Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Central Parliamentary Board held at 2-30 P.M. on Saturday, February 26 and Sunday, February 27, 1966 at Kalki Bldgs., Madras.

Summary

These draft minutes record the Swatantra Party Central Parliamentary Board’s meetings at Madras on 26–27 February 1966. The first session reviews the previous meeting, the proposed postponement of the Orissa Assembly elections, and candidate recommendations for Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Parishad elections across several states. The Board grants state units varying discretion over nominations, approves or defers individual candidates, and negotiates electoral understandings with the Jan Sangh and the S.S.P.

Key points

• The Board reviewed party nominations and electoral arrangements in Andhra, Bihar, Madras, Mysore, Punjab, Orissa, Rajasthan, U.P., Gujarat, West Bengal, and other states.
• Candidate approvals were frequently conditional on organisational work, willingness to contest, electoral understandings, or the availability of agreed Assembly-candidate lists.
• The Board supported cooperation among democratic opposition parties, including efforts to arrange a joint meeting of central parliamentary boards in Delhi.
• The minutes record assistance to state units, meetings with prospective candidates, and a decision that recommendations should cover both parliamentary and Assembly constituencies.
• The Board opposed postponing by-elections, arguing that they provide an opportunity to assess public opinion and political trends.
• On 27 February, the Board unanimously called for withdrawal of the national Emergency and recommended that State Governments resign before the general elections to ensure fairer administration.
• The Board recommended a pre-election code of conduct, representative implementation committees, and postponement of internal party elections until after the general elections.