1951 Punjab provincial election
Provincial Assembly elections were held in Dominion of Pakistan in 1951[1] to elect all 192 members of the Provincial Assembly of West Punjab along with other provincial election in North-West Frontier Province. 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]
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All 192 seats in the Legislative Assembly 97 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 45,00,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 44% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
editAfter the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Punjab Province was divided and West Punjab was given to the Dominion of Pakistan which became Muslim majority region soon after the partition of India. Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot became the premier of the province after independence and a ministry was formed by him. His ministry was accused of corruption and nepotism. After this, his ministry was dissolved in 1949. Later in 1950 governor Abdur Rab Nishtar announced a provincial election to be held.[3]
Results
editThe election was for 197 seats. There were 44 additional two-seat constituency with 50% for Muhajir. 4 seats were reserved for Christians and Anglo-Indians.[4]
| Party | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muslim League | 143 | New | |
| Jinnah Awami Muslim League | 32 | New | |
| Jamaat-e-Islami and Azad Pakistan Party | 1 | New | |
| Islami League | 0 | New | |
| Communist Party | 0 | New | |
| Independent | 16 | – | |
| Total | 192 | 0 | |
| Source: Kokab[5] | |||
Aftermath
editIn 1951, after elections in West Punjab, Mumtaz Daultana was chosen as parliamentary leader of the Muslim League in the Punjab Assembly and invited to form a government.[6] Iftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot became the first Leader of the Opposition in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab.
References
edit- ^ "The Punjab Legislative Assembly 1951-55". Provincial Assembly of the Punjab.
- ^ Paracha, Nadeem F. (19 June 2018). "Elections in Pakistan: A visual history". Naya Duar TV.
- ^ Asif, Nusrat. "Electoral Politics during 1951 Provincial Elections in the Punjab: A Progression of Authoritarian Legacy". Bulletin of Business and Economics. 12 (3): 692-698. doi:10.61506/01.00098.
- ^ Kamran, Tahir (July–December 2009). "Early phase of electoral politics in Pakistan: 1950s". South Asian Studies. 24 (2): 257–282.
- ^ Kokab, Rizwan Ullah. "Electoral Politics in Punjab Legislature's Election 1951" (PDF). Journal of Historical Studies. 6 (2): 228-256.
- ^ Qasmi, Ali Usman (15 Mar 2015). The Ahmadis and the Politics of Religious Exclusion in Pakistan. Anthem Press. p. 74.