1920 Indian general election: Difference between revisions

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{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}{{Missing information|members elected for each party by province|date=December 2017}}
{{Short description|none}}
{{Missing information|members elected for each party by province|date=February 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox election
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1920 Indian general election
| country = British India
| country = British India
| type = parliamentary
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| next_election = 1919 Indian general election
| next_election = 1923 Indian general election
| next_year = [[1923 Indian general election|1923]]
| next_year = 1923
| election_date = 1920
| election_date = 1920
| seats_for_election = 104 seats contested
| seats_for_election = 104 seats contested
| image1 = [[File:Hari Singh Gour.jpg|150x150px]]
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image=Hari Singh Gour.jpg|bSize=180|cWidth=116|cHeight=150|oTop=05|oLeft=33}}
| leader1 = [[Hari Singh Gour]]
| leader1 = [[Hari Singh Gour]]
| color1 = 000000
| color1 = 000000
| party1 = [[Democratic Party (India)|Democratic Party]]
| party1 = [[Democratic Swarajya Party|DP]]
| alliance1 =  
| alliance1 =
| leaders_seat1 =  
| leaders_seat1 =
| seats1 = 48
| seats1 = 48
| seat_change1 =  
| seat_change1 =
| popular_vote1 =  
| popular_vote1 =
| percentage1 =  
| percentage1 =
| swing1 =  
| swing1 =
| image2 = [[File:William Vincent.jpg|150x150px]]
| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image=William Vincent.jpg|bSize=200|cWidth=116|cHeight=150|oTop=30|oLeft=47}}
| leader2 = [[William Henry Hoare Vincent|W.H.H. Vincent]]
| leader2 = [[William Henry Hoare Vincent|W. H. H. Vincent]]
| color2 = 000000
| color2 = 000000
| party2 = Independent politician
| party2 = Independent politician
Line 28: Line 28:
| leaders_seat2 =
| leaders_seat2 =
| seats2 = 47
| seats2 = 47
| seat_change2 =  
| seat_change2 =
| popular_vote2 =
| popular_vote2 =
| percentage2 =  
| percentage2 =
| swing2 =
| swing2 =
| majority_seats = 53
| majority_seats = 53
}}
}}
{{Politics of India}}
{{Politics of India}}
'''General elections''' were held in [[British Raj|British India]] in 1920 to elect members to the [[Imperial Legislative Council]] and the Provincial Councils. They were the first elections in the country's modern history.<ref name=T1>"New Indian Councils: Failure Of Boycott Movement", ''The Times'', 8 January 1921, p9, Issue 42613</ref>


The new [[Central Legislative Assembly]] which was the lower chamber of the Imperial Legislative Council was based in [[Delhi]] had 104 elected seats, of which 66 were contested and thirty eight were reserved for Europeans elected through the Chambers of Commerce.<ref name=T1/> For the upper chamber, the [[Council of State (India)|Council of State]], 24 of the 34 seats were contested, whilst five were reserved for Muslims, three for Whites, one for Sikhs and one for the [[United Provinces of British India|United Provinces]].<ref name=T1/> The Parliament was opened by the [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]] on 9 February 1921.<ref>"New Era For India: Delhi Parliament Opened, King's Messages", ''The Times'', 10 February 1921, p10, Issue 42641</ref>
General elections were held in [[British Raj|British India]] in 1920 to elect members to the [[Imperial Legislative Council]] and the provincial Legislative Councils. They were the first elections in the country's modern history.<ref name=T1>"New Indian Councils: Failure Of Boycott Movement", ''The Times'', 8 January 1921, p9, Issue 42613</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Roy |first=Chakshu |date=31 March 2024 |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/1920-the-start-of-indias-election-journey-9242440/ |title=History Headline - 1920: The start of India's election journey}}</ref>


Alongside the national elections there were also elections to 637 seats in Provincial Assemblies. Of these, 440 were contested, 188 had a single candidate elected unopposed. Despite the calls by [[Mahatma Gandhi]] for a boycott of the elections, only six had no candidate.<ref name=T1/> Within the Provincial Assemblies 38 were reserved for White voters.<ref name=T1/>
The new [[Central Legislative Assembly]], which was the lower chamber of the Imperial Legislative Council, was based in Delhi and had 104 elected seats, of which 66 were contested and 38 were reserved for Europeans elected through the Chambers of Commerce.<ref name=T1/> For the upper chamber, the [[Council of State (India)|Council of State]], 24 of the 34 seats were contested, whilst five were reserved for Muslims, three for Europeans, one for Sikhs, and one for the [[United Provinces of British India|United Provinces]].<ref name=T1/> The Parliament was opened by the [[Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn|Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]] on 9 February 1921.<ref>"New Era For India: Delhi Parliament Opened, King's Messages", ''The Times'', 10 February 1921, p10, Issue 42641</ref>
 
