The Province of Bengal was a very big administrative unit and after the British rule had been firmly established in India, it began to be felt that it should be split up into two parts for administrative convenience. In 1874 Assam was separated. On October 16, 1906, the Provinces of Bengal and Assam were reconstituted so as to form two provinces (i) Bengal and (ii) Eastern Bengal and Assam. In the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam, the Muslims were in majority.

The day the partition was effected was observed as a day of mourning by the Hindus who severely agitated against it deeming the partition against their interest. They argued that Partition was an insult to the goddess Kali and the agitators adopted the song of Bande Matram as a national hymn. The antagonistic press raised a campaign of criticism against Fuller, Lieutenant-Governor of Eastern Bengal and Assam, which ultimately led to his resignation. Before the partition the Muslims of Bengal had been living in oblivion. They now realized that the time had come when something should be done to draw the Government’s attention to the existence of their community; which too, was beginning to recognize their uneasiness. Muslim leaders like Nawab Salimullah of Dacca and his associates decided to organize the Muslim community into a compact body and to set up an association which would serve as a mouthpiece for the expression of views on all social and political matters affecting the interests of the Muslim community. The chief object was “consolidation and conservation of the strength of the Muslims of the new province as a whole for all public purposes. As such the Muhammaden Political Union was founded, with Nawab Salimullah as its Patron.