§ 30. Mr. Sorensenasked the Secretary of State for India the number of by-elections that have taken place in India during the past two years, the respective candidates and their parties, and the number of votes polled by each, and how many members of the Orissa Provincial Assembly and others were arrested or detained preceding the recent by-election?
§ The Secretary of State for India (Mr. Amery)I will let the hon. Member have the information as to the numbers of by-elections as soon as it can be collated from the various Provincial Gazettes. The other information asked for, relating as it does to the domestic affairs of autonomous Provinces, is not within my knowledge and I hesitate at the present juncture to burden Provincial Governments with the task of extracting and reporting it.
§ Mr. SorensenWhen is the right hon. Gentleman likely to receive information regarding the first part of my Question; and can he say offhand whether these by-election results indicate the general conviction and opinion of the electorate in India?