Alongside the national elections, there were also elections to 637 seats in provincial assemblies. Of these, 440 were contested, while 188 had a single candidate elected unopposed. Despite the calls by [[Mahatma Gandhi]] for a boycott of the elections, only six had no candidate.<ref name=T1/> Within the provincial assemblies, 38 were reserved for European voters.<ref name=T1/>
 
==Electoral system==
[[Single transferable vote]] (STV) was used on an experimental basis to elect three members of the Legislative Assembly of India for the European constituency of Bengal and to elect four members of the Council of State of India from the non-Muslim constituency of Madras. STV was also used to elect four members of the Legislative Council of Bengal for the European constituency of Bengal.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hoag and Hallett |title=Proportional Representation (1926) |pages=258}}</ref>


==Results==
==Results==
===Central Legislative Assembly===
===Central Legislative Assembly===
{{Election results
{{Election results
|party1=[[Democratic Party of India|Democratic Party]]|seats1=48
|party1=[[Democratic Swarajya Party|Democratic Party]]|seats1=48
|party2=Other parties and independents|seats2=47
|party2=Other parties and independents|seats2=47
|party3=Europeans|seats3=9
|party3=Europeans|seats3=9
|source=[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/fullscreen.html?object=110 Schwartzberg Atlas]
|source=Schwartzberg Atlas<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=110 Schwartzberg Atlas]</ref>
}}
}}


==Members of Central Legislative Assembly==
==Members of Central Legislative Assembly==
<ref name=EastIndia>{{cite book|title=East India|year=1922|page=11|ol=22879068M}}</ref><ref name=IndParl>{{cite book|title=India's Parliament Selections from the proceedings of the second session of the Legislative Assembly and the Council of State|year=1921|publisher=Director, Central Bureau of Information, Gov't of India|ol=24188384M}}</ref><ref name=Debates>{{cite book|title=The Legislative Assembly Debates|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c1TVAAAAMAAJ|year = 1922}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Pioneer Mail|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3h5DAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA22-PA14|date=10 December 1920}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Indian Year Book|date=1922|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.86196}}</ref>
<ref name=EastIndia>{{cite book |title=East India |year=1922 |page=11 |ol=22879068M}}</ref><ref name=IndParl>{{cite book |title=India's Parliament Selections from the proceedings of the second session of the Legislative Assembly and the Council of State |year=1921 |publisher=Director, Central Bureau of Information, Gov't of India |ol=24188384M}}</ref><ref name=Debates>{{cite book |title=The Legislative Assembly Debates |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c1TVAAAAMAAJ |year=1922}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Pioneer Mail |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3h5DAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA22-PA14 |date=10 December 1920}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Indian Year Book |date=1922 |publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.86196}}</ref><ref>[https://etheses.dur.ac.uk/8122/1/8122_5122.PDF Md. Rashiduzzaman, (1964) The central legislature in British India: 1921 to 1947, Durham theses], https://etheses.dur.ac.uk/8122/</ref>


===Officials===
===Officials===
Line 73: Line 77:
|[[Denys Bray]] || Foreign Secretary
|[[Denys Bray]] || Foreign Secretary
|-
|-
|Sir Sidney Crookshank || PWD Secretary
|Sir [[Sydney Crookshank|Sidney Crookshank]]|| PWD Secretary
|-
|-
|Ernest Burdon || Army Secretary
|Ernest Burdon || Army Secretary
Line 89: Line 93:
|A. V. V. Aiyer || Finance Department
|A. V. V. Aiyer || Finance Department
|-
|-
|M. H. H. Hutchinson ||  
|M. H. H. Hutchinson ||
|-
|-
|Colonel W. D. Waghorn ||  
|Colonel W. D. Waghorn ||
|-
|-
|Abdul Rahim Khan ||  
|Abdul Rahim Khan ||
|-
|-
|[[Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt]] ||  
|[[Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt]] ||
|-
|-
|[[Thomas Henry Holland]] ||  
|[[Thomas Henry Holland]] ||
|-
|-
|R. W. Davies ||  
|R. W. Davies ||
|-
|-
|P. E. Percival ||  
|P. E. Percival ||
|-
|-
|H. P. Tollinton ||  
|H. P. Tollinton ||
|-
|-
|F. S. A Slocock ||  
|F. S. A Slocock ||
|-
|-
|W. C. Renouf ||  
|W. C. Renouf ||
|}
|}


Line 119: Line 123:
|[[Khabeeruddin Ahmed]] || [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]]
|[[Khabeeruddin Ahmed]] || [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]]
|-
|-
|Khagendra Nath Mitter || [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]]
|Khagendra Nath Mitter|| [[Bengal Presidency|Bengal]]
|-
|-
|J. K. N. Kabraji || [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]]
|J. K. N. Kabraji || [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]]
Line 125: Line 129:
|Walter Frank Hudson || [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]]
|Walter Frank Hudson || [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]]
|-
|-
|William John Keith || [[British rule in Burma|Burma]]
|[[William John Keith]]|| [[British rule in Burma|Burma]]
|-
|-
|J. F. Bryant || [[Madras Presidency|Madras]]
|J. F. Bryant || [[Madras Presidency|Madras]]
Line 136: Line 140:
|}
|}


