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Which province had the highest representation in the Constituent Assembly of India as on 31 December 1947?
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Answer: Option B — United Provinces
Detailed Solution
The Constituent Assembly was set up in 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan. Its members were indirectly elected by the members of the provincial legislative assemblies, with seats allotted to each province in proportion to its population, roughly one seat for every million people. Seats were divided among three communities, General, Muslim and Sikh, in proportion to their populations. Representatives of the princely states were to be nominated by their rulers.
Originally, the Assembly had a total strength of 389 members: 292 from British provinces, 4 from Chief Commissioners' provinces, and 93 from princely states.
After the Partition of India in 1947, the members from the areas that went to Pakistan left to form a separate Constituent Assembly for Pakistan. The strength of the Constituent Assembly of India was reduced to 299 members.
As on 31 December 1947, the United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh) had the largest representation among the provinces, with 55 members. It was followed by Madras with 49 members and Bombay with 21 members. Bengal and Punjab had been divided by Partition, so their representation in the Indian Assembly fell sharply: West Bengal had 19 and East Punjab 12.
Important members from the United Provinces included Jawaharlal Nehru, Govind Ballabh Pant, Purushottam Das Tandon, Acharya J.B. Kripalani, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai and Begum Aizaz Rasul.
The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946. It took about 2 years, 11 months and 18 days to complete the Constitution, holding 11 sessions over 165 days. It also acted as the first Parliament of free India (the Dominion Legislature) until the general elections of 1951-52. Fifteen women were members of the Assembly, including Sarojini Naidu, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Durgabai Deshmukh, Hansa Mehta and Ammu Swaminathan.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Madras had the second-highest representation (49 members).
- ✗Bombay had 21 members.
- ✗Bengal was partitioned, leaving West Bengal with 19 members.
Quick tip
Remember: Constituent Assembly = 389 members originally, 299 after Partition; United Provinces had the most (55), then Madras (49); first meeting 9 December 1946; 15 women members.
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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.