1951 North-West Frontier Province provincial election
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All 85 seats in the Legislative Assembly 43 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 1,346,938 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 49% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Provincial Assembly elections were held in North-West Frontier Province in 1951[1] to elect all 85 members of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Pakistan along with other provincial election in West Punjab. It was Pakistan's first provincial assembly election. Pakistan Muslim League won the election, and defeated the JAML coalition of the Jinnah Muslim League and All-Pakistan Awami Muslim League.[2]
History
In 1946 Indian provincial elections, the Indian National Congress achieved a strong majority, largely due to the personality of Khudai Khidmatgar leader Abdul Ghaffar Khan, enabling them to form a government without trouble in North-West Frontier Province.[3] Khan strongly opposed the partition of India.[4] and When the 1947 North-West Frontier Province referendum over accession to Pakistan was held, Chief Minister Khan boycotted the referendum.[5] Muslim League pressured to dissolve Khan ministry. Later Muhammad Ali Jinnah, governor-general of Dominion of Pakistan, dismissed his ministry and appointed Abdul Qayyum Khan as new Chief Minister.[6] In 1951, Qayyum announced to hold election in his province which resulted negative reactions because most of the political leaders and members were in Jail or in exile. Although the legislative council was dissolved, his ministry was in power still as the interim government.[7]
Results
Provincial constituencies were increased from 50 to 85 including 3 reserved seats. Muslim League had 84, Jinnah Awami Muslim League had 46, Azad Muslim League had 5, Jamaat-e-Islami had 3, Islami League had 4 candidates. 98 candidates were independent in the election. 660,000 voted in the election which was 49% of total voters.[7]
| Party | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muslim League | 67 | New | |
| Jinnah Awami Muslim League | 4 | New | |
| Jamaat-e-Islami | 0 | New | |
| Islami League | 0 | New | |
| Azad Muslim League | 0 | New | |
| Non-Muslim | 1 | – | |
| Independent | 13 | – | |
| Total | 85 | 0 | |
| Source: Kamran[6] | |||
Aftermath
Despite oppositions from Khudai Khidmatgar and Muslim League opponents, Qayyum led the Muslim League to a landslide victory in the 1951 elections.[8] He formed a ministry with himself as new Cheif Minister including Education Minister Mian Jaffar Shah, Local Self-Government Minister Jalal Baba, Health Minister M. R. Kiyani and Revenue Minister Mir Ayub Khan.[7]
References
- ^ "Overview". Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- ^ Paracha, Nadeem F. (19 June 2018). "Elections in Pakistan: A visual history". Naya Duar TV.
- ^ W. W. J. (April 1946). "The Indian Elections – 1946". The World Today. 2 (4): 167–175. JSTOR 40391905.
- ^ "Abdul Ghaffar Khan". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
- ^ Meyer, Karl E. (2008). The Dust of Empire: The Race For Mastery in the Asian Heartland – Karl E. Meyer – Google Boeken. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-0786724819. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ a b Kamran, Tahir (July–December 2009). "Early phase of electoral politics in Pakistan: 1950s". South Asian Studies. 24 (2): 257–282.
- ^ a b c Minhaj ul Hassan, Syed (2008). "1951 General Elections in the NWFP". Pakistan Journal of History and Culture. 29 (2). National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research.
- ^ Afzal, M. Rafique (2002). Political Parties in Pakistan: 1947–1958, Vol. 1. Islamabad, National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research.
| General elections | |
|---|---|
| Provincial Assembly | |
| Local elections | |
| Referendum |
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See also: Elections and referendums in Pakistan ¹ As part of British India | |
