Vol. 1 · pages 446–450

STATES AND MINORITIES 431 Appendix III DISADVANTAGES OF THE POONA PACT 1. The Poona Pact was intended to devise a method whereby the Scheduled Castes would be able to return to the Legislature representatives of their choice. This intention has been completely nullified as will be seen from the following series of statistics. The series have been constructed from the results of the last elections which took place in February 1946. 2. The statistical data is arranged in four series of tables : First series show the votes secured by the successful Caste Hindu candidate and the successful Scheduled Caste candidate in the Final election. Second series show in how many cases did reliance on reservation clause become necessary for the success of the Scheduled Caste candidate in the Final election and in how many he succeeded without the benefit of reservation. Third series show the relative voting strength of the Caste Hindus and the Scheduled Castes in constituencies in which seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes. Fourth series show the position in the Primary election of the Scheduled Caste Candidates who became successful in the Final elections. 3. The conclusions that follow from these figures will not escape those who care to examine them. The figures prove the following propositions : (i) That every of the Scheduled Caste candidate who became successful in the Final election owed his success to the votes of the caste Hindus and not of the Scheduled Castes. A great many of them came to the top of the poll and secured votes equal to and in some cases larger than those obtained by Caste Hindu candidates ( See Tables in the First Series). Secondly, in very few constituencies was the successful Scheduled Caste candidate required to rely on reservation (See Tables in the Second Series). This is a most unexpected phenomenon. Anyone who compares the voting strength of the Scheduled Castes with the voting strength of the Caste Hindus in the different constituencies (See Tables in the Third Series) would realize that the voting strength of the Scheduled Castes is so small that such a phenomenon could never have occurred if only the Scheduled Castes voters had voted for the Scheduled Caste candidates. That they have occurred is proof positive that the success of the Scheduled Caste candidate in the Final election is conditioned by the Caste Hindu votes. (ii) That comparing the results of the Primary election with those of the Final election ( See Tables in the Fourth series) the Scheduled Caste candidate who was elected in the Final election was one

432 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES who had failed in the Primary election (if the Primary election be treated as a Final election and the constituency be treated as a single-member constituency). (iii) Owing to the extreme disparity between the voting strength of the Hindus and the Scheduled Castes—disparity which will not disappear even under adult suffrage—a system of joint electorates will not succeed in giving the Scheduled Castes the chance of returning their true representatives. (iv) The Poona Pact has completely disfranchised the Scheduled Castes inasmuch as candidates whom they rejected in the Primary elections— which is a true index of their will—have been returned in the Final election by the votes of the Caste Hindus. The Poona Pact is thus fraught with mischief. It was accepted because of the coercive fast of Mr. Gandhi and because of the assurance given at the time that the Hindus will not interfere in the election of the Scheduled Castes. FIRST SERIES Votes obtained by the successful Scheduled Caste candidates as compared with the votes secured by the successful Caste Hindu candidates. Page Nos. Part I—Madras . . . . . . 433 Part II—Bengal . . . . . . 433-34 Part III—Bombay . . . . . . 434 Part IV—U.P. . . . . . . 435 Part V—C.P. . . . . . . 435 Part VI—Assam . . . . . . 436 Part VII—Orissa . . . . . . 436

STATES AND MINORITIES 433 First Series I. MADRAS Name of the Constituency Seats Votes polled by successful Hindu candidates Votes polled by successful Scheduled Caste candidates 1 23 4 1. Coconada .. .. 2 32,607 28,544 2. Ellore .. .. 2 37,618 38,195 3. Bandar .. .. 2 69,319 70,931 4. Ongole .. .. 2 50,906 49,992 5. Penukonda .. .. 2 17,406 18,125 6. Kurnool .. .. 2 32,756 32,294 7. Chingleput .. .. 2 13,865 15,129 8. Thiruvalur .. .. 2 17,225 17,818 9. Ranipet .. .. 2 21,249 21,059 10. Tiruvannamalai .. .. 2 31,476 32,132 11. Tindivanam .. .. 2 25,626 25,442 12. Chidambaram .. .. 2 15,272 14,874 13. Tanjore .. .. 2 26,904 16,133 14. Mannargudi .. .. 2 29,932 30,116 15. Ariyalur .. .. 2 22,656 20,520 16. Sattur .. .. 2 30,988 29,530 17. Malapuram .. .. 2 28,229 28,085 18. Namakkal .. .. 2 15,433 15,085 II. BENGAL Name of the Constituency Seats Votes polled by successful Hindu candidates Votes polled by successful Scheduled Caste candidates 1 2 3 45 1. Burdwan Central .. 2 42,858 33,903 . . . . 2. Burdwan, North-West .. 2 32,270 25,723 . . . . 3. Birbhum .. .. 2 24,629 20,252 . . . . 4. Bankura, West .. 2 30,388 21,266 . . . . 5. Thurgram-cum-Ghatal .. 2 40,900 19,060 . . . . 6. Hooghly, North-East .. 2 26,132 18,768 . . . . 7. Howrah .. .. 2 40,608 36,099 . . . . 8. 24 Parganas, South-East .. 2 50,345 38,459 . . . . 9. 24 Parganas, North-West .. 2 45,339 48,272 . . . . 10. Nadia .. .. 2 30,489 28,054 . . . . 11. Murshidabad .. .. 2 32,386 26,958 . . . . 12. Jessore .. .. 2 38,665 41,434 . . . .