===Nominated Non-Officials===
===Nominated non-officials===
* '''Special Interests:''' [[Henry Gidney]] (Anglo-Indian), [[N. M. Joshi]] (Labour Interests), J. P. Cotelingam (Indian Christians), Rai Sheo Prasad Tulshan Bahadur (Railway Interests)
* '''Special Interests:''' [[Henry Gidney]] (Anglo-Indian), [[N. M. Joshi]] (Labour Interests), J. P. Cotelingam (Indian Christians), Rai Sheo Prasad Tulshan Bahadur (Railway Interests)
* '''Provinces:''' [[T. V. Seshagiri Iyer]] (Madras), C. Krishnaswami Rao (Madras), Ashraf O. Jamall (Bengal), Nawab [[Khwaja Habibullah]] (Bengal), N. M. Samarth (Bombay), Mahomed Hajeebhoy (Bombay), Maulvi Abdul Quadir (Central Provinces), Lakshmi Narayan Lal (Bihar & Orissa), Sardar Bahadur Gajjan Singh (Punjab), Rana Umanath Bakhsh Singh (United Provinces), B. H. R. Jatkar (Berar), Abdur Rahim (North West Frontier Province)
* '''Provinces:''' [[T. V. Seshagiri Iyer]] (Madras), C. Krishnaswami Rao (Madras), Ashraf O. Jamall (Bengal), Nawab [[Khwaja Habibullah]] (Bengal), N. M. Samarth (Bombay), Mahomed Hajeebhoy (Bombay), Maulvi Abdul Quadir (Central Provinces), Lakshmi Narayan Lal (Bihar & Orissa), Sardar Bahadur Gajjan Singh (Punjab), Rana Umanath Bakhsh Singh (United Provinces), B. H. R. Jatkar (Berar), Abdur Rahim (North West Frontier Province)


