Congress in the 1937 Elections
Modern History › Congress After Civil Disobedience and the Provincial Ministries · Topic 21.3
In early 1937, elections to the provincial assemblies of eleven provinces were held under the 1935 Act, with about 30.1 million people enfranchised. After a second-stage debate on office acceptance, the Congress fought on a manifesto rejecting the Act, won 716 of the 1,161 seats it contested, and gained a majority in six of the eleven provinces.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Congress After Civil Disobedience and the Provincial Ministries
At a Glance
- Elections February 1937, eleven provinces
- Enfranchised About 30.1 million, including 4.25 million women; 15.5 million voted
- Congress result 716 of 1,161 seats contested
- Majority in All provinces except Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Sindh and the NWFP
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Congress After Civil Disobedience and the Provincial Ministries
Where Does It Fit?
This is the third topic of the category on the Congress after civil disobedience and the provincial ministries. The previous topic covered the 1935 Act. This topic covers the debate on office acceptance and the 1937 elections. The next topic covers the work of the Congress ministries on civil liberties and agrarian reform. Previous topic: Nationalist Response to the Government of India Act, 1935.
What Was the Second-Stage Debate?
In early 1937 provincial elections were announced and the debate on strategy began again. Everyone in the Congress agreed that the 1935 Act had to be opposed root and branch, but it was unclear how that could be done when a mass movement was not yet possible. There was full agreement that the Congress should fight the elections on a detailed political and economic programme, deepening anti-imperialist consciousness. But what to do afterwards was unclear: if the Congress won a majority, should it form a government? The first-stage debate is in Debates on Future Strategy After Civil Disobedience.
The two sides soon came to be identified with the emerging left and right divide.
| Side | Argument |
|---|---|
| Against office acceptance | Nehru, Subhash Bose, Congress socialists and communists argued that working the Act would negate its rejection by nationalists and be like assuming responsibility without power; it would also take away the movement’s revolutionary character and sidetrack the issues of freedom, economic and social justice and poverty. As a counter-strategy, they proposed entering the councils to create deadlocks, the older Swarajist strategy, and, in the long term, relying more on workers and peasants and integrating their class organisations into the Congress |
| For office acceptance | They were equally committed to combating the Act, but legislature work was only a short-term tactic since a mass movement was not then available; taking or rejecting office was a matter of strategy and not of socialism; the danger of being sucked in by wrong tendencies had to be fought and not avoided; the administrative field should not be left to pro-government reactionaries; and the ministries, despite limited powers, could promote constructive work |
The Swarajist strategy is in Swarajists and No-Changers.
What Was Gandhi’s Position?
Gandhi opposed office acceptance in Working Committee meetings, but by the beginning of 1936 he was willing to give the formation of Congress ministries a trial. At the sessions at Lucknow in early 1936 and Faizpur in late 1936, the Congress decided to fight the elections and to postpone the decision on office acceptance until after them. The resolution was not to submit to the constitution or cooperate with it but to combat it both inside and outside the legislatures so that it could be ended. Some books place the Faizpur session in 1937, but it was held in December 1936.
How Many Voted?
Elections were held in February 1937 in eleven provinces: Madras, the Central Provinces, Bihar, Orissa, the United Provinces, the Bombay Presidency, Assam, the North-West Frontier Province, Bengal, Punjab and Sindh. They were the first elections in which a larger number of Indians than ever before could take part. About 30.1 million people were enfranchised, including 4.25 million women, which was 14 per cent of the population, and 15.5 million of them, including 917,000 women, actually voted.
What Was the Congress Manifesto?
The manifesto reaffirmed total rejection of the 1935 Act. It promised release of prisoners, removal of disabilities based on gender and caste, radical transformation of the agrarian system, a substantial reduction in rent and revenue, scaling down of rural debts, cheap credit, and the right to form trade unions and to strike. Gandhi did not attend a single election meeting. The Karachi programme that these promises echo is in Karachi Congress Session, 1931.
How Did the Congress Perform?
