<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article does not cite any sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (November 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Lucknow Pact was an agreement reached between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League at the joint session of both the parties held in Lucknow in December 1916 . Through the pact, the two parties agreed to allow overrepresentation to religious minorities in the provincial legislatures . The Muslim League leaders agreed to join the Congress movement demanding Indian autonomy . Scholars cite this as an example of a consociational practice in Indian politics . </P> <P> Muhammad Ali Jinnah, then a member of the Congress as well as the League, made both the parties reach an agreement to pressure the British government to adopt a more liberal approach to India and give Indians more authority to run their country, besides safeguarding basic Muslim demands . Jinnah is seen as the mastermind and architect of this pact . </P> <P> The British had announced, in order to satisfy the Indians, that they will be considering a series of proposals that would lead to at least half of the members of the Executive Council being elected and the Legislative Council having a majority of elected members . Both the Congress and the Muslim League supported these . Both had realized that for further concessions to be gained, greater cooperation was required . </P>

Who played an important role in the making of lucknow pact