===Elected Non-Officials===
===Elected non-officials===
*'''Assam:''' Debi Charan Barua (Assam Valley General), Girish Chandra Nag (Surma Valley General), Maulvi Amjad Ali (Muslim), George Bridge (European), Lt. Col. D. Herbert (European)
*'''Assam:''' Debi Charan Barua (Assam Valley General), Girish Chandra Nag (Surma Valley General), Maulvi Amjad Ali (Muslim), George Bridge (European), Lt. Col. D. Herbert (European)
*'''Bengal:''' [[Sir Deva Prosad Sarbadhicari]] (Calcutta Urban General), Jogendra Nath Mukherjee (Calcutta Suburbs Urban General), [[K. C. Neogy]] (Dacca Rural General), Jadu Nath Majumdar (Presidency General), Tara Prosanna Mukherji (Burdwan General), Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri (Chittagong & Rajshahi Rural General), Prince Afsar-ul-Mulk Mirza Muhammad Akram Hussain (Calcutta & Suburbs Muslim), Zahiruddin Ahmed (Dacca Muslim), Maulvi Abul Kasem (Dacca Rural Muslim), [[Khabeeruddin Ahmed]] (Rajshahi Muslim), Saiyed Muhammad Abdulla (Burdwan & Calcutta Presidency Muslim), Munshi Abdul Rahman (Chittagong Muslim), Darcy Lindsay (European), Frank Carter (European), W. S. J. Wilson (European), A. D. Pickford (European), R. J. G. Ballantyne (European), Satish Chandra Ghosh (Landholders), Nibaran Chandra Sircar (Bengal National Chamber of Commerce), D. K. Mitter
*'''Bengal:''' [[Deva Prasad Sarbadhikari|Sir Deva Prosad Sarbadhicari]] (Calcutta Urban General), Jogendra Nath Mukherjee (Calcutta Suburbs Urban General), [[Kshitish Chandra Neogy|K. C. Neogy]] (Dacca Rural General), [[Jadunath Majumdar]] (Presidency General), Tara Prosanna Mukherji (Burdwan General), Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri (Chittagong & Rajshahi Rural General), Prince Afsar-ul-Mulk Mirza Muhammad Akram Hussain (Calcutta & Suburbs Muslim), Zahiruddin Ahmed (Dacca Muslim), Maulvi Abul Kasem (Dacca Rural Muslim), [[Khabeeruddin Ahmed]] (Rajshahi Muslim), Saiyed Muhammad Abdulla (Burdwan & Calcutta Presidency Muslim), Munshi Abdul Rahman (Chittagong Muslim), Ghani Khan Gabkhan (Bakerganj Muslim re-polls), Darcy Lindsay (European), Frank Carter (European), W. S. J. Wilson (European), A. D. Pickford (European), R. J. G. Ballantyne (European), Satish Chandra Ghosh (Landholders), Nibaran Chandra Sircar (Bengal National Chamber of Commerce), D. K. Mitter
*'''Bihar & Orissa:''' Babu Baidyanath Prashad Singh (Tirhut General), Babu Adit Prashad Sinha (Tirhut General), B. N. Misra (Orissa General), Babu Braja Sundar Das (Orissa General), Rai Bahadur<ref>[http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKPC/1930/1930_102.html Miss Dottie Karan and others  v Rai Bahadur Lachmi Prasad Sinha and others (Patna) [1930<nowiki>]</nowiki> UKPC 102 (16 December 1930)]</ref> Lachmi Prasad Sinha (Gaya cum Monghyr General), Sarfaraz Hussain Khan (Tirhut Muslim), Maulvi Miyan Asjad-ul-lah (Bhagalpur Muslim), Syed Muhammad Ismail (Patna and Chota Nagpur cum Orissa Muslim), Raja R. N. Bhanja Deo (Landholders), Raja Sivanandan Prasad Singh (Landholders), Babu Ambika Prasad Sinha, Satya Narain Singh
*'''Bihar & Orissa:''' Babu Baidyanath Prashad Singh (Tirhut General), Babu Adit Prashad Sinha (Tirhut General), B. N. Misra (Orissa General), [[Braja Sundar Das]] (Orissa General), Rai Bahadur<ref>[http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKPC/1930/1930_102.html Miss Dottie Karan and others  v Rai Bahadur Lachmi Prasad Sinha and others (Patna) [1930<nowiki>]</nowiki> UKPC 102 (16 December 1930)]</ref> Lachmi Prasad Sinha (Gaya cum Monghyr General), Sarfaraz Hussain Khan (Tirhut Muslim), Maulvi Miyan Asjad-ul-lah (Bhagalpur Muslim), Syed Muhammad Ismail (Patna and Chota Nagpur cum Orissa Muslim), Raja R. N. Bhanja Deo (Landholders), Raja Sivanandan Prasad Singh (Landholders), Babu Ambika Prasad Sinha, Satya Narain Singh
*'''Bombay:''' [[Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, 5th Baronet|Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy]] (Bombay City General), [[Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad]] (Bombay City General), Jamnadas Dwarkadas Dharamsy (Bombay City General), Keshao Ganesh Bagde (Bombay Central Rural), Balkrishna Sitaram Kamat (Bombay Central Rural), Sardar Bomanji Ardeshir Dalal (Bombay Northern Rural), [[Anna Babaji Latthe]] (Bombay Southern Rural), [[Seth Harchandrai Vishandas]] (Sind Rural General), Salebhoy Karimji Barodawala (Bombay City Muslim), Sardar Gulam Jilani Bijlikhan (Bombay Central Muslim), Shaikh Abdul Majid (Sind Urban Muslim), Alibaksh Mahomed Hussein (Sind Rural Muslim), Wali Mohamed Hussanally (Sind Rural Muslim), [[Reginald Arthur Spence]] (European), Edwin Lessware Price (European), Sir Montagu de Pomeray Webb (European), N. B. Saklatvala (Bombay Millowners Association), Rahimtoola Currimbhoy (Bombay Millowners Association), Vithaldas Thackersey (Bombay Millowners Association), Manmohandas Ramji (Indian Merchants Chamber), S. C. Shahani (Sind Jagirdars & Zamindars)
*'''Bombay:''' [[Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, 5th Baronet|Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy]] (Bombay City General), [[Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad]] (Bombay City General), Jamnadas Dwarkadas Dharamsy (Bombay City General), Keshao Ganesh Bagde (Bombay Central Rural), Balkrishna Sitaram Kamat (Bombay Central Rural), Sardar Bomanji Ardeshir Dalal (Bombay Northern Rural), [[Anna Babaji Latthe]] (Bombay Southern Rural), [[Seth Harchandrai Vishandas]] (Sind Rural General), Salebhoy Karimji Barodawala (Bombay City Muslim), Sardar Gulam Jilani Bijlikhan (Bombay Central Muslim), Shaikh Abdul Majid (Sind Urban Muslim), Alibaksh Mahomed Hussein (Sind Rural Muslim), Wali Mohamed Hussanally (Sind Rural Muslim), [[Reginald Arthur Spence]] (European), Edwin Lessware Price (European), Sir Montagu de Pomeray Webb (European), [[Nowroji Saklatwala]] (Bombay Millowners Association), Rahimtoola Currimbhoy (Bombay Millowners Association), [[Vithaldas Thackersey]] (Bombay Millowners Association), Manmohandas Ramji (Indian Merchants Chamber), S. C. Shahani (Sind Jagirdars & Zamindars)
