STATES AND MINORITIES 429
Appendix II
TEXT OF THE POONA PACT
(1) There shall be seats reserved for the Depressed Classes out of the general electorates seats in the Provincial Legislatures as follows :
Madras .. .. .. 30 Bombay with Sind .. .. .. 15 Punjab .. .. .. 8 Bihar and Orissa .. .. .. 18 Central Provinces .. .. .. 20 Assam .. .. .. 7 Bengal .. .. .. 30 United Provinces .. .. .. 20 Total 148
These figures are based on total strength of the Provincial councils announced in the Prime Minister’s decision.
(2) Election to these seats shall be by joint electorates, subject however, to the following procedure :
All the members of the Depressed Classes registered in the general electoral roll in a constituency will form an electoral college, which will elect a panel of four candidates belonging to the Depressed Classes for each of such reserved seats, by the method of the single vote ; the four getting the highest number of votes in such Primary election, shall be candidates for election by the general electorate.
(3) Representation of the Depressed Classes in the Central Legislature shall likewise be on the principle of joint electorates and reserved seats by the method of Primary election in the manner provided for in clause
(2) above, for their representation in the Provincial Legislatures.
(4) In the Central Legislature, eighteen per cent of seats allotted to the general electorate for British India in the said Legislature shall be reserved for the Depressed Classes.
(5) The system of Primary election to a pannel of Candidates for election to the Central and Provincial Legislature, as hereinbefore mentioned, shall come to an end after the first ten years, unless terminated sooner by mutual agreement under the provision of clause (6) below.
(6) The system of representation of the Depressed Classes by reserved seats in the Provincial and Central Legislatures as provided for in clauses
(1) and (4) shall continue until determined by mutual agreement between the communities concerned in the settlement.
(7) Franchise for the Central and Provincial Legislatures, for the Depressed Classes shall be as indicated in the Lothian Committee Report.