Constituted
- November 1946: Formed under the Cabinet Mission Plan.
Strength
- Total Members: 389 (296 from British India + 93 from Princely States).
- British India: 292 members from 11 governor’s provinces and 4 Chief Commissioner’s provinces.
Composition
- Representatives from diverse sections of Indian society, including:
- Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsis, Anglo-Indians, Indian Christians, SCs, STs.
- Women from all these sections.
Seat Allocation
- Seats are allocated in proportion to the population of each province and princely state.
- Seats for each British province were divided among three principal communities: Muslims, Sikhs, and General.
Voting Method
- Proportional representation using a Single Transferable Vote for provincial representation.
- Representatives from princely states were nominated by their heads.
Members
- Partly elected (in British Provinces) and partly nominated (by heads of Princely states).
- Members are indirectly elected by provincial assembly members.
Notable Absence
- Mahatma Gandhi did not participate in the Constituent Assembly.
- 93 seats allotted to princely states remained unfilled as they opted out.
Key Facts
- Total Sessions: 11
- Duration: 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days
- Total Expenditure: 64 lakh
- Symbol: Elephant adopted as the seal of the Constituent Assembly.
Changes Made by the Independence Act, 1947
- Sovereign Body: The Assembly was declared fully sovereign, able to alter anylaw.
- Dual Functions:
- Legislative Body: Chaired by G. V. Mavalankar.
- Constituent Body: Chaired by Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
- First Parliament: Became the first Parliament of free India.
- Membership: Strength reduced to 299 after the Muslim League withdrawal, down from 389.
Key Personnel
- Sir B. N. Rau: Constitutional Adviser.
- H.V.R. Iyengar: Secretary to the Constituent Assembly.
- S.N. Mukherjee: Chief draftsman of the Constitution.
- Prem Behari Raizada: Calligrapher of the Constitution.
- Nand Lal Bose & B.R. Sinha: Responsible for decorating the Constitution.
- Hindi Calligraphy: Vasant Krishan Vaidya and illuminated by Nand Lal Bose.
Women Participation
- Initial Membership of Constituent Assembly: 15 women, later increased by 2
- Women Signatories of the Indian Constitution: 11 women, namely, G. Durgabai, Ammu Swaminathan, Amrit Kaur, Dakshayani Velayudhan, Hansa Mehta, Renuka Ray, Sucheta Kripalani, Purnima Banerji, Begum Qudsiya Aizaz Rasul, Kamala Chaudhri and Annie Mascarene.
Tags:
Indian Polity