Punjab Legislative Assembly 1946

 

March 21, 1946 to July 4, 1947

 

In accordance with the provisions of the Government of India Act, 1935, the second Legislative Assembly was constituted in 1945 with the same membership of 175.

 

Since the partition of the sub-continent had been decided, therefore, in pursuance of paragraph 6 of the Statement of His Majesty’s Government dated June 3, 1947, special meetings of the Western Section of the Assembly (presided over by the Speaker Diwan Bahadur S.P.Singha) and that of the Eastern Section (presided over by the Deputy Speaker Sardar Kapur Singh) were held on June 23, 1947. The agenda for these meetings was to decide whether or not the Province of the Punjab be partitioned. After voting on both sides, partition was decided1. Consequently, the existing Punjab Legislative Assembly was also divided into West Punjab Legislative

Assembly and the East Punjab Legislative Assembly.

 

The sitting members belonging to the Western Section subsequently became the members of the new Assembly renamed as the West Punjab Legislative Assembly.

 

This last Assembly before independence, held its last sitting on July 4, 1947. It stayed for about one year and four months and held 13 sittings during this period.

 

 

 

1 Proceedings, Punjab Legislative Assembly, June 23, 1947, pages 3-5