434 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES II. BENGAL Name of the Constituency Seats Votes polled by successful Hindu candidates Votes polled by successful Scheduled Caste candidates 1 2 3 45 13. Khulna .. .. 3 79,218 57,724 44,043 14. Malda .. .. 2 32,728 12,796 . . . . 15. Dinajpur .. .. 3 46,146 35,127 30,839 16. Jalpaiguri-cum -Siliguri .. 3 30,950 26,109 13,829 17. Rangpur .. .. 3 46,869 29,657 23,237 18. Bogra- cum-Pabna .. 2 43,249 31,515 . . . . 19. Dacca, East .. .. 2 51,808 31,392 . . . . 20. Mymensingh, West .. 2 37,983 32,782 . . . . 21. Mymensingh, East .. 2 43,678 32,207 . . . . 22. Faridpur .. .. 2 70,115 51,450 29,503 23. Bakargunj .. .. 2 48,560 28,560 . . . . 24. Tippera .. .. 2 60,146 59,051 . . . . III. BOMBAY Name of the Constituency Seats Votes secured by successful Hindu candidates Votes secured by successful Scheduled Caste candidates 1 23 4 5 6 1. Bombay City (Suburban) 3 57,182 47,835 . . . . 59,646 2. Bombay City (Byculla) .. 3 42,143 41,795 . . . . 43,251 3. Kaira District .. .. 4 68,044 63,422 57,394 69,807 4. Surat District .. .. 4 40,232 39,985 39,610 39,849 5. Thana, South .. .. 3 30,581 27,587 . . . . 11,630 6. Ahmednagar, South .. 3 25,747 20,948 . . . . 20,908 7. East Khandesh, East .. 4 38,721 34,349 33,960 36,136 8. Nasik, West .. .. 4 37,218 36,794 36,555 42,604 9. Poona, West .. .. 3 23,758 23,454 . . . . 24,709 10. Satara, North .. 4 44,315 42,727 41,474 43,961 11. Sholapur, North-East .. 3 19,380 16,705 . . . . 18,264 12. Belgaum, North .. 4 55,787 50,759 49,867 27,682 13. Bijapur, North .. 3 23,083 20,838 . . . . 16,059 14. Kolaba District .. 4 41,012 38,864 35,633 17,676 15. Ratnagiri, North .. 4 13,640 10,985 10,372 11,734

STATES AND MINORITIES 435 IV. UNITED PROVINCES Name of the Constituency Seats Votes polled by successful Hindu candidates Votes polled by successful Scheduled Caste candidates 1 23 4 1. Lucknow City .. 2 24,614 14,110 2. Cawnpore City .. 2 34,550 34,782 3. Agra City .. 2 17,446 16,343 4. Allahabad City .. 2 19,870 10,308 5. Badaun District .. 2 6,716 14,037 6. Jalaun District .. 2 21,692 15,363 7. Basti District .. 2 14,450 15,447 8. Almora District .. 2 36,371 20,605 9. Rai Bareilli .. 2 15,917 1,889 10. Sitapur District .. 2 28,665 20,204 11. Gonda District .. 2 17,949 13,447 V. CENTRAL PROVINCES Name of the Constituency Seats Votes polled by successful Hindu candidates Votes polled by successful Scheduled Caste candidates 1 23 4 1. Nagpur City .. 2 21,905 23,595 2. Nagpur-Umred .. 2 8,330 7,847 3. Hinganghat-Wardha .. 2 11,677 10,781 4. Chanda-Brahmapuri .. 2 10,208 8,144 5. Chindwara-Sansad .. 2 16,365 6,190 6. Saugor-Khurai .. 2 7,829 5,162 7. Raipur .. 2 8,183 6,112 8. Baloda Bazar .. 2 21,861 9,659 9. Bilaspur .. 2 13,109 6,030 10. Mungeli .. 2 9,600 6,418 11. Tanjgir .. 2 11,914 7,419 12. Drug .. 2 5,975 5,593 13. Bhandara-Sakoli .. 2 16,824 10,491 14. Yeotmal-Daresha .. 2 10,915 4,719 15. Ellichpur .. 2 16,298 4,592 16. Chikhli-Mehkar .. 2 16,397 2,748 17. Akola-Balapur .. 2 6,455 5,567