The Constituent Assembly at Work (1946–1949)
Key people, dates, and processes behind the making of the Indian Constitution.
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Questions Covered in This Set
11 cards to master
How long did the Constituent Assembly take to draft the Constitution?
2 years, 11 months and 18 days — across 11 sessions totalling 165 days.
Under which plan was the Constituent Assembly created?
The Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946; members were indirectly elected by provincial legislative assemblies.
What were the Assembly's strength figures before and after Partition?
Originally 389 members; reduced to 299 after Partition on 15 August 1947.
Who was the permanent President of the Constituent Assembly, and who was temporary chairman?
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was permanent President; Sachchidananda Sinha chaired the first sitting on 9 December 1946.
What was Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's role?
Chairman of the seven-member Drafting Committee; he defended nearly every clause on the floor and is called the 'Father of the Indian Constitution'.
What did B. N. Rau contribute?
As Constitutional Adviser he prepared the initial Draft Constitution of 1948 after consulting judges and scholars in the USA, Canada, Ireland and Britain.
Who moved the Objectives Resolution and when?
Jawaharlal Nehru, on 13 December 1946 — it became the philosophical seed of the Preamble.
Which committees did Sardar Patel chair?
Fundamental Rights, Minorities, and Provincial Constitutions — while also integrating the princely states.
How inclusive was the Assembly?
It had 15 women (Sarojini Naidu, Hansa Mehta, Durgabai Deshmukh, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Dakshayani Velayudhan), Dalits, Anglo-Indians, Parsis, tribal and Muslim League members.
What was the Assembly's second role after 15 August 1947?
It doubled as the provisional Parliament of independent India, passing budgets and handling the refugee crisis.
How were decisions usually taken in the Assembly?
By consensus through long discussion rather than brute majority voting — most final votes were unanimous.
