The Communal Award was announced by the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald in August 1932 on the basis of the findings of the Indian Franchise Committee. It established separate electorates and reserved seats for minorities, including the depressed classes, which were granted 78 reserved seats.

The nature of the Award is as follows:

• Muslims, Europeans, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, depressed classes, women and Marathas were to get separate electorates. Such an arrangement for the depressed classes was to be made for a period of 20 years. The depressed classes were to get double vote, one to be used through separate electorates and the other to be used in the general electorates.
• In the provincial legislatures, the seats were to be distributed on communal basis. Also, the existing seats of the provincial legislatures were to be doubled. Moreover, the Muslims were granted higher weightage in seat distribution in areas where they were in minority.
• It tried to alienate different sections such as labour, commerce, industry, mining, planning and landlords by allotting special seats to them.
• Except in the North-West Frontier Province, 3 percent seats were to be reserved for women in all provinces.

Circumstances of the Communal Award:

• In 1909, when provision of a separate electorate was made for Muslims, many leaders of the depressed classes felt the need for reservation for them in the legislative bodies. In order to pacify agitating voices by giving them adequate representation in the legislative and executive bodies, the British government initiated constitutional reforms.
• In spite of the demand for a separate electorate, the Simon Commission recommended reservation of seats for the depressed classes.
• In the Second Round Table Conference, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar presented the case for reservation of seats for the depressed classes, which was then announced in the Communal Award.

Reactions towards it:

• The Congress opposed separate electorates, but was not in favour of changing the Communal Award without the consent of the minorities. Thus, while strongly disagreeing with the Communal Award, the Congress decided neither to accept it nor to reject it.
• Gandhiji saw it as an attack on Indian unity and nationalism. Moreover, he considered it harmful to both Hinduism and to the depressed classes since it provided no answer to the socially degraded position of the depressed classes. Some others viewed it as an attempt to divide the nation forever into pieces, therefore, rejected the Award.
• B. R. Ambedkar was a strong exponent of the rights of the depressed classes and criticised the Congress for its inability to address their problems.

As a reaction to the Award, Gandhiji demanded that the depressed classes be elected through a joint electorate and with reserved seats. To press his demand, he went on an indefinite fast on September 20, 1932. Later, various leaders, including B.R. Ambedkar, M.C. Rajah and Madan Mohan Malviya got together to work out a compromise, which was the Poona Pact.