The correct option is 82 %.
Explanation
The Constituent Assembly of India was constituted in November 1946 under the scheme formulated by the Cabinet Mission Plan. The members were elected indirectly by the members of the Provincial Legislative Assemblies. The composition of the Assembly changed significantly after the partition of India, as members representing the areas included in Pakistan withdrew.
Analysis of Composition
- In the elections held in 1946, the Indian National Congress won a massive majority of the general seats, while the Muslim League captured most of the seats reserved for Muslims.
- Following the partition and the subsequent reduction in the total strength of the Assembly, the dominance of the Congress party became even more pronounced.
- According to the constitutional historian Granville Austin, the Congress party held 82 % of the seats in the Constituent Assembly.
- This overwhelming majority led Austin to observe in his seminal work, The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation, that "The Assembly was the Congress and the Congress was India."
Key Takeaway
The Indian National Congress commanded an 82 % majority in the Constituent Assembly, a statistic frequently cited to highlight the one-party dominance in the constitution-making body.