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Indian PolityMedium

Who presided over the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly as its temporary President?

  1. A.Dr Rajendra Prasad
  2. B.Dr Sachchidananda Sinha
  3. C.Jawaharlal Nehru
  4. D.G.V. Mavalankar

Correct answer

B. Dr Sachchidananda Sinha

Explanation

The correct answer is Dr Sachchidananda Sinha. When the Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946, Sinha, its oldest member, was made the temporary President, following the French practice of letting the senior-most member preside until a regular head is chosen.

Dr Rajendra Prasad is the classic trap: he was elected the permanent President of the Assembly on 11 December 1946, two days after the first sitting, so he did not preside over the first meeting. Jawaharlal Nehru's best-known role in the Assembly was moving the Objectives Resolution on 13 December 1946 and chairing committees such as the Union Powers Committee. G.V. Mavalankar presided when the Assembly sat as the Dominion Legislature, the country's first Parliament, not when it met to frame the Constitution. Keep the three offices apart: temporary President Sinha, President Prasad, and Mavalankar for the legislative sittings.

Read the full article: Making of the Indian Constitution: Notes, Key Dates and PYQs

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Q1.Indian PolityAsked in: SSC MTS · 4 May 2023, Shift 1Easy

The constituent assembly was formed on the recommendation of the Cabinet Mission which visited India in______.

  1. A.1962
  2. B.1959
  3. C.1952
  4. D.1946
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1946

The Cabinet Mission came to India in 1946 to work out how power would be handed over, and its plan laid down how a Constituent Assembly would be formed: 389 seats in all, 296 for British India and 93 for the princely states, with the members from the provinces elected…

Q2.Indian PolityAsked in: SSC MTS · 18 Oct 2021, Shift 1Easy

When did the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly take place?

  1. A.January 1950
  2. B.August 1945
  3. C.December 1946
  4. D.July 1948
Show answer
Correct answer: C. December 1946

The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946. The Muslim League boycotted the sitting and pressed its demand for a separate Pakistan, and Dr Sachchidananda Sinha, the oldest member, presided as temporary President.