Edouard Goubert (Aged 85) born on 29 July 1894 in Pondicherry, India, was the son of a French father and a Franco-Indian mother. He received his education in French Indochina and studied law in France. He began his career in the colonial administration and worked as a clerk at the Pondicherry Court.\
In 1951, Goubert ran as a candidate of the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance for the seat of French India in the French National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale), and won the election with an overwhelming majority of 99.3% of the vote. However, the future of French India was uncertain.
A referendum on the matter was held in Chandernagore, a territory right outside of Calcutta, on 19 June 1949. Out of 12,184 registered voters (drawn from a population of 44,500), 7,473 voted for merger with India while only 114 votes were cast in favor of inclusion in the French Union. Similar referendums were supposed to be held in the remaining four territories, but they never took place.
Initially, Goubert attempted to negotiate a special status for French India that would make it autonomous from both France and India. However, neither the French nor Indian governments agreed to the demand. By 1954, Goubert shifted his loyalty towards the pro-India faction and supported the annexation of French possessions to the Indian Union.
In March 1954, he traveled to Pondicherry and took part in an agitation demanding the merger of French India with the Indian Union. On 29 June 1954, his parliamentary immunity was abolished, and on 1 November 1954, France signed treaties transferring sovereignty of French possessions to India, ending Goubert’s tenure in the French National Assembly. He passed away in 1979.
Edouard Goubert
(1894 – 1979) – (Puducherry)
Edouard Goubert (Aged 85) born on 29 July 1894 in Pondicherry, India, was the son of a French father and a Franco-Indian mother. He received his education in French Indochina and studied law in France. He began his career in the colonial administration and worked as a clerk at the Pondicherry Court.\
In 1951, Goubert ran as a candidate of the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance for the seat of French India in the French National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale), and won the election with an overwhelming majority of 99.3% of the vote. However, the future of French India was uncertain.
A referendum on the matter was held in Chandernagore, a territory right outside of Calcutta, on 19 June 1949. Out of 12,184 registered voters (drawn from a population of 44,500), 7,473 voted for merger with India while only 114 votes were cast in favor of inclusion in the French Union. Similar referendums were supposed to be held in the remaining four territories, but they never took place.
Initially, Goubert attempted to negotiate a special status for French India that would make it autonomous from both France and India. However, neither the French nor Indian governments agreed to the demand. By 1954, Goubert shifted his loyalty towards the pro-India faction and supported the annexation of French possessions to the Indian Union.
In March 1954, he traveled to Pondicherry and took part in an agitation demanding the merger of French India with the Indian Union. On 29 June 1954, his parliamentary immunity was abolished, and on 1 November 1954, France signed treaties transferring sovereignty of French possessions to India, ending Goubert’s tenure in the French National Assembly. He passed away in 1979.
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