A fast unto death in a colonial jail cell reshaped how Gandhi approached the rest of his political life. It also produced one of the most contested agreements in the freedom struggle.
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The Poona Pact, 1932
The Trigger
Communal Award (16 Aug 1932): separate electorates for Depressed Classes.
Gandhi’s fast unto death at Yerwada Jail.
The Agreement
Signed 24 Sept 1932, Gandhi and Ambedkar.
Reserved seats in joint electorate replace separate electorates.
The Aftermath
Harijan Sevak Sangh founded, 30 Sept 1932.
Anti-untouchability work becomes central to Gandhi’s programme.
A pact, not a consensus
The Poona Pact ended Gandhi’s fast, but it did not resolve the underlying disagreement between Gandhi and Ambedkar over how Dalit political representation should actually work.
Must Know.
From the Communal Award to the Pact.
What Happened, and Why.
- Communal Award. British PM Ramsay MacDonald announced it on 16 August 1932. It granted separate electorates to several communities, including the Depressed Classes (Dalits).
- Gandhi’s Objection Gandhi opposed separate electorates for the Depressed Classes specifically. He believed it would permanently divide Hindu society rather than integrate it.
- The Fast He began a fast unto death at Yerwada Jail, Pune, where he was imprisoned at the time.
- The Pact On 24 September 1932, Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar signed the Poona Pact, ending the fast.
- Terms Separate electorates were dropped. In their place, reserved seats for the Depressed Classes increased, within a single joint electorate. Reserved seats in provincial legislatures rose from 71 to 148.
- Election Method For each reserved seat, Depressed Class voters would first elect a panel of four candidates. The general electorate would then choose one of the four.
Good to Know.
After the Pact.
Harijan Sevak Sangh, and a New Priority for Gandhi.
- Harijan Sevak Sangh. Gandhi founded the All India Anti-Untouchability League on 30 September 1932, six days after signing the Pact. It was later renamed the Harijan Sevak Sangh.
- “Harijan”. Gandhi began using the term “Harijan,” meaning “children of God,” for the Depressed Classes. He also launched a weekly journal of the same name.
- A Core Programme. Campaigning against untouchability, including temple-entry movements and efforts to open wells to all castes, became a settled part of Gandhi’s programme. This stayed central to his work from this point on.
- Not a Consensus. The Pact ended the immediate crisis. It did not resolve Gandhi and Ambedkar’s underlying disagreement over how Dalit political representation should work.
Previous Year Question.
Asked as: “Subsequent to which one of the following events did Gandhiji decide to include the upliftment of ‘Harijans’ in his political and social programme?” This was asked in UPSC CSP 2025, GS Paper I. View this question.
Test Yourself.
Great to Know.
Two Views of Dalit Representation.
Why the Pact Remains Contested.
- Ambedkar’s View. Ambedkar had originally sought separate electorates. He wanted to guarantee genuinely independent Dalit political representation, free from control by caste-Hindu voters.
- Gandhi’s View. Gandhi saw untouchability as a moral failing within Hinduism to be reformed from within, not addressed through permanent political separation.
- A Lasting Debate. This tension between reform-from-within and independent political representation has remained a live debate in Indian politics for decades since.
- Constitutional Legacy. The joint-electorate-with-reserved-seats model from the Poona Pact became the basis for reserving seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. This carried into India’s Constitution after independence.
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