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Question 41 of 58 · Making & Sources of the Constitution
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After the partition of India in 1947, the strength of the Constituent Assembly of India was reduced to:

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Answer: Option D — 299 members

Detailed Solution

After the partition of India in 1947, the strength of the Constituent Assembly of India was reduced to 299 members.

How the strength changed:

  • Under the Cabinet Mission Plan, the Assembly was planned to have 389 members.
  • After the Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947, the areas that formed Pakistan (West Punjab, East Bengal, Sind, the North-West Frontier Province, Baluchistan and the Sylhet district of Assam) were separated.
  • The members elected from these areas left the Indian Constituent Assembly and formed the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.
  • After this, the Indian Constituent Assembly had 299 members: 229 from the provinces and 70 from the princely states.

Representation of the princely states:

  • The princely states that joined India gradually sent their representatives to the Assembly.
  • Hyderabad did not send any representatives until after its integration.

Composition of the Assembly:

  • The Congress had a large majority, but the Assembly also included members of other parties and independents.
  • It included representatives of all major religions, the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, the Anglo-Indians, and women.
  • It had many eminent lawyers, scholars, social reformers and freedom fighters.
  • The American historian Granville Austin wrote that "the Assembly was the Congress and the Congress was India".
  • Was the Assembly representative?
  • Critics said that the Assembly was not elected directly by the people on the basis of universal adult franchise, and was dominated by the Congress.
  • Its supporters pointed out that it represented all sections of Indian society, and that its decisions were made after long and open debates.

The Pakistan Constituent Assembly:

  • It held its first meeting at Karachi on 10 August 1947.
  • Muhammad Ali Jinnah was elected its President.
  • Good to know
  • 389 was the planned strength before partition; 250 and 325 are not correct.

Quick tip

Remember: Constituent Assembly - planned strength 389 (Cabinet Mission); after partition 299 (229 from the provinces, 70 from the princely states).

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Making & Sources of the Constitution — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Making & Sources of the Constitution, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers how the Indian Constitution was made: the Constituent Assembly, its committees and members, the drafting process and key dates, and the features India borrowed from other constitutions, such as the parliamentary system from Britain and Fundamental Rights from the USA. Exams frequently ask who chaired the Drafting Committee (B. R. Ambedkar), who was President of the Constituent Assembly (Rajendra Prasad), and when the Constitution was adopted (26 November 1949) and came into force (26 January 1950). Questions on borrowed features are very common, so learn a table of features and their source countries. Practise the making of the Constitution questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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