*'''Burma:''' F. McCarthy (Europeans), [[Padamji Ginwala]] (General), Maung Maung Sin (General), J. C. Chatterji (General), J. N. Basu (General)
*'''Burma:''' F. McCarthy (Europeans), [[Padamji Ginwala]] (General), Maung Maung Sin (General), J. C. Chatterji (General), J. N. Basu (General)
*'''Central Provinces:''' [[Hari Singh Gour]] (Nagpur General), Kunj Bihari Lall Agnihotri (Hindi Divisions General), Pyari Lal Misra (Hindi Divisions General), Muhammad Ahsan Khan (Muslim), Beohar Raghubir Sinha (Landholders)
*'''Central Provinces:''' [[Hari Singh Gour]] (Nagpur General), Kunj Bihari Lall Agnihotri (Hindi Divisions General), Pyari Lal Misra (Hindi Divisions General), Muhammad Ahsan Khan (Muslim), Beohar Raghubir Sinha (Landholders)
*'''Madras:''' [[T. Rangachari]] (Madras City General), C. S. Subrahmanayam (Madras ceded districts & Chittoor Rural General), Patri Venkata Srinivasa Rao (Guntur cum Nellore General), B. Venkatapatiraju (Ganjam cum Kistna General), J. Ramayya Pantulu (Godavari cum Krishna General), Sambanda Mudaliar (Salem & Coimbatore General), [[P. S. Sivaswami Iyer]] (Tanjore & Trichy General), M. Krishnaswamy Reddi (Chingleput cum South Arcot General), K. M. Nayar (West Coast & Nilgiris General), T. Muhammad Hussain Saheb Bahadur (Madras Muslim), Mahmood Schamnad Saheb Bahadur (West Coast & Nilgiris Muslim), Mir Asad Ali (Muslim), [[Muhammad Habibullah]] (Muslim), R. E. V. Arbuthnot (Commerce), Narayandas Girdhardas (Commerce), [[Eardley Norton]] (European), Rama Varma Valia Raja Chirakkal (Landholders)
*'''Madras:''' [[T. Rangachari]] (Madras City General), C. S. Subrahmanayam (Madras ceded districts & Chittoor Rural General), Patri Venkata Srinivasa Rao (Guntur cum Nellore General), B. Venkatapatiraju (Ganjam cum Kistna General), [[Jayanthi Ramayya Pantulu]] (Godavari cum Krishna General), Sambanda Mudaliar (Salem & Coimbatore General), [[P. S. Sivaswami Iyer]] (Tanjore & Trichy General), M. Krishnaswamy Reddi (Chingleput cum South Arcot General), K. M. Nayar (West Coast & Nilgiris General), T. Muhammad Hussain Saheb Bahadur (Madras Muslim), Mahmood Schamnad Saheb Bahadur (West Coast & Nilgiris Muslim), Mir Asad Ali (Muslim), [[Muhammad Habibullah]] (Muslim), R. E. V. Arbuthnot (Commerce), Narayandas Girdhardas (Commerce), [[Eardley Norton]] (European), Rama Varma Valia Raja Chirakkal (Landholders)
*'''Punjab:''' Pandit Jawahar Lal Bhargava (Ambala General), Bakshi Sohan Lal (Jullundur General), Dr. Nand Lal (West Punjab General), Chaudhari Ghulam Sarwar Khan (North Punjab Muslim), Ahmad Baksh Khan (North West Punjab Muslim), Chaudhri Shahab-ud-din (East Central Punjab Muslim), Nawab Mohammad Ibrahim Ali Khan (East Punjab Muslim), Chaudhri Shahab-ud-din (East Central Punjab Muslim), Makhdum Syed Rajan Baksh Shah (South West Punjab Muslim), Raja M. M. Ikramullah Khan, Bhai Man Singh (East Punjab Sikh), Sardar Gulab Singh (West Punjab Sikh), Baba Ujagar Singh Bedi (Landholders)
*'''Punjab:''' Pandit Jawahar Lal Bhargava (Ambala General), Bakshi Sohan Lal (Jullundur General), Dr. Nand Lal (West Punjab General), Chaudhari Ghulam Sarwar Khan (North Punjab Muslim), Ahmad Baksh Khan (North West Punjab Muslim), Chaudhri Shahab-ud-din (East Central Punjab Muslim), Nawab Mohammad Ibrahim Ali Khan (East Punjab Muslim), Chaudhri Shahab-ud-din (East Central Punjab Muslim), Makhdum Syed Rajan Baksh Shah (South West Punjab Muslim), Raja M. M. Ikramullah Khan, Bhai Man Singh (East Punjab Sikh), Sardar Gulab Singh (West Punjab Sikh), Baba Ujagar Singh Bedi (Landholders)
*'''United Provinces:''' Munshi Iswar Saran (UP Cities General), Pyare Lal (Meerut Rural General), Lala Girdharilal Agarwala (Agra General), Pandit Radha Kishen Das (Rohilkund & Kumaon General), Bishambhar Nath (Allahabad and Jhansi General), Sankata Prasad Bajpai (Lucknow General), Munshi Mahadeo Prasad (Benaras and Gorakhpur General), Raja Suraj Baksh Singh (Fyzabad General), Haji Wajihuddin (UP Cities Muslim), Muhammad Yamin Khan (Meerut Muslim), Mohammad Faiyaz Khan (Agra Muslim), Syed Nabi Hadi (Rohilkund & Kumaon Muslim), S. M. Zahid Ali Subzposh (UP Southern Muslim), Syed Haider Karrar Jafri (Lucknow and Fyzabad Muslim), Raja Kushal Pal Singh (Landholders), Sir Logie Pirie Watson (European)
*'''United Provinces:''' Munshi Iswar Saran (UP Cities General), Pyare Lal (Meerut Rural General), Lala Girdharilal Agarwala (Agra General), Pandit Radha Kishen Das (Rohilkund & Kumaon General), Bishambhar Nath (Allahabad and Jhansi General), Sankata Prasad Bajpai (Lucknow General), Munshi Mahadeo Prasad (Benaras and Gorakhpur General), Raja Suraj Baksh Singh (Fyzabad General), Haji Wajihuddin (UP Cities Muslim), Muhammad Yamin Khan (Meerut Muslim), Mohammad Faiyaz Khan (Agra Muslim), Syed Nabi Hadi (Rohilkund & Kumaon Muslim), S. M. Zahid Ali Subzposh (UP Southern Muslim), Syed Haider Karrar Jafri (Lucknow and Fyzabad Muslim), Raja Kushal Pal Singh (Landholders), Sir Logie Pirie Watson (European)
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{{Indian elections}}
{{Indian elections}}
{{Pakistani elections}}
{{Pakistani elections}}
{{#seo:
|keywords=1920 elections in India, Central Legislative Assembly of India, Provincial Assembly elections in British India
|description=
}}


