Govind Ballabh Pant
Chief Minister of United Provinces
Preceded by: Nawab Sir Muhammad Ahmad Said Khan Chhatari
Succeeded by: Governor’s Rule
Chief Minister of United Provinces
Preceded by: Governor’s Rule
Succeeded by: Post abolished
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
Preceded by: New creation
Succeeded by: Sampurnanand
Born: August 30, 1887
Khoont-Dhaamas village, Almora,
North-Western Provinces
Died: March 7, 1961
Uttar Pradesh
Political party: INC
Early life
Govind Ballabh Pant was born on August 30, 1887 in Shyahi Devi hills in Almora. His mother’s name was Govindi. His father, Manorath Pant, was constantly on the road. Govind was brought up by his grandfather, Bandri Dutt Joshi, who played a significant part in molding his political views.[1]
As a lawyer in Kashipur, Pant began his active work against the British Raj in 1914, when he helped a local parishad, or village council, in their successful challenge of a law requiring locals to provide free transportation of the luggage of travelling British officials. In 1921, he entered politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.
In the freedom struggle
In 1930, he was arrested and imprisoned for several weeks for organizing a Salt March inspired by Gandhi’s earlier actions. In 1933, he was arrested and imprisoned for seven months for attending a session of the then-banned provincial Congress. In 1935, the ban was rescinded, and Pant joined the new Legislative Council. During the Second World War, Pant acted as the tiebreaker between Gandhi’s faction, which advocated supporting the British Crown in their war effort, and Subash Chandra Bose’s faction, which advocated taking advantage of the situation to expel the British Raj by any means necessary.
In 1934, the Congress ended its boycott of the legislatures and put up candidates, and Pant was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly. His political skills won the admiration of the leaders of the Congress, and he became deputy leader of the Congress party in the Assembly.[2]
In 1940, Pant was arrested and imprisoned for helping organize the Satyagraha movement. In 1942 he was arrested again, this time for signing the Quit India resolution, and spent three years in Ahmednagar Fort along with other members of the Congress working committee until March 1945, at which point Jawaharlal Nehru pleaded successfully for Pant’s release, on grounds of failing health.[2]
