option b is the correct answer. The Constituent Assembly was constituted in November 1946 under the scheme formulated by the Cabinet Mission Plan.
Statement 1 is incorrect: Each province and princely state were to be allotted seats in proportion to their respective population. Roughly, one seat was to be allotted for every million population.
Statement 2 is correct: Seats allocated to each British province were to be divided among the three principal communities—Muslims, Sikhs and general (all except Muslims and Sikhs). The representatives of each community were to be elected by members of that community in the provincial legislative assembly and voting was to be by the method of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.
Statement 3 is correct: Chief Commissioner’s Province refers to middle-level and minor type of provinces of India and in the post-colonial successor states, not headed by a (lieutenant-)governor but by a Chief commissioner. The total strength of the Constituent Assembly was to be 389. Out of this, four members were drawn from the four chief commissioners’ provinces, one from each. is the correct answer. The Constituent Assembly was constituted in November 1946 under the scheme formulated by the Cabinet Mission Plan.
