At the time of its original formation in 1946, how many members did the Constituent Assembly of India have?

Introduction / Context:
The size and composition of the Constituent Assembly of India are important facts in the study of Indian constitutional development. The Assembly was formed before independence and later restructured after the partition of the country. This question asks for the number of members in the Assembly at the time of its original formation, before any reduction due to partition, a frequently tested detail in Indian polity and history examinations.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The question specifies original formation in 1946, that is, before the effects of partition.
Four numerical options are given: 389, 296, 299 and 352.
The learner is expected to distinguish between pre partition and post partition strength of the Assembly.
No further calculations are required beyond recalling the correct number.

Concept / Approach:
When the Constituent Assembly was first formed under the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, it had a total membership of 389. This included representatives from British Indian provinces and princely states. After the partition of the country, the membership of the Assembly was reduced to 299, which then functioned for the dominion of India. The numbers 296 and 352 are sometimes used as distractors in exams. Therefore, remembering the pair 389 before partition and 299 after partition is the key to answering this question correctly.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the phrase original formation in 1946, which indicates the pre partition strength of the Assembly. Step 2: Recall that the Constituent Assembly was to have 389 members representing both British Indian provinces and princely states. Step 3: Remember that after the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan, the membership allocated to areas that went to Pakistan was removed from the Assembly. Step 4: After this reduction, the strength of the Assembly for India became 299, which is relevant in some other questions but not for this one. Step 5: Check the options and identify 389 as the only number corresponding to the original full membership. Step 6: Therefore, select 389 as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Verification is straightforward. Any standard Indian polity or modern history textbook that covers the Constituent Assembly will specify that there were 389 members at the beginning. It will also mention that, after partition, the membership was reduced to 299. These two figures appear consistently across sources. By matching this information with the wording original formation in the question, one can confidently choose 389 from the options provided.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
296: This number does not correspond to either the pre partition or post partition official strength of the Assembly and is used only as a distractor.
299: This figure matches the post partition membership of the Constituent Assembly for India, not its original formation size.
352: Again, this number does not represent the commonly accepted strength of the Assembly at any major stage.

Common Pitfalls:
A major pitfall is mixing up the numbers 389 and 299 because they both appear frequently in study material. Some candidates memorise only one figure without paying attention to the context, leading to incorrect answers when the question specifies original or post partition strength. To avoid such confusion, learners should create a small note that clearly states 389 at formation and 299 after partition. Revisiting this note regularly will make it easy to answer questions like this accurately.

Final Answer:
At the time of its original formation in 1946, the Constituent Assembly of India had 389 members.