Proceedings of the first meeting of the Central Parliamentary Board in New Delhi on Sunday, March 14, 1965, at 10.00 a.m.

Summary

These three pages record the first meeting of the Swatantra Party’s Central Parliamentary Board, held in New Delhi on 14 March 1965. The minutes list the members present, confirm the previous meeting’s minutes, note Rajaji’s absence, and review the party’s performance and organisational difficulties in the Kerala and Rajasthan elections. The Board stresses caution in evaluating electoral reports and urges non-Communist opposition parties in Kerala to cooperate in forming a stable government while avoiding the imposition of President’s Rule wherever possible.

The Board also discusses forthcoming civic, Assembly, and parliamentary elections, including the party’s participation in civic fronts and its procedures for selecting candidates. It establishes a sub-committee to make interim recommendations on parliamentary and by-election candidates, adopts procedures for nominations, approves candidates in Andhra and Rajasthan, and records several prospective parliamentary nominations. The document ends with the meeting’s termination after these organisational and electoral decisions.

Key points

• The Central Parliamentary Board met in New Delhi on 14 March 1965, with Prof. N. G. Ranga in the chair.
• The Board reviewed the Swatantra Party’s Kerala election experience and called for greater caution in accepting local office-bearers’ claims.
• It supported efforts by non-Communist opposition parties to form a stable Kerala government and avoid President’s Rule.
• The Board reviewed Rajasthan panchayat elections and decided that a separate inquiry committee was unnecessary, directing the General Secretary to investigate and report.
• It endorsed the Bangalore and Ahmedabad model of participating in civic fronts while excluding Communists and contesting elections on a civic programme.
• A sub-committee was appointed to recommend candidates for general elections and by-elections between meetings of the full Board.
• The Board approved or considered candidates in Andhra and Rajasthan, including Professor N. G. Ranga, C. L. Narasimha Reddy, Harihara Das, Maharani Gayatri Devi, and M. R. Masani.