Patiala and East Punjab States Union Legislative Assembly

2022-06-23T09:40:15Z

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The '''Patiala and East Punjab States Union Legislative Assembly''' was the unicameral state-level [[State Legislative Assembly (India)|legislative body]] of the [[Patiala and East Punjab States Union]] in India.<ref name="epw">''Economic and Political Weekly''. ''[http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/1956_8/45/the_new_lookiipunjabpepsu_merger.pdf Punjab—PEPSU Merger]''</ref> Two elections to the assembly were held; one in 1951 and the second one in 1954.<ref name="e1951">Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.gov.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1951/StatRep_51_PEPSU.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1951 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF PATIALA & EAST PUNJAB STATES UNION]''</ref><ref name="e1954">Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.gov.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1954/StatRep_PEPSU_1954.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1954 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF PATIALA & EAST PUNJAB STATES UNION]''</ref> The assembly had 60 seats.<ref name="e1951"/><ref name="e1954"/> The assembly used to meet at the [[Durbar (court)|Durbar]] (Court) of [[Qila Mubarak, Patiala|Qila Mubarak]], the royal [[fort]] at [[Patiala]].

In 1951 there were 40 single-member constituencies and 10 double-member constituencies (none of them reserved for [[Scheduled Caste]]s or [[Scheduled Tribe]]s).<ref name="e1951"/> The [[Indian National Congress]] won 26 seats in the election. The [[Akali Dal]], with 19 seats, gathered support from [[independent (politician)|independents]] and the [[Communist Party of India]] to form the United Front.<ref>Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy, and Shankar Raghuraman. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=9-mOAAAAMAAJ Divided We Stand: India in a Time of Coalitions]''. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2007. p. 361</ref> The Indian National Congress cabinet resigned on 18 April 1952. [[Gian Singh Rarewala]], of the United Front, formed a cabinet on 22 April 1952. Rarewala resigned on 11 March 1953.<ref name="bh">Bhargava, Gopal K., and S. C. Bhatt. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=awketfu78rsC&pg=PA389 Punjab]''. Delhi: Kalpaz publ, 2006. p. 389</ref>

The assembly elected in 1951 had a five-year term, as per the provisions of Article 172(1) of the [[Constitution of India]]. The assembly was dissolved by the Indian president [[Rajendra Prasad]] on 4 March 1953, under [[President's rule|Article 356]] of the Constitution.<ref name="pu"/> The president declared that new elections would be held as soon as the Delimitation Commission's redesigning of constituencies were completed.<ref name="pu">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=fZwKAQAAIAAJ Punjab District Gazetteers: Faridkot]''. Controller of Print. and Stationery, 2000. p. 559</ref> The Delimitation Commission order was published on 15 September 1953. The general elections to the Patiala and East Punjab States Legislative Assembly were held in February 1954.<ref name="pu"/> In the 1954 election there were 34 unreserved single-member constituencies, 2 single-member constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes and 12 unreserved double-member constituencies.<ref name="e1954"/> The Indian National Congress won an absolute majority in the election. Col. Raghbir Singh was elected leader of the Indian National Congress in the assembly on 6 March 1954. The Congress formed a government two days later.<ref name="bh"/> Ramsaranchand Mittal was elected speaker and Sardar Chet Singh was elected deputy speaker.<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=V3YiAQAAIAAJ The Times of India Directory & Yearbook, Including Who's who]''. Times of India Press, 1954. p. 1157</ref>

On 31 October 1956, the Patiala and East Punjab States Union Legislative Assembly was merged with the [[Punjab Legislative Assembly]]. The members of the Patiala and East Punjab States Union Legislative Assembly became members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly as of 1 November 1956.<ref>Grover, Verinder, and Ranjana Arora. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=aPVtAAAAMAAJ Encyclopaedia of India and Her States. Vol. 4]''. New Delhi [India]: Deep & Deep, 1996. p. 359</ref> The Patiala and East Punjab States Union Legislative Assembly members also elected six members to the [[Punjab Legislative Council]].<ref name="epw"/>

==Composition==
{| class="wikitable"
!Party
!1952–1954
!1954–1956
|-
|[[Akali Dal]]
|19
|
|-
|[[Bharatiya Jan Sangh]]
|2
|
|-
|[[Communist Party of India]]
|2
|4
|-
|[[Indian National Congress]]
|26
|37
|-
|[[Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party]]
|1
|
|-
|[[Lal Communist Party]]
|1
|
|-
|[[Scheduled Castes Federation]]
|1
|
|-
|[[Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann Group)]]
|
|10
|-
|[[Shiromani Akali Dal (Raman Group)]]
|
|2
|-
|[[Independent (politician)|Independents]]
|8
|7
|}
<ref name="e1951"/><ref name="e1954"/>

==Notes==
{{Portal|India|Politics}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Legislatures of India}}

[[Category:Unicameral legislatures]]
[[Category:History of Punjab, India (1947–present)]]
[[Category:Historical state legislatures in India]]
[[Category:Politics of Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Defunct lower houses]]

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Patiala and East Punjab States Union Legislative Assembly