The elections to the two houses of legislatures of the Bombay Presidency were held in 1937, as part of the nationwide provincial elections in British India. The Indian National Congress was the single largest party by winning 86 of 175 seats in the Legislative Assembly and 13 of 60 seats in the Legislative Council.
The Congress Government that was formed after the elections under B. G. Kher lasted till October 1939, when it resigned protesting India's involvement in the Second World War. The next election was held in 1946.
Government of India Act of 1935 The Government of India Act of 1935 abolished dyarchy and ensured provincial autonomy. It created a bicameral legislature in the Bombay province. The Legislature consisted of the Governor and two Legislative bodies - a Legislative Assembly and a Legislative Council. The Assembly consisted of 175 members who were further classified into General seats and those reserved for special communities and interests. The Legislative Council consisted of 60 members. It was a permanent body not subject to dissolution by the Governor. The Act provided for a limited adult franchise based on property qualifications.nor and one-third of its members retired every three years.
Results The Congress contested 110 out of the total 175 seats in the assembly out of which 97 were general constituencies. For the council, it contested 15 out of the 26 seats where elections took place.
In the assembly, 15 seats were reserved for the Scheduled Castes. Out of these, Congress Party secured one seat unopposed and contested 8 seats out of which it won 5.
Legislative Assembly Party wise break up of seats in the Bombay Legislative Assembly:
Total Number of Seats : 175 PartySeatsIndian National Congress88Independents32Muslim League20Independent Labour Party12Europeans, Anglo-Indians and Indian Christians8Non-Brahman8Democratic Swarajya Party5Peasants Party2Total175Source: Schwartzberg Atlas
MLAs elected +Reservation ConstituencyMemberBombay City (Byculla and Parel)Hindu Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Bombay City (Fort, Mandvi, Girgaum and Bhlueshwar) Bombay City North and Bombay Suburban Ahmedabad City Poona City Sholapur City Surat amd Rander Cities Ahmedabad North Ahmedabad North Ahmedabad South Ahmednagar North Ahmednagar North Ahmednagar North Ahmednagar North Ahmednagar South Ahmednagar South Belgaum North Belgaum North Belgaum South Belgaum South Bharuch Bijapur North Bijapur South Dharwad North Dharwad North Dharwad North Dharwad North Dharwad North Dharwad South Dharwad SouthDharwad South East Khandesh East East Khandesh East East Khandesh WestEast Khandesh WestEast Khanesh WestKaira KairaKanara Kanara KanaraKolaba Nashik East Nashik East Nashik West Nashik West Nashik WestNashik WestPanchmahal East Panchmahal West Panchmahal West Poona East Poona East Poona West Ratnagiri North Ratnagiri North Ratnagiri North Ratnagiri South Ratnagiri South Satara NorthSatara South Satara South Sholapur North East Sholapur North East Sholapur North East Sholapur South West Sholapur South West Surat SuratSuratSuratThane North Thane South Thane South West Khandesh East West Khandesh East West Khandesh WestBombay City (Girgaum) women Annapurna Gopal Deshmukh Bombay City (Bhuleshwar) women Lilavati Kanaiyalal Munshi Poona City womenLakshmibai Ganesh Thuse Ahmedabad City women Vijayagauri Balvantrai Kanuga Dharwad women Nagamma Veerangouda Patil Muslim Bombay City North and Bombay Suburban Khan Bahadur Ali BahadurMuhammad Musa Qilledar Bombay City South Hussain Abubakr Beg Muhammad Muhammad Ali Allah Baksh Ahmedabad City Muhammad Yasin NuriSurat and Rander Cities Sir Ali Muhammad Khan DehlaviAhmedabad Ismail Ibrahim ChundrigarAhmednagar Muhammadbawa Madhubawa PatelBelgaum Abdul Majid Abdul Kader Gheewale BharuchMusaji Yusufji PatelBijapur Allisa Nabisa