Why Mahatma Gandhi never won Nobel Peace despite being nominated 5 times?

Mahatma Gandhi, a key figure in India's struggle for independence from British rule, received five Nobel Peace Prize nominations. These nominations occurred in the years 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1947, and shortly before his assassination in 1948.

As per media reports, despite his noteworthy efforts in promoting peace and non-violence, Gandhi never received the Nobel Peace Prize, a subject that has generated considerable discussion and conjecture over time.

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The exclusion of Mahatma Gandhi from receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is a result of intricate and diverse factors. One of the main challenges was that Gandhi did not conform to the conventional criteria established by the Nobel Committee for potential awardees.

The committee's perspective was that he did not fall into the categories of a politician or advocate for international law, and he was not primarily involved in humanitarian relief efforts or the organization of international peace gatherings.

The approach Mahatma Gandhi took toward peace and non-violence was distinct and innovative. This uniqueness might have presented a challenge for the Nobel Committee when assessing his contributions within their pre-established framework.

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Moreover, the Nobel Committee had reservations regarding Mahatma Gandhi's pacifist stance and his role in the India-Pakistan conflict of 1947. Some committee members held the view that Gandhi displayed a pronounced allegiance to one side of the conflict, and there were uncertainties regarding his unwavering rejection of war. These considerations probably played a part in the committee's choice not to grant him the Nobel Peace Prize.

In contrast to the contemporary approach, the Nobel Committee did not have a history of using the Peace Prize as a means to encourage peaceful resolutions of regional conflicts at that time.

Additionally, a substantial concern stemmed from the absence of established guidelines for awarding posthumous Nobel Prizes. Mahatma Gandhi's assassination occurred just two days before the deadline for the 1948 Nobel Peace Prize nominations.

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While the Nobel Foundation's regulations at that point did permit posthumous awards in specific situations, Mahatma Gandhi's case presented a unique challenge. He was not associated with any organization, and he hadn't designated a recipient for the prize money in his will.

This lack of clarity about the prize's beneficiary led the committee to opt against a posthumous award, as it was deemed to go against the intentions of the Nobel Prize's founder.

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The decision to not award Mahatma Gandhi the Nobel Peace Prize has been publicly acknowledged with regret by subsequent members of the Nobel Committee. For instance, in 1989, when the Dalai Lama received the Peace Prize, the committee's chairman mentioned that the award was, in some measure, a way to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi.