15 JANUARY 1937, Page 2

The Indian Elections

The preparationS for the elections in India have gone largely unnoticed in this country, but the actual polling —in which an electorate of 30,000,000 will tote- for some 5,000 candidates—will take place in several Provinces this month, and in all of thein before the end of next. The election of the Central Legislative Assembly still lies some way in the future, and as is natural, the Provincial elections are mainly being conducted on Provincial lines, though the Congress Party is campaigning on a national basis with the general purpose of making the reforms unworkable. Its success appears to be very limited. India is showing a good deal of realism over the new political situation, and electors in the Provinces arc very rightly considering what are their own Provinces' needs, particularly in social and economic matters: Mr. Gandhi, still concerned with his campaign for the untouchables, is urging his followers to demand pledges from candidates -on the removal of the untouchables' disabilities, a very right use to make of the elections. When the polling over Congress will have to take its deferred decision as to whether its members shall accept office. That may well split the organisation: * *