IlkalKhalilullah Abasheb Janvekar Dharwad Abdul Karim.Aminsab Hanagi East Khandesh Sheikh Muhammad Hasan Muhammad Sulaiman Qasim Mitha KairaKhan Sahib Faiz Muhammad Mahobat KhanKolaba Mohsin Muhammad BhaijiNashik Khan Sahib Abdul Rahim Babu HakimPanchmahalKhan Sahib Abdullah Haji Isa BhagatRatnagiri Aziz Gafur Kazi Sholapur Khan Bahadur Abdul Haji Hajrat Khan Surat Ahmed Ebrahim Singapori Thane Khan Bahadur Sardar Haji Amirsaheb Mohiuddin Saheb Raees West Khandesh Khwaja Bashiruddin Khwaja Moinuddin Kazi Bombay City women Salima Faiz Badruddin TyabjiIndian Christian Bombay City Dr. Joseph Altino CollacoBombay Suburban cum Thane Dominic Joseph Ferreira Poona cum AhmednagarBhaskarrao Bhaurao Chakranarayan Anglo Indian Bombay City cum Bombay Suburban Stanley Henry PraterPresidency Fred J Currion European Bombay City cum Bombay Suburban W. W. Russell Presidency Francis Holroy FrenchDavid Watson Cyril Frederick Golding Commerce Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Bombay Presidency Trades Association Sir John AbercrombleJ. B. GreavesDonald HillAhmedabad Millowners' Association Sakarlal BalabhaiBombay Millowners' Association Sorabji Dorabji Saklatwala (brother of Shapurji Saklatwala)East India Cotton Association Bhavanji Arjan KhimjiIndian Merchants' ChamberM. C. Ghia Landowners Deccan Sardars and Inamdars Sardar Narayan Ganpatrao VinchurkarGujarat Sardars and InamdarsBaronet Girijaprasad Chinubhai MadhavlalLabour Ahmedabad Textile UnionsGulzarilal NandaKhondubhai Kasanji DesaiRailways Union Jamnadas MehtaShavaksha Hormusji JhabvalaBombay City and Suburban Textile UnionsDadasaheb Khaserao JagtapSholapur City Textile LabourRamchandra Amarji KhedgikarTrade Union of Seamen and Dockworkers of Bombay Akhtar Hasan MirzaBombay UniversityKanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi
General (115): Ahmedabad: Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar (Ahmedabad City, Urban) (Speaker), Trikamlal Ugarchand Vakil (Ahmedabad City), Hariprasad Pitamber Mehta (Ahmedabad North), Bhogilal Dhirajlal Lala (Ahmedabad North), Ishvarlal Kalidas Vyas (Ahmedabad South) Ahmednagar: Laxman Madhav Patil (Ahmednagar North), Keshav Balwant Deshmukh (Ahmednagar North, General Rural), Ramchandra Bhagwant Girme (Ahmednagar North, General Rural), Namdeo Eknath Navle (Ahmednagar North), Prabhakar Janardan Roham (Ahmednagar South, General Rural), Ganesh Krishna Chitale (Ahmednagar South), Kundanmal Sobhachand Firodia (Ahmednagar South) Belgaum: Anna Babaji Latthe (Belgaum North), Balwant Hanmant Varale (Belgaum North), Narayanrao Gururao Joshi (Belgaum North) (Deputy Speaker), Malgouda Pungouda Patil (Belgaum North), Keshav Govind Gokhale (Belgaum South, General Rural), Parappa Chanbasappa Jakati (Belgaum South, Rural), Kallangouda Shiddangouda Patil (Belgaum South) Bijapur: Murigeppa Shiddappa Sugandhi (Bijapur North), Revappa Somappa Kale (Bijapur North), Shankreppagouda Basalingappagouda Desai (Bijapur South, General Rural), Shankargouda Timmangouda Patil (Bijapur South) Bombay: Khurshed Nariman (Bombay City (Fort, Mandvi, Bhuleshwar and Girgaum)), S. K. Patil (Bombay City (Fort, Mandvi, Bhuleshwar and Girgaum)), Nagindas Tribhuvandas Master (Bombay City (Fort, Mandvi, Bhuleshwar and Girgaum)), B. R. Ambedkar (Bombay City (Byculla & Parel) General Urban), Dr. Manchersha Dhanjibhoy Gilder (Bombay City (Byculla & Parel) General Urban), B.G. Kher (Bombay City North and Bombay Suburban District), Dattatraya Wandrekar (Bombay City North and Bombay Suburban District), Savlaram Gundaji Songavkar (Bombay City North and Bombay Suburban District), Broach: Chhotalal Balkrishna Purani (Broach Sub-division, General Rural) Dharwar: Siddappa Kambli (Dharwar North, Rural), Andaneppa Dnyanappa Dodmeti (Dharwar North, General Rural), Girimallappa Rachappa Nalwadi (Dharwar North, General Rural), Vishwanathrao