•   Provincial elections were held in British India in 1936-37 as mandated by the Government of India Act 1935.

•   Elections were held in eleven provinces – Madras, Central Provinces, Bihar, Orissa, United Provinces, Bombay Presidency, Assam, NWFP, Bengal, Punjab and Sindh.

•   Congress decided to contest the elections in 1937 on a basis of manifesto.

•   Congress was successful in forming governments in seven provinces out of 11.

•   Congress achievements during its tenure:

o  Laws giving emergency powers were repealed.

o  Press restrictions were lifted and Newspapers were taken out of black lists.

o  Political prisoners and revolutionaries were released, and deportation and internment orders were revoked.

o  In all provinces, efforts were made to protect the peasant from money lenders and to increase irrigation faculties.

o  Goodwill was sought to be created between labour and capital with mediation of ministries.

o  Efforts were made to improve worker’s condition and secure wage increases for them.

o  The ministries treated militant trade union protests as law and order problems and took recourse to Section 144 and arrested the leaders.

•   The tenure was short lived and Congress Ministries resigned from office in November, 1939 on the ground that British Government involved India in Imperialistic Wars of Europe (2^nd World War) without consulting Congress.