[[Category:1920 elections in India]]
[[Category:1920 elections in India]]
[[Category:General elections in Bangladesh|1920]]
[[Category:General elections in British India]]
[[Category:General elections in India|1920]]
[[Category:General elections in Pakistan|1920]]
[[Category:Central Legislative Assembly of India]]
[[Category:Elections in Myanmar|1920]]
[[Category:Provincial Assembly elections in British India]]

Latest revision as of 19:29, 6 April 2026


1920 Indian general election
1920 1923 →
104 seats contested
53 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Hari Singh Gour.jpg
William Vincent.jpg
Leader Hari Singh Gour W. H. H. Vincent
Party DP Independent
Seats won 48 47
India
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General elections were held in British India in 1920 to elect members to the Imperial Legislative Council and the provincial Legislative Councils. They were the first elections in the country's modern history.[1][2]

The new Central Legislative Assembly, which was the lower chamber of the Imperial Legislative Council, was based in Delhi and had 104 elected seats, of which 66 were contested and 38 were reserved for Europeans elected through the Chambers of Commerce.[1] For the upper chamber, the Council of State, 24 of the 34 seats were contested, whilst five were reserved for Muslims, three for Europeans, one for Sikhs, and one for the United Provinces.[1] The Parliament was opened by the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn on 9 February 1921.[3]

Alongside the national elections, there were also elections to 637 seats in provincial assemblies. Of these, 440 were contested, while 188 had a single candidate elected unopposed. Despite the calls by Mahatma Gandhi for a boycott of the elections, only six had no candidate.[1] Within the provincial assemblies, 38 were reserved for European voters.[1]

Electoral system[edit | edit source]

Single transferable vote (STV) was used on an experimental basis to elect three members of the Legislative Assembly of India for the European constituency of Bengal and to elect four members of the Council of State of India from the non-Muslim constituency of Madras. STV was also used to elect four members of the Legislative Council of Bengal for the European constituency of Bengal.[4]

Results[edit | edit source]

Central Legislative Assembly[edit | edit source]

PartySeats
Democratic Party48
Other parties and independents47
Europeans9
Total104
Source: Schwartzberg Atlas[5]

Members of Central Legislative Assembly[edit | edit source]

[6][7][8][9][10][11]

Officials[edit | edit source]

Government of India[edit | edit source]

Member Office
William Henry Hoare Vincent Home Member
Sir Malcolm Hailey Finance Member
Basil Phillott Blackett Finance Member
C. A. Innes Commerce and Industries Member
Tej Bahadur Sapru Law Member
B. N. Sarma Revenue and Agriculture Member
Denys Bray Foreign Secretary
Sir Sidney Crookshank PWD Secretary
Ernest Burdon Army Secretary
Montagu Sherard Dawes Butler Education Secretary
G. R. Clarke Director General Posts and Telegraph
Atul Chandra Chatterjee Industries Secretary
G. G. Sim Jt. Finance Secretary
John Hullah Revenue and Agriculture Secretary
A. V. V. Aiyer Finance Department
M. H. H. Hutchinson
Colonel W. D. Waghorn
Abdul Rahim Khan
Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt
Thomas Henry Holland
R. W. Davies
P. E. Percival
H. P. Tollinton
F. S. A Slocock
W. C. Renouf

