Gandhi's Fast and Poona Pact — Definition

Definition

Gandhi's fast and the Poona Pact concern the dispute in 1932 over political representation for the Depressed Classes, the contemporary term used in the negotiations. The Communal Award proposed separate electorates for them.

Gandhi opposed that arrangement and began a fast in prison; Ambedkar defended the need for effective political safeguards. The agreement reached on 24 September 1932 substituted reserved seats within joint electorates, with a special primary-election mechanism, for the proposed separate electorates.

The episode raises distinct questions about representation, social power and the pressure under which negotiation occurred. Gandhi's influence must also be distinguished from the identities of the agreement's formal signatories.