Elections for the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Jammu and Kashmir were held in September–October 1951.

Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir Abdullah was the founding leader of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (later re ...

was appointed Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Following frictions with various groups such as the

Jammu Praja Parishad The Jammu Praja Parishad (officially: All Jammu and Kashmir Praja Parishad) was a political party active in the Jammu Division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. It was founded in November 1947 by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activ ...

agitation, Abdullah was dismissed in August 1953 and imprisoned. Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was appointed as the next Prime Minister.

Background

The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to the Union of India on 26 October 1947. Shortly afterwards, the

Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir The Dogra dynasty of Dogra Rajputs from the Shiwalik Himalayas created Jammu and Kashmir when all dynastic kingdoms in India were being absorbed by the East India Company. Events led the Sikh Empire to recognise Jammu as a vassal state in 1820, ...

appointed

as the Head of Emergency Administration, who ran the affairs in the Kashmir Valley during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. Following the cease-fire achieved on 1 January 1948, Sheikh Abdullah was appointed as the Prime Minister of the state on 5 March 1948. He chose an eight-member Cabinet, with the other members being: * Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad – Deputy Prime Minister *

Mirza Afzal Beg Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg (1908–1982) was a Kashmiri politician belonging to the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He served as a minister in the pre-independence period in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, and as the revenue minist ...

– Revenue * Sardar Budh Singh – Health and Rehabilitation *

Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq __NOTOC__ Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq (1912 – 1971) was an Indian politician, who served as the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 1964 to 1965, when the position was renamed to Chief Minister. He continued as the Chief Minister till his ...

– Development * Shyam Lal Saraf – Civil Supplies and Local Self-Government * Girdhari Lal Dogra – Finance * Pir Mohammad Khan – Education The

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in the Indian union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Founded as the ''All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference'' by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam A ...

, the party of Sheikh Abdullah, announced on 27 October 1950 its decision to convene a Constituent Assembly for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan immediately raised a complaint in the United Nations Security Council stating that India was convening a Constituent Assembly to "ratify the formal accession of the State to India" in contravention of the Security Council resolutions. India reassured all parties that the decision of the Constituent Assembly would not affect India's commitments in the Security Council. The Security Council took note of the development in its 30 March 1951 resolution and reminded both the Indian and Pakistani governments of the past resolutions of the Security Council and affirmed that the decisions of the Constituent Assembly would not be binding. On 30 April, the Prince Regent

Karan Singh Karan Singh (born 9 March 1931) is an Indian politician and philosopher. He is the son of the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Sir Hari Singh. He was the prince regent of Jammu and Kashmir until 1952. From 1 ...

issued a proclamation announcing the elections for the Constituent Assembly based on the adult franchise by secret ballot. The elections took place in September–October 1951. The Constituent Assembly was to have a nominal membership of 100 members, of which 25 seats were allocated to Azad Kashmir under Pakistani control (which were never filled). Of the remaining 75 seats, Kashmir was allocated 43 seats,

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu ...

2 seats, and

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

30 seats.

The election

The elections were conducted by the State's election and franchise commissioner. The process of elections was highly irregular. All the 43 seats allocated to Kashmir went to the National Conference candidates, who were elected unopposed a week before the date of the elections. In Jammu, 13 candidates belonging to the

had their nominations rejected. Praja Parishad then boycotted the elections, alleging the Government's illegal practices and official interference. Two independent candidates dropped out at the last moment, giving a clean sweep to the National Conference. In Ladakh, the Head Lama, Kushak Bakula and an associate won seats, as nominal members of the National Conference. Thus, the National Conference won all the 75 seats to the Constituent Assembly, which convened on 31 October 1951. Scholar

Sumantra Bose Sumantra Bose is an Indian political scientist and professor of international and comparative politics at the London School of Economics. He specialises in the study of ethnic and national conflicts and their management, with a particular focus on ...

states that the manner of elections indicated that the National Conference elites wanted to govern Jammu and Kashmir as a party state. Their slogan was "One Leader, One Party, One Programme".

Balraj Puri Balraj Puri (1928-2014) was an Indian Political commentator and human rights activist. Career A committed peace activist Balraj Puri began his career in journalism in 1942 and since then has worked in or edited several publications. In his 68 y ...

, journalist and secular activist from Jammu, is said to have argued with

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

that Ghulam Mohiuddin Karra's group in the Kashmir Valley should be allowed to function as an opposition group in the state. While Nehru agreed with the principle he stated that nothing should be done to weaken Sheikh Abdullah. The

, having been denied opportunities for the democratic opposition, took to the streets. It demanded full integration of the state with India to ensure the "legitimate democratic rights of the people" against the "anti-Dogra government of Sheikh Abdullah". The conflict with the Praja Parishad eventually led to the termination of Sheikh Abdullah's rule.: "It was partly in response to their campaign that Sheikh Abdullah began to emphasize the option of Kashmir’s independence, leading to his arrest in 1953 and the installation of a more pliant government which gave its consent to the extension of most of the Indian constitution to Jammu and Kashmir."

Government formation

Sheikh Abdullah ministry

Sheikh Abdullah continued as the Prime Minister of the State. Two members of the erstwhile Cabinet from the Jammu province, Sardar Budh Singh and Pir Mohammad Khan were dropped.

stepped down from his Cabinet duties to serve as the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly. The remaining members of the Cabinet were: *

– Prime Minister * Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad – Deputy Prime Minister *

* Shyam Lal Saraf * Girdhari Lal Dogra Later D. P. Dhar, Mubarak Shah, Major Piara Singh and Ghulam Mohiuddin Hamdani were appointed as Deputy Ministers.

Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad ministry

Following intense frictions with the Jammu Praja Parishad in Jammu and the Head Lama Kushak Bakula of Ladakh, as well as ongoing frictions with the Union government, Sheikh Abdullah was dismissed from the post of Prime Minister by the ''Sadr-e-Riyasat'' (Head of State)

in August 1953. Abdullah was also arrested on conspiracy charges. The Deputy Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad was sworn in as the next Prime Minister. His Cabinet consisted of: * Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad – Prime Minister *

– Education * Shyam Lal Saraf – Development * Girdhari Lal Dogra – Finance * Syed Mir Qasim – Revenue Kushak Bakula was appointed as a deputy minister and he pledged his support for the new government. Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad continued as the Prime Minister for the remaining six-year term of the Constituent Assembly. The Assembly continued with its mission of formulating the State Constitution, which was adopted on 17 November 1956, coming into effect on 26 January 1957.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Jammu and Kashmir elections 1951 in India Jammu and Kashmir

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...