Nominated from Provinces[edit | edit source]

Member Province
B. C. Allen Assam
Khabeeruddin Ahmed Bengal
Khagendra Nath Mitter Bengal
J. K. N. Kabraji Bombay
Walter Frank Hudson Bombay
William John Keith Burma
J. F. Bryant Madras
T. E. Moir Madras
Theodore Alban Henry Way United Provinces
Rustomji Faridoonji Central Provinces

Nominated non-officials[edit | edit source]

  • Special Interests: Henry Gidney (Anglo-Indian), N. M. Joshi (Labour Interests), J. P. Cotelingam (Indian Christians), Rai Sheo Prasad Tulshan Bahadur (Railway Interests)
  • Provinces: T. V. Seshagiri Iyer (Madras), C. Krishnaswami Rao (Madras), Ashraf O. Jamall (Bengal), Nawab Khwaja Habibullah (Bengal), N. M. Samarth (Bombay), Mahomed Hajeebhoy (Bombay), Maulvi Abdul Quadir (Central Provinces), Lakshmi Narayan Lal (Bihar & Orissa), Sardar Bahadur Gajjan Singh (Punjab), Rana Umanath Bakhsh Singh (United Provinces), B. H. R. Jatkar (Berar), Abdur Rahim (North West Frontier Province)

Elected non-officials[edit | edit source]

