Since election season is upon us, I thought it would be apt to share this picture of the Central Legislature elections in 1945 with people queuing up outside the Town Hall in Delhi (note the neo classical columns in the top right-hand corner of the picture). This is an isolated picture which I came across on the internet and I’m not sure who the photographer was or whether this was a picture meant for internal consumption by the Congress Party cadres.
The Indian National Congress’ candidate here was the lawyer Asaf Ali, contesting the seat from his hometown. Ali was born nearby in the locality of Kucha Chelan, knew the area and its people intimately and was above all, a Muslim candidate for the Congress that wanted to brandish its secular credentials and the ability to speak for all Indians. The Muslim League and its leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah did not field a candidate in Delhi at the time. In the end, Ali won the election quite comfortably and after the independence of India in 1947, led diplomatic missions abroad.
See you next week.
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