Flashback to 1934: In Charge of the Election Campaign

Sharma: Mr Jauhar, if I may go back a little, I would like you to tell us of the 1934 election which Mr Asaf Ali contested against Mr Nanak Chand. You were one of the persons who conducted his election campaign in New Delhi. Could you tell us of your experience?

Chacha Ji: That 1934 election was, of course, a very, very important thing in those days because the Government had put up its own man, Nanak Chand, against Mr Asaf Ali. I was in charge of the election campaign in New Delhi. In New Delhi almost all the voters were Government employees except a few contractors who were building New Delhi in those days. Our organisation, of course, was quite in order. The whole of the New Delhi area was scattered up to Delhi Cantonment and we properly distributed the ballot papers of Mr Asaf Ali to each and every voter, approaching them personally.

But truthfully speaking, certainly it was not on account of our campaign or our influence that Mr Asaf Ali won this election and if he had not secured the proper portion of the New Delhi voters’ support he would not have succeeded. It seems that the national movement, the national mind or the national consciousness was emerging in strength and gaining popularity. Now these Government servants, residents of New Delhi, voted for the Congress because it was a secret ballot—the Government could not know who had voted for and who had voted against. So probably quite a good percentage of voters in New Delhi voted for Mr Asaf Ali and that is how he got elected.

Sharma: What techniques did you employ in the election? Did you address public meetings?

Chacha Ji: No. Certainly I never addressed any meeting. What we did was to go door-to-door and distribute pamphlets to all the voters. Some three or four pamphlets were prepared in favour of Mr Asaf Ali and the national cause. Those pamphlets we distributed to every voter door-to-door. That was what we could do. And when we knew someone—such as contractors—we also requested them and talked to them, and all that. Nobody would openly commit that they would vote for Mr Asaf Ali. But certainly quite a large percentage voted for Mr Asaf Ali.

Sharma: Who were the people who were helping you?

Chacha Ji: They were all volunteers. Because I was living in New Delhi, I knew each and every part of New Delhi. But the other people who helped were my own office workers, my own relations as well as Congress workers.