Question map
Consider the following statements : 1. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 recommended granting voting rights to all the women above the age of 21. 2. The Government of India Act of 1935 gave women reserved seats in legislature. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 2.
Statement 1 is incorrect: The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (Government of India Act, 1919) did not grant universal adult suffrage or direct voting rights to all women over 21. Instead, it allowed provincial legislatures the discretion to decide on female enfranchisement. While some provinces subsequently granted limited voting rights, these were strictly based on restrictive criteria like property ownership, education, and tax-paying status, rather than age alone.
Statement 2 is correct: The Government of India Act of 1935 significantly expanded the political representation of marginalized groups. It introduced the principle of "Separate Electorates" and provided reserved seats for women in both the Federal and Provincial legislatures to ensure their participation in the legislative process. It also further extended the franchise to women based on literacy and being the wife of a voter, though universal suffrage was only achieved after Independence.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewStatement 1 is a classic 'Extreme Word' trap ('all women') combined with historical anachronism. Statement 2 is a direct fact found in standard texts like Spectrum (Chapter 26). The question rewards those who track the specific evolution of franchise rather than just memorizing 'Dyarchy' or 'Bicameralism'.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
This snippet records the exact claim as a test statement used in a standard polity text, indicating the claim is a known historical proposition subject to verification.
A student could treat this as a hypothesis to check against primary descriptions of the 1919 Act or contemporary franchise schedules.
Identifies the Government of India Act, 1919 as the product of the Montagu‑Chelmsford Reforms and situates it as an act that enacted substantive constitutional changes.
A student can use this to focus search on the 1919 Act’s provisions (electoral/ franchise clauses) to see whether women's suffrage at age 21 was included.
Notes structural changes (e.g., bicameral legislature) introduced by the 1919 Act, implying the Act dealt with legislative composition and therefore potentially with electoral/ franchise arrangements.
A student could examine how the Act defined elector qualifications for the new Council/Assembly to infer whether women above 21 were enfranchised.
States that prior to 1988 the voting age in India was 21, showing a historical norm of a 21‑year voting age which can be a baseline when assessing earlier reforms.
A student might combine this with the 1919 Act focus to ask whether the 1919 provisions used a 21‑year threshold and whether that applied to women as well.
- Explicitly records that the principles of communal electorates and 'weightage' were extended to depressed classes, women and labour under the 1935 Act.
- Inclusion of women in the extension of communal electorates signals a mechanism of separate/allocated representation for women in legislative bodies created by the Act.
- Describes the 1935 Act's extension of the system of communal electorates and representation of various interests.
- This broader extension of communal representation supports the view that the Act created special representation channels (which included women as per other passages).
- [THE VERDICT]: Manageable Trap. S2 is direct from Spectrum/Laxmikanth; S1 is eliminated by common sense (colonial govt granting 'universal' rights is impossible).
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Historical Background of Indian Constitution -> The specific timeline of Electorate expansion.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: 1909 (Muslims separate electorate); 1919 (Sikhs, Christians, Anglo-Indians separate electorate + Women's vote allowed but restricted); 1935 (Women, Labour, Depressed Classes separate electorate); 1950 (Universal Adult Franchise); 61st Amd (Vote age 21->18).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When studying the Acts (1909, 1919, 1935), do not just read paragraphs. Create a comparative table for 'Who got the vote?' and 'Who got separate electorates?'. The examiner loves swapping these specific beneficiaries.
The question names the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms, which are the 1919 Government of India Act that introduced major constitutional changes in British India.
Understanding what the 1919 Act was and its place in constitutional evolution is high-yield for UPSC history and polity: it links pre‑Gandhi constitutional reforms to later Acts and to nationalist responses. Mastery helps answer questions about institutional changes, continuity, and the timeline of constitutional development.
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 1: Historical Background > Government of India Act of 1919 > p. 6
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > Government of India Act, 1919 > p. 509
- Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 1: THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND > Utility of a Historical Retrospect. > p. 4
The claim concerns voting rights; key milestones are the Constitution's adoption of universal adult franchise and the later reduction of voting age from 21 to 18.
Questions often test the timeline and content of franchise reforms (who got the vote, when, and age limits). This concept ties modern constitutional provisions to colonial-era reforms and helps eliminate chronologically incorrect options in exam questions.
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 4: Salient Features of the Constitution > IfJ I Universal Adult Franchise > p. 32
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 82: Electoral Reforms > T ELECTORAL REFORMS l BEFORE 1996 > p. 582
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science, Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System > Universal Adult Franchise > p. 118
The 1919 Act reorganised legislative institutions (creation of Council of State and Legislative Assembly), which affects how representation and electoral arrangements were structured.
Knowing institutional reforms under each Act is useful for questions on legislative history, representation mechanisms, and the evolution of provincial/central governance. It helps connect franchise discussions to where and how representatives were elected or nominated.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > Government of India Act, 1919 > p. 509
The 1935 Act extended communal electorates and weightage to include women, creating separate channels of representation.
High-yield for questions on colonial electoral design and representation: explains how reserved/segmented representation operated before universal adult franchise, links to causes of communal politics and constitutional debates. Mastery helps answer questions on types of electorate systems, reserved representation, and their political consequences.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > Government of India Act, 1935 > p. 512
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > Government of India Act, 1935 > p. 513
Women were brought into colonial-era communal/interest representation under 1935, while later reforms established reservations at local bodies and modern legislative proposals.
Useful for comparative questions tracing continuity and change in women's representation—from communal electorates to statutory reservations (local bodies and recent Women's Reservation Act). Helps frame essay and polity questions on gender representation and reform trajectories.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > Government of India Act, 1935 > p. 512
- Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: ELECTION AND REPRESENTATION > Chapter 3: Election and Representation > p. 65
- Democratic Politics-II. Political Science-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: Gender, Religion and Caste > Women's political representation > p. 35
The 1935 Act introduced provincial autonomy and held provincial elections in 1937, which operationalised the representation arrangements including communal electorates.
Important for understanding how legislative provisions translated into practice—connects constitutional provisions to electoral outcomes and party responses. Enables analysis of how structural reforms affected political power distribution in provinces and representation of groups.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 20: Debates on the Future Strategy after Civil Disobedience Movement > Government of India Act, 1935 > p. 410
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 12: FRAMING THE CONSTITUTION > Fig. 12.7 > p. 326
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > Government of India Act, 1935 > p. 512
The 1919 Act created the office of the 'High Commissioner for India' in London to take over some functions of the Secretary of State. Also, the 1935 Act proposed an 'All India Federation' which never actually came into existence due to opposition from Princely States.
Apply the 'Anachronism Filter'. In 1919, even the UK had not granted voting rights to *all* women (equal terms came only in 1928). It is logically impossible for the British to grant 'all' Indian women voting rights in 1919 before doing so at home. The word 'all' makes Statement 1 absurd.
Link 1935's 'Reserved Seats for Women' to the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act (2023) [Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam]. Contrast the colonial motive (communal/divisive reservation) with the modern motive (inclusive/empowerment reservation) for Mains GS1/GS2.