Legislatures of British India

After reforms and elections in 1937, the largest parties in provincial legislatures formed governments headed by a prime minister.

A few British Indian subjects were elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which had superior powers than colonial legislatures.

The Lieutenant Governor would nominate 7 members from the recommendations of universities, city corporations, municipalities, district boards and chambers of commerce.

Colonial administrators were not keen to grant parliamentary powers to India, possibly for fear of subversion.

The Act increased the powers of legislative council to discuss budgets, suggest amendments and vote on limited matters.

Reserved subjects included finance, police, land revenue, law, justice and labour.

As a result of Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms, the British government decided to gradually grant self-governing institutions to India.

The Government of India Act, 1919 established a bicameral central legislature and granted revenue shares to provincial legislative councils.

However, constitutionalists in parties like the All India Muslim League continued to advocate their constituents' interests within the councils.

[1] In 1932, the "Communal Award" was announced by British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald granting separate electorates to Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Europeans and Depressed Classes (now known as the Dalits) instead of equal universal franchise.

[1] Elections based on separate electorates were held in 1937 and 1946, leading to the formation of provincial ministries (governments) led by a Prime Minister.

Most of the provincial governments were unstable amid the outbreak of World War II, the Bengal famine of 1943 and the Quit India movement.

They included Dadabhai Naoroji, Mancherjee Bhownagree, Shapurji Saklatvala, Philip Sassoon and Ernest Soares.

The legislatures of colonial British India were precursors to modern parliamentary democracy in the Indian subcontinent.