1955 Pondicherry Representative Assembly election
After the de-factor merger on 1 November 1954 and before the legal integration with the Indian Union on 16 August 1962, general elections were held in 1955 and 1959. So. the first general elections to the Pondicherry Representative Assembly were held in 1955 from July 18th to 23rd for 39 constituencies to constitute First Pondicherry Representative Assembly. The election were held on the basis of adult franchise under the State of Pondicherry (Representation of the People) Order, 1955 which prescribed the rules and regulations for the conduct of elections, more or less on the pattern adopted in the Indian Union.[2][3]
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All 39 seats to the Puducherry Representative Assembly 20 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||
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Results
The results of 1955 elections are[4]:75–76
Parties and Coalitions | Won | Votes | Votes % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Indian National Congress | 20 | 53,682 | 37.2% | |
People's Front | 16 | 51,015 | 35.0% | |
Independents | 3 | 37,926 | 27.0% |
Congress barely secured a majority of 20 seats out of 39 these seats. Congress won 9 out of 12 from Karaikal, 8 out of 22 from Pondicherry, 1 out of 3 from Mahe and 2 out of 2 from Yanam. However, In Yanam, both seats won in an uncontested manner.[4]:75–76 In Pondicherry, the Congress did not fare well. The Congress did not secure seats in Pondicherry city and the surrounding areas. All the 8 seats in Pondicherry that were won by Congress came from the liberated areas of Nettapakkam, Mannadipet (Tiroubouvané) and Bahour communes. People's Front (Communist) (Makkaḷ Munnaṇi (Tamil:மக்கள் முன்னணி)) won 13 seats out of 22 from Pondicherry and 3 seats out of 12 seats from Karaikal. However, three members who won on People's Front ticket joined Congress later.[4]:64
Members of the 1955 Pondicherry Representative Assembly
S. No | Name | Constituency | Region | Party |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Annousamy | Ariankuppam | Pondicherry | P.F.[note 1] |
2 | Arul Raj | Muthialpet | Pondicherry | P.F. |
3 | Arunachalam | Darbaranyeswarar Koil | Karikal | Congress |
4 | Asappu Bairavasamy | Oulgaret Town | Pondicherry | P.F. |
5 | Barathidasan | Cassicade | Pondicherry | P.F.[note 2] |
6 | C. E. Barathan | Mahe Town | Mahe | Congress |
7 | Chandrasekhara Chettiar | Archivak–Tavalacoupom | Pondicherry | Congress |
8 | D.Rathinasabapathy Pillai | Neravy Commune | Karikal | Congress |
9 | Édouard Goubert | Bahour | Pondicherry | Congress |
10 | Evariste Dessame | Karikal South | Karikal | P.F. |
11 | Govindaraju | Nellitope Town | Pondicherry | P.F. |
12 | Joseph Latour | Ouppalaom | Pondicherry | P.F. |
13 | K. Sheikh Dawood Maricar | Karikal Town North | Karikal | Congress |
14 | K.S.V. Prasadarao Naidu[note 3] | Yanam[note 4] | Yanam | Congress |
15 | Louis Savarih | Villenour Town | Pondicherry | Ind.[note 5] |
16 | M.M.Hussein | Fifth Bussy Street | Pondicherry | P.F. |
17 | Mohamed Yusoof | Karikal Central | Karikal | Ind. |
18 | Padmanabhan | Palloor | Mahe | Ind. |
19 | Murugaswamy Clemanso | Couroussou Coupom | Pondicherry | P.F. |
20 | N. Sethuraman Chettiar | Rajbhavan | Pondicherry | Ind. |
21 | N. Ranganathan | Saram and Lawspet | Pondicherry | P.F. |
22 | Pakkir Mohammed | Oussoudou | Pondicherry | P.F. |
23 | Shanmugam | Nedungadu | Karikal | P.F. |
