In August 1932 the British government announced a scheme of representation that gave the Depressed Classes (Dalits) separate electorates. Gandhi, then in Yerwada Jail in Poona, began a fast unto death against it, arguing it would split Hindu society; Ambedkar argued upper-caste reformers could not speak for Dalits.
Key facts
- Signed 24 September 1932 at Yerwada Central Jail, Poona, between Gandhi's side and Ambedkar.
- It allotted 148 seats to the Depressed Classes in provincial legislatures, filled through a two-step election, for ten years unless the communities agreed otherwise.
- Madan Mohan Malaviya signed for the Hindus and Ambedkar for the Depressed Classes; historians still debate whether Ambedkar was coerced.
Why exams ask about it
Setters ask what award Gandhi fasted against, who signed, where, and what replaced separate electorates.