Pondicherry Representative Assembly
After the merger of French settlements into an Indian union, a new assembly, named the Pondicherry Representative Assembly, was created by the government of India. After the "de facto transfer day" of 1 October 1954, before 16 August 1962 also referred to as "de-jure transfer day". During this transition period, general elections to the representative assembly were held in 1955 and 1959. After the de-jure transfer day, legal integration of French settlements into the Indian Union was complete. However, this assembly, like its predecessor, was advisory (to the chief commissioner) in its role, which led to frequent contention between the popular government and the chief commissioner. Background In 1946, French India (Inde française) became an overseas territory (Territoire d'outre-mer) of France. In the same year, on 25 October, the Representative Assembly of French India (Assemblée représentative de l'Inde française) was created and replaced the general council (conseil général). During the start of the Fourth Republic, decree nº 46–2381, dated 25 October 1946, was passed by the government of France, instituting the Representative Assembly in French India. This original assembly had 44 seats, but after the merger of Changernagore, its size was reduced to 39. A member of this assembly was