<P> The Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on 9 December 1946, and its last session was held on 24 January 1950 . During this period (two years, eleven months and eighteen days) the Assembly held eleven sessions, sitting for a total of 166 days . The hope of the Assembly was expressed by Jawaharlal Nehru: </P> <P> The first task of this Assembly is to free India through a new constitution, to feed the starving people, and to clothe the naked masses, and to give every Indian the fullest opportunity to develop himself according to his capacity . This is certainly a great task . Look at India today . We, are sitting here and there in despair in many places, and unrest in many cities . The atmosphere is surcharged with these quarrels and feuds which are called communal disturbances, and unfortunately we sometimes cannot avoid them . But at present the greatest and most important question in India is how to solve the problem of the poor and the starving . Wherever we turn, we are confronted with this problem . If we cannot solve this problem soon, all our paper constitutions will become useless and purposeless . Keeping this aspect in view, who could suggest to us to postpone and wait? </P> <P> The Constituent Assembly was established while India was still under British rule, following negotiations between Indian leaders and members of the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India from the United Kingdom . Provincial assembly elections were held early in 1946 . Constituent Assembly members were elected indirectly by members of the newly elected provincial assemblies, and initially included representatives for those provinces which formed part of Pakistan (some of which are now in Bangladesh). The Constituent Assembly had 299 representatives, including nine women . </P> <P> The Interim Government of India was formed on 2 September 1946 from the newly elected Constituent Assembly . The Congress held a large majority in the Assembly (69 percent of the seats), and the Muslim League held nearly all the seats reserved in the Assembly for Muslims . There were also members of smaller parties, such as the Scheduled Caste Federation, the Communist Party of India and the Unionist Party . </P>

Who was the permanent president of the constituent assembly