  • Assam: Debi Charan Barua (Assam Valley General), Girish Chandra Nag (Surma Valley General), Maulvi Amjad Ali (Muslim), George Bridge (European), Lt. Col. D. Herbert (European)
  • Bengal: Sir Deva Prosad Sarbadhicari (Calcutta Urban General), Jogendra Nath Mukherjee (Calcutta Suburbs Urban General), K. C. Neogy (Dacca Rural General), Jadunath Majumdar (Presidency General), Tara Prosanna Mukherji (Burdwan General), Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri (Chittagong & Rajshahi Rural General), Prince Afsar-ul-Mulk Mirza Muhammad Akram Hussain (Calcutta & Suburbs Muslim), Zahiruddin Ahmed (Dacca Muslim), Maulvi Abul Kasem (Dacca Rural Muslim), Khabeeruddin Ahmed (Rajshahi Muslim), Saiyed Muhammad Abdulla (Burdwan & Calcutta Presidency Muslim), Munshi Abdul Rahman (Chittagong Muslim), Ghani Khan Gabkhan (Bakerganj Muslim re-polls), Darcy Lindsay (European), Frank Carter (European), W. S. J. Wilson (European), A. D. Pickford (European), R. J. G. Ballantyne (European), Satish Chandra Ghosh (Landholders), Nibaran Chandra Sircar (Bengal National Chamber of Commerce), D. K. Mitter
  • Bihar & Orissa: Babu Baidyanath Prashad Singh (Tirhut General), Babu Adit Prashad Sinha (Tirhut General), B. N. Misra (Orissa General), Braja Sundar Das (Orissa General), Rai Bahadur[12] Lachmi Prasad Sinha (Gaya cum Monghyr General), Sarfaraz Hussain Khan (Tirhut Muslim), Maulvi Miyan Asjad-ul-lah (Bhagalpur Muslim), Syed Muhammad Ismail (Patna and Chota Nagpur cum Orissa Muslim), Raja R. N. Bhanja Deo (Landholders), Raja Sivanandan Prasad Singh (Landholders), Babu Ambika Prasad Sinha, Satya Narain Singh
  • Bombay: Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy (Bombay City General), Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad (Bombay City General), Jamnadas Dwarkadas Dharamsy (Bombay City General), Keshao Ganesh Bagde (Bombay Central Rural), Balkrishna Sitaram Kamat (Bombay Central Rural), Sardar Bomanji Ardeshir Dalal (Bombay Northern Rural), Anna Babaji Latthe (Bombay Southern Rural), Seth Harchandrai Vishandas (Sind Rural General), Salebhoy Karimji Barodawala (Bombay City Muslim), Sardar Gulam Jilani Bijlikhan (Bombay Central Muslim), Shaikh Abdul Majid (Sind Urban Muslim), Alibaksh Mahomed Hussein (Sind Rural Muslim), Wali Mohamed Hussanally (Sind Rural Muslim), Reginald Arthur Spence (European), Edwin Lessware Price (European), Sir Montagu de Pomeray Webb (European), Nowroji Saklatwala (Bombay Millowners Association), Rahimtoola Currimbhoy (Bombay Millowners Association), Vithaldas Thackersey (Bombay Millowners Association), Manmohandas Ramji (Indian Merchants Chamber), S. C. Shahani (Sind Jagirdars & Zamindars)
  • Burma: F. McCarthy (Europeans), Padamji Ginwala (General), Maung Maung Sin (General), J. C. Chatterji (General), J. N. Basu (General)
  • Central Provinces: Hari Singh Gour (Nagpur General), Kunj Bihari Lall Agnihotri (Hindi Divisions General), Pyari Lal Misra (Hindi Divisions General), Muhammad Ahsan Khan (Muslim), Beohar Raghubir Sinha (Landholders)
  • Madras: T. Rangachari (Madras City General), C. S. Subrahmanayam (Madras ceded districts & Chittoor Rural General), Patri Venkata Srinivasa Rao (Guntur cum Nellore General), B. Venkatapatiraju (Ganjam cum Kistna General), Jayanthi Ramayya Pantulu (Godavari cum Krishna General), Sambanda Mudaliar (Salem & Coimbatore General), P. S. Sivaswami Iyer (Tanjore & Trichy General), M. Krishnaswamy Reddi (Chingleput cum South Arcot General), K. M. Nayar (West Coast & Nilgiris General), T. Muhammad Hussain Saheb Bahadur (Madras Muslim), Mahmood Schamnad Saheb Bahadur (West Coast & Nilgiris Muslim), Mir Asad Ali (Muslim), Muhammad Habibullah (Muslim), R. E. V. Arbuthnot (Commerce), Narayandas Girdhardas (Commerce), Eardley Norton (European), Rama Varma Valia Raja Chirakkal (Landholders)
  • Punjab: Pandit Jawahar Lal Bhargava (Ambala General), Bakshi Sohan Lal (Jullundur General), Dr. Nand Lal (West Punjab General), Chaudhari Ghulam Sarwar Khan (North Punjab Muslim), Ahmad Baksh Khan (North West Punjab Muslim), Chaudhri Shahab-ud-din (East Central Punjab Muslim), Nawab Mohammad Ibrahim Ali Khan (East Punjab Muslim), Chaudhri Shahab-ud-din (East Central Punjab Muslim), Makhdum Syed Rajan Baksh Shah (South West Punjab Muslim), Raja M. M. Ikramullah Khan, Bhai Man Singh (East Punjab Sikh), Sardar Gulab Singh (West Punjab Sikh), Baba Ujagar Singh Bedi (Landholders)
  • United Provinces: Munshi Iswar Saran (UP Cities General), Pyare Lal (Meerut Rural General), Lala Girdharilal Agarwala (Agra General), Pandit Radha Kishen Das (Rohilkund & Kumaon General), Bishambhar Nath (Allahabad and Jhansi General), Sankata Prasad Bajpai (Lucknow General), Munshi Mahadeo Prasad (Benaras and Gorakhpur General), Raja Suraj Baksh Singh (Fyzabad General), Haji Wajihuddin (UP Cities Muslim), Muhammad Yamin Khan (Meerut Muslim), Mohammad Faiyaz Khan (Agra Muslim), Syed Nabi Hadi (Rohilkund & Kumaon Muslim), S. M. Zahid Ali Subzposh (UP Southern Muslim), Syed Haider Karrar Jafri (Lucknow and Fyzabad Muslim), Raja Kushal Pal Singh (Landholders), Sir Logie Pirie Watson (European)

Members of the Council of State[edit | edit source]

Main article: Council of State (India)

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "New Indian Councils: Failure Of Boycott Movement", The Times, 8 January 1921, p9, Issue 42613
  2. ↑ Roy, Chakshu (31 March 2024). "History Headline - 1920: The start of India's election journey". The Indian Express.
  3. ↑ "New Era For India: Delhi Parliament Opened, King's Messages", The Times, 10 February 1921, p10, Issue 42641
  4. ↑ Hoag and Hallett. Proportional Representation (1926). p. 258.
  5. ↑ Schwartzberg Atlas
  6. ↑ East India. 1922. p. 11. OL 22879068M.
  7. ↑ India's Parliament Selections from the proceedings of the second session of the Legislative Assembly and the Council of State. Director, Central Bureau of Information, Gov't of India. 1921. OL 24188384M.
  8. ↑ The Legislative Assembly Debates. 1922.
  9. ↑ "Pioneer Mail". 10 December 1920.
  10. ↑ The Indian Year Book. Bennett, Coleman & Company. 1922.
  11. ↑ Md. Rashiduzzaman, (1964) The central legislature in British India: 1921 to 1947, Durham theses, https://etheses.dur.ac.uk/8122/
  12. ↑ Miss Dottie Karan and others v Rai Bahadur Lachmi Prasad Sinha and others (Patna) [1930] UKPC 102 (16 December 1930)

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