24 | Ramalingam | Calapet | Pondicherry | Congress |
25 | R.L. Purushottam Reddiar | Kuruvinattam-Kariambuttur | Pondicherry | Congress |
26 | S. Dakshinamoorthy Mudaliar | Thirumalarayanpattinam South | Karikal | Congress |
27 | Thandapani Kounder | Mannadipet Town | Pondicherry | Congress |
28 | Thiagaraja Naicker | Embaralam-Kalamandapam | Pondicherry | Congress |
29 | Thirukamu Reddi | Sellipet-Souttoukeny | Pondicherry | Congress |
30 | T. Srinivasa Pillai | Thirumeni Alagar | Karikal | Congress |
31 | U. Rangaswamy Pillai | Thirumalayapattinam North | Karikal | Congress |
32 | Venkatasubba Reddiar | Nettapakkam Town | Pondicherry | Congress |
33 | V.N.Purushottamari | Pandakkal | Mahe | Ind. |
34 | V.Narayanaswamy | Reddiarpalayam Town | Pondicherry | P.F. |
35 | V.Ramalingam Pillai | Badrakaliamman | Karikal | Congress |
36 | V.Ramaswamy Pillai | Kottuchery-Mathakovil | Karikal | Congress |
37 | V. Subbiah | Murugapakkam | Pondicherry | Congress |
38 | Y. Jagannadha Rao[note 6] | Yanam[note 7] | Yanam | Congress |
39 | M. Pakkiriswamy Pillai[note 8] | Karikovil Pathan | Karikal | Congress |
Government formation
the Congress with the support of independents was able to form a Government. The chief opposition party was the Communist (i.e. People's Front) with 12 seats. However, the government was not stable. There were frequent crossings of the floor by the Legislators, and the ruling party was ridden with personal strifes and factions.[6] The Government of India had to intervene finally by dissolving the Assembly and the Chief Commissioner, L.R.S. Singh, took over the administration on 28 October 1958.[7]:966 Later, after nine months, elections were held in 1959.
Cabinet
Initially, Maurice Pakkiriswamy Pillai led the Pondicherry Representative Assembly from 17 August 1955[8] until his death in January 1956.[9]:64–65[10] Then, a five-member new cabinet was formed and led by Édouard Goubert. It had Eduard Goubert, Chandrasekhara Chettiar, Mohammed Yusoof, S. Dakshinamoorthy Mudaliar and Thiagraja Naicker.
See aso
Notes
- i.e. People's Front
- i.e. Won on P.F. ticket, but, among three who joined Congress after elections
- i.e. Elected uncontested
- i.e. Kanakalpeta constituency
- i.e. Independant
- i.e. Elected uncontested
- i.e. Adi Andhrapeta constituency
- i.e. The seat fell vacant after Pakkiriswamy Pillai's death in January 1956.[5]
References
- "Criminal Justice India Series: Pondicherry". D.Banerjea. Allied Publishers. 2005. p. 30.
- "India, A Reference Annual 1956" (PDF). Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. Publications Division. 1956. p. 494.
- "Cabinet Responsibility to Legislature". G.C.Malhotra. Metropolitan Book Co. Pvt. Ltd. 1964. p. 464.
- Shriman Narayan, K.P.Madhavan Nair (1956). "Report Of The General Secretaries" (PDF). Indian National Congress.
- "All India Election Guide". R. V. Krishna Ayyar. Oriental Publishers. 1956. pp. 167, 464.
- K. K., Rajagopalan (September 12, 1959). "Pondicherry Assembly Elections An Analysis" (PDF). The Economic Weekly. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "Cabinet Responsibility to Legislature". G. C. Malhotra. Lok Sabha Secretariat. 2004.
- "The Encyclopaedia of Indian National Congress". A. Moin Zaidi. S. Chand Publications. 1976. p. 229.
- Shriman Narayan, K.P.Madhavan Nair (1956). "Report Of The General Secretaries". Indian National Congress.
- "Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru" (PDF). Jawaharlal Nehru. Oxford University Press. 1961. p. 156.