Narayanrao Jog (Dharwar North), Shripad Shyamji Kargudri (Dharwar South, Rural), Thimmappa Rudrappa Neshvi (Dharwar South) Kaira: Bhailbhai Ukabhai Vaghela (Kaira District, General Rural), Babubhai Jasbhai Patel, Bhailalbhai Bhikabhai Patel, Fulsinhji Dabhi, Kanara: Sheshgiri Narayanrao Keshwain (Kanara District, General Rural), Mahableshwar Ganpati Bhatt Gopi (Kanara District, General Rural), Ningappa Fakeerappa Hallikeri Khandesh: Gulabsing Bhila Girasey (West Khandesh East, General Rural), Namdeorao Budhajirao Marathe (West Khandesh East), Raghunath Balkrishna Wadekar (West Khandesh East), Damji Posala Gavit (West Khandesh West), Mangesh Babhuta Patel (West Khandesh West), Daulatrao Gulaji Jadhav (East Khandesh East, General Rural), Rajmal Lakhichand Marwadi (East Khandesh East), Dhanaji Nana Choudhari (East Khandesh East), Hari Vinayak Pataskar (East Khandesh West), Gambhirrao Avachitrao Patil (East Khandesh West), Narhar Rajaram Patil (East Khandesh West), Maganlal Nagindas (East Khandesh West), Kolaba: Ramchandra Narayan Mandlik, Laxman Govind Patil, Dattatraya Kashinath Kunte, Kamalaji Ragho Talkar Nasik: Raosaheb Bhausaheb Thorat (Nasik East, General Rural), Lalchand Hirachand (Nasik East, General Rural), Bhaurao Sakharam Hiray (Nasik East), Govind Hari Deshpande (Nasik West, General Rural), Vasant Narayan Naik (Nasik West, General Rural), Bhaurao Krishnaji Gaikwad (Nasik West), Prithwiraj Amolakchand Nimanee (Nasik West) Panch Mahals: Laxmidas Mangaldas Shrikant (Panch Mahals East, General Rural), Wamanrao Sitaram Mukadam (Panch Mahals West, General Rural), Maneklal Gandhi (Panch Mahals West) Poona: Bhalchandra Maheshwar Gupte (Poona City, General Urban), Vithalrao Laxmanrao Thube (Poona West, General Rural), Hari Vithal Tulpule (Poona West, General Rural), Balaji Bhawansa Walwekar (Poona East, Rural), Appaji Yeshwantrao Kate (Poona East), Vinayak Atmaram Gadkari (Poona East) Ratnagiri: Babjeerao Narayanrao Rane (Ratnagiri North, General Rural), Shivram Laxman Karandikar (Ratnagiri North, Rural), Gangadhar Raghoram Ghatge (Ratnagiri North), Anant Vinayak Chitre (Ratnagiri North), Bachajee Ramchandra Rane (Ratnagiri South, General Rural), Purshottam Wasudeo Wagh (Ratnagiri South), Shankar Krishnaji Gavankar (Ratnagiri South), Shamrao Vishnu Parulekar (Ratnagiri South) Satara: Dhanjishah Bomanjee Cooper (Satara North), Shankar Hari Sathe (Satara North, General Rural), Khanderao Sakharam Savat (Satara North, General Rural), Bajirao Jagdeorao Shinde (Satara North, General Rural), Pandurang Keshav Shiralkar (Satara South, General Rural), Shankar Pandurang Mohite (Satara South, General Rural), Annappa Narayan Kalyani (Satara South), Atmaram Nana Patil (Satara South), Ramchandra Krishna Karavade (Satara South) Solapur: Krisnaji Bhimrao Antrolikar (Solapur City, General Urban), Jivappa Subhana Aidale (Solapur North-east, General Rural), Bhagwan Sambhuppa Kathale (Solapur North-east, General Rural), Tulshidas Subhanrao Jadhav (Solapur North-east), Jayavant Ghanshyam More (Solapur South-west, General Rural), Dattatraya Trimbak Aradhye (Solapur South-west) Surat: Champaklal Jeikisandas Ghia (Surat & Rander Cities, Urban), Morarji Desai (Surat District, General Rural), Morarbhai Kasanji (Surat District, General Rural), Randhir Prasavandas Desai (Surat District, General Rural), Purushottam Lalji Chohan (Surat District) Thana: Dattatraya Waman Raut (Thana North, General Rural), Govind Dharmaji Vartak (Thana North, Rural), Vishnu Vaman Dandekar (Thana North), Kanji Govind Shet (Thana South, General Rural), Ganesh Krishna Phadke (Thana South) Muhammadan (29): Urban: Husein Aboobaker Baig Mohamed (Bombay City South, Muhammadan Urban), Mohamedally Allabux (Bombay City South, Urban), Mahmad Yasin Nurie (Ahmedabad City, Urban), Ali Muhammad Khan Dehlavi (Surat and Rander Cities, Urban)