Why did the Round Table Conferences fail to settle India's constitutional future?

The Round Table Conferences (1930–1932) failed to reach a consensus on India's constitutional future due to deep-seated political and communal divisions that the British government could not reconcile.12

Key factors contributing to this failure included:

• Absence of the Indian National Congress: The Congress, which was leading a civil disobedience campaign, boycotted the first session. Although Mahatma Gandhi attended the second session as the sole Congress representative, his participation did not bridge the gap between the nationalist movement and the British administration.12
• Communal Disagreements: The conferences were unable to resolve conflicting interests regarding communal representation. The British policy of extending separate electorates to various minorities—a strategy intended to undermine the Congress's claim to represent all of India—created significant friction.2
• Internal Conflicts: The sessions were marked by persistent disagreements among the Indian delegates themselves, including disputes between Hindu and Muslim representatives and an inability of the princely states to agree on matters of protocol or federal integration.12
• Lack of Progress: The third session suffered from low attendance and official inertia, ultimately failing to produce a meaningful, unified constitutional framework.12