Lucknow Pact of 1916: Congress & Muslim League Reunited
Gajendra Singh Godara
Oct 23, 2025
12
mins read
The Lucknow Pact was signed between the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League. Leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Muhammad Ali Jinnah started a joint session. This session created a plan for larger elected majorities.
It also called for separate electorates and special representation for Muslims. Additionally, it aimed for provincial autonomy. This was a big step toward united constitutional demands.
The State of Indian Politics before 1916
The Congress split in 1907 (Surat) into Moderates vs Extremists, weakening national unity temporarily.
The Muslim League, founded in 1906, aimed to safeguard Muslim interests; initially it had limited influence outside Bengal and the North-West.
British reforms like the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) had introduced separate electorates for Muslims and reserved seats (which Congress originally opposed).
India was in the midst of World War I (1914-18). Britain needed Indian support for the war effort and offered hopes of political concessions (e.g. Edwin Montagu’s 1917 declaration).
Communal issues were very important. The 1905 Partition of Bengal and its 1911 reversal divided opinions. Many Muslims supported the partition because it gave more power to Muslim-majority East Bengal. In contrast, Hindus strongly opposed the partition and welcomed its cancellation.
Muslim leaders were increasingly dissatisfied with British policies (for example, lack of support for the Ottoman Caliphate and rejection of plans for an all-India Muslim university). This pushed them to demand stronger political safeguards.
Why Congress and Muslim League Came Together
By 1915-16 both Congress and the Muslim League saw the need for unity to press for real reforms. Working together would show the British a united Indian front.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak (a former extremist leader) returned from exile in 1914 and urged collaboration with the League to strengthen India’s case.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, originally a Congress member, joined the League in 1913 and championed Hindu-Muslim unity. He worked closely with both parties to draft the joint demands.
Both parties shared goals: increased Indian participation in governance, and protection for their respective communities.
The impact of World War I and rising Indian nationalism made Hindus and Muslims eager for quicker self-rule. Mutual cooperation was seen as the best strategy.
The Lucknow Pact was agreed upon at the Lucknow session of Congress in December 1916 and then adopted by the Muslim League.
Congress Session: Held in Lucknow from late December 1916. The Congress officially adopted the joint resolutions on 29 December 1916 (Ambica Charan Mazumdar served as the Lucknow Pact President.).
Muslim League Session: Also held in Lucknow; the League formally accepted the pact on 31 December 1916. The All-India Muslim League’s Lucknow session was presided over by Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Joint Meeting: On 30 December 1916, a historic joint meeting of Congress and League delegates took place in Lucknow to finalize the pact. This was a rare unified platform for the two parties.
Indian National Congress: Both its moderates (e.g. Gopal Krishna Gokhale’s followers and the extremists, like Tilak and the Lal-Bal-Pal trio, backed the pact. They hoped to bring back national unity. Tilak, as Congress President, played a leading role in framing the agreement.
All-India Muslim League: The League’s leadership under Aga Khan III actively pushed for unity. Muhammad Ali Jinnah (League leader and Congress member) helped negotiate the terms.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s Influence
Tilak was one of the key leaders who pushed for Hindu-Muslim unity in the Lucknow Pact.
He convinced many in Congress to agree to Muslim demands like separate electorates, for the sake of national unity.
Tilak’s return to politics after prison, and his work with the Home Rule movement, set the stage for what became Lucknow Pact 1916.
As president of Congress during the Lucknow session, he helped lead the reconciliation between Moderates and Extremists.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Contributions
Jinnah helped negotiate the terms of the Lucknow Pact, ensuring that Muslim political interests were safeguarded.
He was then a member of both Congress and the Muslim League; this dual role helped him act as a bridge between communities.
Jinnah played a vital role in ensuring the agreement incorporated weightage in the political reform . He favored Muslims in provinces where they were not the majority.
His diplomatic skills helped give the Muslim League equal footing with Congress when demanding constitutional reforms.
Sarojini Naidu’s Role
Sarojini Naidu supported the Lucknow Pact and was especially vocal about inclusion and constitutional reform.
She used her oratory to highlight the importance of unity among Hindus and Muslims. She additionally emphasized the importance of women having a say in politics.
Naidu referred to Jinnah as the “Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity” due to his involvement in the signing of the Lucknow Pact between the two groups.
Constitutional / Structural Demands
More Elected Representation: Legislative councils, both central and provincial, should have more elected seats. This will give Indians a majority of members. Congress asked for about 4/5 of council members to be elected.
Provincial Autonomy: Provinces should have a responsible government. Indian ministers (from majority parties) should run provincial departments with minimal interference from the British-appointed Governor.
Executive Council: At least half of the Viceroy’s Executive Council should be Indians. They should be chosen with input from the elected majority in the Legislature.
Legislature Powers: Any law or motion passed by a large majority in the legislative councils should bind the British government. The veto power of the Governor-General and Governors was to be limited.
Judicial Separation: The pact demanded separation of executive and judicial functions. Political officers (like district officers) should not interfere in legal cases.
Bill of Rights for Legislatures: Rejected laws affecting a community that did not have the support of at least three-fourths of its representatives (see communal veto below).
Communal / Minority Measures
Separate Electorates for Muslims: Muslims were to continue voting in separate electorates, as already provided by earlier reforms. This ensured Muslim members were elected only by Muslim voters.
Reserved Seats (Weightage): Muslims were to have extra seats (beyond their population share) in provinces where they were minorities (e.g. Punjab, Bengal). In central councils, one-third of seats were to be reserved for Muslims even though their population was less.
Veto Safeguard: Any legislation affecting a community (especially Muslims) would require the support of at least three-fourths of that community’s members in the legislature. This effectively gave communities a veto on laws harmful to them.
Minority Guarantees: The Congress accepted that laws detrimental to Muslims (or other communities like Sikhs and Christians) should not be passed without their consent. Sikhs retained their separate electorates. The pact acknowledged Muslims as a distinct political community with special claims.
League’s Role: The Muslim League was formally recognized as the sole spokesperson for Muslim demands, and no decision on Muslim interests would be valid without the League’s approval.
Immediate Effects & Gains
Renewed Unity: The Lucknow Pact was hailed as a milestone for Hindu-Muslim unity. For the first time, India’s major communities presented a common political platform.
Political Confidence: It boosted Indian morale. Leaders felt vindicated that unity could force the British to take Indian demands seriously. Many saw Swaraj (self-rule) as more attainable.
British Response: The British government took note as Montagu’s 1917 declaration (as Secretary of State) promised “the gradual development of self-governing institutions” in India. The Pact’s demands influenced the later Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919) and Government of India Act 1919, which expanded councils and introduced limited self-rule (diarchy).
National Movement: The pact galvanized the Indian National Movement. News of the joint session excited people across India and encouraged mass participation in future campaigns.
Leadership Relations: Within Congress, it eased tensions between moderates and extremists, as both cooperated under Tilak’s leadership. Jinnah was praised as “ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity” at the time.
Long-term Significance (for the Nationalist Movement)
Foundation for Mass Movements: The spirit of cooperation lasted into the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements (1919-1922), where Congress and League again allied (e.g. Gandhi-Jinnah collaboration in 1920).
Jinnah’s Career: Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s profile rose as he was the key negotiator at Lucknow session. He later drifted apart from Congress, but his experience here shaped his political evolution.
Communal Politics: The pact’s emphasis on communal safeguards unintentionally set precedents for political communalism. By formally endorsing separate electorates and weightage, it reinforced the notion of religiously-based political identity. Some historians see it as an early step toward the eventual demand for Pakistan, since it treated Muslims as a distinct political nation.
Constitutional Legacy: Many proposals from the Lucknow Pact reappeared in later reforms (e.g. larger elective councils in 1919, reserved seats for Muslims). It showed that joint demands could shape British reforms.
Source (Indian Culture. (n.d.). Lucknow Pact of 1916)
Short-lived Unity: The cooperative spirit did not last. Within a few years, differences resurfaced (especially after 1920), and Congress and League drifted apart.
Entrenched Communalism: The communal provisions (separate electorates, reserved seats) were later criticized for hardening Hindu-Muslim divisions.
Excessive Concessions: Some Congress leaders (especially extremists) felt the pact gave too much away. They argued Congress had compromised its ideal of a united national struggle by accepting separate electorates and large weightage. Thus weakening the objective of the freedom fighters.
Limited British Concessions: Despite the united front, the British granted only modest reforms immediately. Many joint demands (like full provincial autonomy) were not fully met, leading to disappointment.
Elite Focus: The Lucknow Pact mainly reflected the views of urban political elites. Peasants, workers, and the rural population saw little immediate benefit from it.
Later Reversal: By the 1920s the Muslim League itself became divided, and Jinnah eventually repudiated the idea of joint Congress-League action. Some historians call the Lucknow Pact a temporary “truce” rather than a durable alliance.
The Lucknow Pact of 1916 was a rare moment of Hindu–Muslim cooperation, when Congress and the Muslim League agreed on shared demands for greater self-government while securing Muslim safeguards like separate electorates and weightage.
It strengthened India’s push for reform and influenced later British measures, but the unity proved fragile. Ultimately the pact showed both the power and limits of compromise in the freedom struggle - an important, if complicated, step on the road to independence.
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