RAS question
Who was the President (Permanent Chairman) of the Constituent Assembly?
Correct answer: (D) Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected the permanent President of the Constituent Assembly on 11 December 1946.
Explanation
Dr Rajendra Prasad was the permanent President, or permanent Chairman, of the Constituent Assembly. Press Information Bureau confirms the key sequence: Dr Sachchidananda Sinha, as the senior-most member, was nominated as the Interim President, and Dr Rajendra Prasad was then elected as the permanent President on 11 December 1946. This distinction matters because exam questions often blur three separate roles: the interim presiding officer at the first stage, the permanent President of the Assembly, and the Chairman of the Drafting Committee. Dr B.R. Ambedkar belongs to the third category, not the Assembly presidency. Therefore, among the four options, only Dr Rajendra Prasad fits the office asked in the question.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is wrong because Press Information Bureau identifies Dr Rajendra Prasad, not Patel, as the permanent President of the Constituent Assembly.
- (B) Jawaharlal Nehru is wrong because the permanent President was Dr Rajendra Prasad.
- (C) Dr B.R. Ambedkar is wrong because he was Chairman of the Drafting Committee, while Dr Rajendra Prasad was the permanent President of the Constituent Assembly.
Concept
This tests the Constituent Assembly's office-bearers, especially the distinction between Interim President, permanent President and Drafting Committee Chairman. It recurs in RAS polity because these closely placed roles are easy to confuse in factual MCQs.