Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of Independent India. On 15th August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru was sworn in as the first Prime Minister of India by Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India and the first Governor-General of independent India.
In the year 1946, the Indian National congress held an internal election to decide the President of the INC who would eventually become the first Prime Minister of India. Jawaharlal Nehru, Acharya Kripalani, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were the candidates for INC President.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel won 12 out of 15 state committees, while the 3 state committees abstained from nominating. The overwhelming majority was in favour of Patel then how did Jawaharlal Nehru become the First Prime Minister of Independent India?
The First Prime Minister of Independent India
Two main reasons behind Britishers leaving India in a hurry are:
- World War II had a profound effect on the British Empire because it completely destroyed their economy. Hitler had destroyed Britain’s economy to such an extent that they could not financially maintain their military forces. Hence, they were incapable of containing Freedom Movements.
- Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Indian National Army (INA) fought battles against British Empire to gain freedom. Bose was able to shake the loyalty of Indian soldiers towards the British Raj which lead to the Naval Mutiny, followed by revolts in almost every department.
Britishers were afraid that if the mutiny spread to the army and police, there would be a large-scale killing of Britishers all over India. Hence they did the Transfer Of Power on 15th August 1947 and left India as soon as possible.
The Clement Attlee government sent a Cabinet Mission to India in 1946 to discuss the Transfer of Power from the British Government to Indian political leadership.
As the Indian freedom struggle was approaching its conclusion, the Indian National congress held an internal election in 1946 to decide the president of INC, who would later become the first Prime Minister of Independent India.
Election of INC President and First Prime Minister of India
The candidates for Indian National Congress (INC) President and would be Prime Minister of India were Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani, popularly known as Acharya Kriplani and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Congress working committees and state committees were supposed to send in their nominations for their preferred candidate whom they wanted to see as the Congress president and future Prime Minister of Independent India.
Gandhi favoured Jawaharlal Nehru from the beginning as he wanted him to be the Congress President and Prime Minister of India. He showed his support for Nehru by stating, “Jawaharlal cannot be replaced today whilst the charge is being taken from the British. He, a Harrow boy, a Cambridge graduate, and a barrister, is wanted to carry on the negotiations with the Englishmen.”
The results of the election showed that the Congressman’s had different opinions than Gandhi. Because Patel had won 12 out of 15 state committees, while the 3 state committees abstained from nominating. Gandhi’s blue-eyed boy received Zero nominations.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel received the overwhelming majority in the congress presidential elections in 1946. Patel was on his way to becoming the first Prime Minister of independent India. Then how did Nehru become the First Prime Minister of India?
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Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India due to Gandhi’s mercy. If Gandhi had not intervened, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel would have been the Congress president and India’s first Prime Minister.
Gandhi’s intervention in the 1946 Congress Presidential election
Patel got a clear mandate in the 1946 Congress Presidential election and was on his way to becoming the first Prime Minister of independent India. But Gandhiji intervened and introduced the anti-democratic culture of the Party High Commands disregarding the people’s mandate.
Maulana Abul Kalam writes in his autobiography, “The question normally arose that there should be the fresh Congress elections and a new President chosen. As soon as this was mooted in the Press, a general demand arose that I should be selected President for another term…”
On 20th April 1946, Gandhi wrote a letter to Maulana Azad along with the cuttings of the newspaper and asked him to refute the claims of him becoming the Congress president.
Gandhiji asked Acharya Kriplani to take back his nomination and also asked him to propose the name of Jawaharlal Nehru for Congress president. In deference to Gandhi, Acharya Kripalani nominated Nehru and withdrew from the presidential election.
‘I consider Nehru’s defeat as my defeat’, said Gandhi to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Sardar Patel regarded Gandhiji as his mentor. That’s why he stepped down to fulfil Gandhi’s wish and sacrificed the post of the first Prime Minister of independent India. Hence Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was elected unopposed as the first Prime Minister of India.
This is how the very first election that would decide the Prime Minister of independent India was manipulated and a candidate who had received zero nominations was elected as the first Prime Minister of India.
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Later, Dr. Rajendra Prasad said that “Gandhi has once again sacrificed his trusted lieutenant for the sake of the glamorous Nehru.” He said this with respect to the 1946 Congress presidential election because Patel was denied the presidency of the INC in 1929 and 1937 in preference to Nehru.
Conclusion
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of independent India due to Gandhi’s intervention. If Gandhi had not intervened, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel would have been the Congress president and India’s first Prime Minister.
Patel was persuaded to step down by Gandhi, and he relinquished the post of India’s first prime minister in favour of Nehru. Such a supreme sacrifice is unimaginable in contemporary times.