The Congress won 716 of the 1,161 seats it contested, out of 1,585 seats in the assemblies of the eleven provinces. It won a majority in all provinces except Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Sindh and the North-West Frontier Province, and became the largest party in Bengal, Assam and the Frontier. Because of this performance the Congress’s prestige rose and Nehru was reconciled to the dominant S-T-S strategy.
As an analytical point, the result gave those who favoured taking office a strong argument, since a party with such majorities could not easily refuse to govern, and the debate moved from whether to take office to how to use it, which is the subject of Congress Ministries: Civil Liberties and Agrarian Reforms. The summary also records that Congress ministries were formed in Bombay, Madras, the Central Provinces, the United Provinces, Bihar and Orissa, and later in Assam and the Frontier.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Election figures Seats and voters are Prelims facts
- Office acceptance debate A frequent Mains theme about left and right in the Congress
- Gandhi’s stand Shows his change from opposition to a trial
What Came Next?
The next topic describes what the Congress ministries did on civil liberties and agrarian reforms. Next topic: Congress Ministries: Civil Liberties and Agrarian Reforms.
Key People and Terms
- Office acceptance Whether to form governments in the provinces
- Lucknow session Congress session of early 1936
- Faizpur session Congress session of December 1936
- Congress manifesto The election programme rejecting the 1935 Act
- Enfranchised Given the right to vote
- Largest party The party with the most seats without an absolute majority
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Elections: February 1937; eleven provinces.
- 30.1 million enfranchised; 15.5 million voted.
- Congress: 716 of 1,161 seats of 1,585 total.
- No majority in Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Sindh, NWFP.
- Lucknow 1936, Faizpur December 1936: contest, postpone office decision.
Do Not Confuse With
- Lucknow 1936 and Lucknow 1916 The 1936 session decided to fight elections; 1916 produced the Lucknow Pact
- Majority and largest party Congress had a majority in six provinces and was the largest party in Bengal, Assam and the Frontier
- Left and right on office Left opposed office; right favoured it as a tactic
Memory Hook
Contest first, decide later; the votes decided for them.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the debate and the results. These points add depth.
- Debate Left versus right on office
- Manifesto Rejection of the Act and radical promises
- Result Majorities in six provinces
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Discuss the debate in the Congress on office acceptance in 1937 and the results of the elections.”
How to Answer
- Debate Arguments of both sides.
- Gandhi From opposition to trial.
- Election Manifesto and results.
- Conclude Prestige and the S-T-S strategy.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the debate in the Congress over office acceptance?
Nehru, Bose and the Congress socialists opposed taking office, since it would mean responsibility without power and dilute revolutionary character. Others favoured office as a short-term tactic because a mass movement was not available and the administration should not be left to pro-government forces.
What did the Congress decide at Lucknow and Faizpur?
At Lucknow in early 1936 and Faizpur in December 1936, the Congress decided to fight the elections and to postpone the decision on office acceptance until afterwards, resolving to combat the 1935 constitution both inside and outside the legislatures.
What did the Congress manifesto of 1937 promise?
It reaffirmed total rejection of the 1935 Act and promised release of prisoners, removal of disabilities of gender and caste, agrarian reform, reduced rent and revenue, scaled-down rural debt, cheap credit, and the right to form trade unions and to strike.
How many people voted in the 1937 elections?
About 30.1 million people, including 4.25 million women, were enfranchised, which was 14 per cent of the population. Of these, an estimated 15.5 million, including 917,000 women, actually voted in the elections held in eleven provinces in February 1937.
How did the Congress perform in the 1937 elections?
The Congress won 716 of the 1,161 seats it contested and got a majority in all provinces except Bengal, Assam, Punjab, Sindh and the North-West Frontier Province. It was the largest party in Bengal, Assam and the Frontier, and its prestige rose.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The provincial elections under the 1935 Act were held in February 1937.
Eleven provinces voted.
2 The Congress won 716 of the 1,161 seats it contested in 1937.
It got a majority in six provinces.
3 Gandhi addressed election meetings throughout the 1937 campaign.
He did not attend a single election meeting.
4 The Congress won a majority in Bengal in 1937.
It was the largest party in Bengal but did not have a majority.
5 Nehru and Bose opposed office acceptance in 1937.
They said it would mean responsibility without power.
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