1977 Indian general election

none July 2016 July 2026 List of members of the 5th Lok Sabha List of members of the 6th Lok Sabha India parliamentary 1971 Indian general election 1971 1980 Indian general election 1980 16–20 March 1977India Inter-Parliamentary Union 542 of the 544 seats in the Lok Sabhaseats Two seats were reserved for Anglo-Indians and filled by presidential nomination 272 321,174,327 130x130px 60.49% ( 5.22pp) Morarji Desai During his visit to the United States of America (cropped).jpg 125 120 150 05 0 Morarji Desai JPThe Janata Party was a broad electoral alliance whose constituent parties maintained their organization. Desai was a member, and the leader of, the INC(O) 20.33%, 51 seats 298 212 81,386,148 43.04% 20.99pp Indira_Gandhi_official_portrait.png 120 120 150 0 0 Indira Gandhi Indian National Congress (R) 43.68%, 352 seats 154 198 65,211,589 34.52% 9.16pp Sundaraiah-Puchalapalli.jpg 150 120 150 02 0 Puchalapalli Sundarayya Communist Party of India (Marxist) 5.12%, 25 seats 22 3 8,113,659 4.29% 0.83pp Wahlergebnisse Indien 1977.svg Results by constituency Prime Minister Prime Minister after election Indira Gandhi Indian National Congress (R) Morarji Desai Janata Party JP+LF INC (R)+ JP+LF General elections were held in India between 16 and 20 March 1977 to elect the members of the sixth Lok Sabha.INDIA http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/india_1977_e.pdf Inter-Parliamentary Union The elections took place during the Emergency period, which expired on 21 March 1977, shortly before the final results were announced. The elections resulted in a heavy defeat for the Indian National Congress (R),Rudolph Lloyd I. Rudolph Susanne Hoeber 1977 India's Election: Backing into the Future https://www.jstor.org/stable/20039739 Foreign Affairs 55 4 836–853 10.2307/20039739 0015-7120 subscription with the incumbent Prime Minister and INC(R) party leader Indira Gandhi losing her seat in Rae Bareli, while her son Sanjay lost his seat in Amethi.2004-03-28 How Amethi became a Gandhi bastion The Times of India https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/how-amethi-became-a-gandhi-bastion/articleshow/586957.cms 2023-07-23 0971-8257 Morarji Desai of the Janata Party took office as the first non-Congress Prime Minister on 24 March. The call for restoration of democracy by revoking the Emergency is considered to be a major reason for the sweeping victory for the opposition Janata Alliance,M.R. Masani, "India's Second Revolution," Asian Affairs (1977) 5#1 pp 19–38. At 81, Desai became the oldest man to be elected Prime Minister of India. Background A total of 542 members were elected from single-member constituencies.http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1977/Vol_I_LS_77.pdf General Election of India 1977, 6th Lok Sabha Election Commission of India 13 January 2010 6 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140718185438/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1977/Vol_I_LS_77.pdf 18 July 2014 dmy-all These 542 constituencies remained same until 2004 Indian general elections for the 14th Lok Sabha. The Emergency declared by the Indira Gandhi led Congress(R) government was the core issue in the 1977 elections. Civil liberties were suspended during the national emergency from 25 June 1975 to 21 March 1977 and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi assumed vast powers. Gandhi had become unpopular for her decision and paid for it during the elections. On 18 January, Gandhi called for fresh elections and released some political prisoners. Many remained in prison until she was ousted from office and a new prime minister took over.From FPJ Archives: Emergency impact - Indira Gandhi loses elections, India gets first non-Gandhi PM https://web.archive.org/web/20190903165839/https://www.freepressjournal.in/webspecial/from-fpj-archives-emergency-impact-indira-gandhi-loses-elections-india-gets-first-non-gandhi-pm 3 September 2019 The Free Press Journal, 25 June 2019 On 20 January, four opposition parties, the Indian National Congress (Organisation), the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Praja Socialist Party, decided to fight the elections under a single banner called the Janata alliance. The alliance used the symbol allocated to Bhartiya Lok Dal as their symbol on the ballot papers. The Janata Alliance reminded voters of the excesses and human rights violations during the Emergency, like compulsory sterilisation and imprisonment of political leaders. The Janata campaign said the elections would decide whether India would have "democracy or dictatorship."INKredible India: The story of 1977 Lok Sabha election - All you need to know https://zeenews.india.com/lok-sabha-general-elections-2019/inkredible-india-the-story-of-1977-lok-sabha-election-all-you-need-to-know-2187368.html 6 December 2020 27 February 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210227102542/https://zeenews.india.com/lok-sabha-general-elections-2019/inkredible-india-the-story-of-1977-lok-sabha-election-all-you-need-to-know-2187368.html live The Congress(R) looked jittery. Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram quit the party in the first week of February; other notable Congress(R) stalwarts who crossed the floor with Jagjivan Ram before the election were Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna and Nandini Satpathy. Results The elections in India's largest state Uttar Pradesh, historically a Congress(R) stronghold, turned against Gandhi. Dhanagare says the structural reasons included the emergence of a strong and united opposition, disunity and weariness within the Congress(R), an effective opposition and the failure of Gandhi in controlling the mass media, which was under censorship during the Emergency. The structural factors allowed voters to express their grievances, notably their resentment of the emergency and its authoritarian and repressive policies. One grievance often mentioned was the 'Nasbandi' (vasectomy) campaign in rural areas. The middle class also emphasised on the curbing of freedom of speech throughout the country.D.N. Dhanagare, "Sixth Lok Sabha Election in Uttar Pradesh – 1977: The End of the Congress Hegemony," Political Science Review (1979) 18#1 pp 28–51 Meanwhile, Congress(R) hit an all-time low in West Bengal, according to the Gangulys, because of the state-sponsored anti-Communist violence against the cadres of CPI(M) & Naxalites by the government of Siddhartha Shankar Ray, whose legitimacy was questionable, poor discipline and factionalism among Congress(R) activists as well as numerous defections that weakened the party. Opponents emphasised the issues of corruption within the Congress(R) and appealed to a deep desire by the voters for fresh leadership.Mira Ganguly and Bangendu Ganguly, "Lok Sabha Election, 1977: The West Bengal Scene," Political Science Review (1979) 18#3 pp 28–53 The Congress(R), however, did well in southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The results were mixed in the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, although the Janata alliance won all the seats in Mumbai. 350px Janata Party 78062828 295 +209 Indian National Congress (R) 65211589 154 –198 Communist Party of India (Marxist) 8113659 22 –3 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 5480378 18 New Communist Party of India 5322088 7 –16 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 3323320 2 –21 Indian National Congress (Organisation) 3252217 3 –13 Shiromani Akali Dal 2373331 9 +8 Peasants and Workers Party of India 1030232 5 +5 Republican Party of India (Khobragade) 956072 2 +2 Revolutionary Socialist Party 851164 4 +1 All India Forward Bloc 633644 3 +1 Indian Union Muslim League 565007 2 0 Kerala Congress (Pillai Group) 526937 0 New Kerala Congress 491674 2 –1 Jammu & Kashmir National Conference 483192 2 New Muslim League (Opposition) 318979 0 New Socialist Unity Centre of India 280995 0 0 Vishal Haryana Party 192867 0 –1 Republican Party of India 155972 0 –1 All India Jharkhand Party 126288 1 0 United Democratic Front 124627 1 New Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party 118748 1 +1 Jharkhand Party 116961 0 New Manipur Peoples Party 109130 0 0 Shoshit Samaj Dal (Akhil Baharatiya) 96753 0 New Revolutionary Communist Party of India 45047 0 0 Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti 35916 0 New Hindu Mahasabha 35419 0 0 Bihar Prant Hul Jharkhand 27116 0 0 Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad 26169 0 0 All India Labour Party 17191 0 New Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League 12509 0 0 All India Shiromani Baba Jivan Singh Mazabhi Dal 5868 0 New Independents 10393617 9 –5 Appointed Anglo-Indians 2 0 5346411 321174327 +23 ECI Results by state/union territory +State/Union TerritorySeatsJNPINCLFTOTHAndhra Pradesh4214100Arunachal Pradesh20101Assam1431001Bihar5452002Goa, Daman and Diu20101Gujarat26161000Haryana1010000Himachal Pradesh44000Jammu and Kashmir60303Karnataka2822600Kerala2001154Madhya Pradesh4037102Maharashtra48192036Manipur20200Meghalaya20101Mizoram10001Nagaland10001Orissa2115411Punjab133019Rajasthan2524100Sikkim10100Tamil Nadu39014322Tripura21100Uttar Pradesh8585000West Bengal42153231Andaman and Nicobar10100Chandigarh11000Dadra and Nagar Haveli10100Delhi77000Lakshadweep10100Pondicherry10001Total5422951543657 Notes: The results for presented above are party-wise, not alliance-wise. Party abbreviations: JNP – Janata Party INC(R) – Indian National Congress (R) LFT – Left Front (comprising CPI(M), CPI, RSP, and AIFB) OTH – Others (includes parties and independents not belonging to any of the above groups) Lok Sabha by-elections #YearConstituencyState/UTPrevious MP ReasonElected MP11978NandyalAndhra PradeshNeelam Sanjiva ReddyJanata Party Resigned Pendekanti VenkatasubbaiahIndian National Congress2Warangal S. B. GiriIndian National Congress Death G. M. RaoIndian National Congress3SamastipurBihar Karpoori ThakurJanata Party Resigned Ajit Kumar MehtaJanata Party4KarnalHaryana B. D. SharmaJanata Party Resigned M. SinghJanata Party5ChikmagalurKarnataka D. B. ChandregowdaIndian National Congress Resigned Indira GandhiIndian National Congress6Outer ManipurManipur Yangmaso ShaizaIndian National Congress Resigned KaihoJanata Party7AzamgarhUttar PradeshRam Naresh YadavJanata Party Declared Void Mohsina KidwaiIndian National Congress8FatehpurBashir AhmedJanata Party Death Liaquat HusainJanata Party91979SecunderabadAndhra Pradesh M. M. HashimIndian National Congress Resigned P. Shiv ShankarIndian National Congress10Siddipet Gaddam VenkatswamyIndian National Congress Resigned Nandi YellaiahIndian National Congress11SidhiMadhya Pradesh Surya Narayan SinghJanata Party Death R. N. SinghJanata Party12Khandwa Parmanand GovindjiwalaJanata Party Death Kushabhau ThakreJanata Party Aftermath It was not clear if Indira would accept the election results. Although she publicly claimed she would "abide" by the results, behind the scenes, she fired Military Intelligence Head Mani Mishra in favour of loyalist Kashmiri Hardayal Kaul. The INC(R) and senior military officers held several meetings in New Delhi, raising suspicions.Christophe Jaffrelot India's First Dictatorship 2020 430 Chief of the Army Staff T.N. Raina (who had only been appointed because Indira had superseded senior officers to appoint him) was invited for a discussion by Indira and Sanjay Gandhi. Sanjay reportedly told Raina "There are about 300 districts in the country. One infantry platoon is sufficient to control each district... Thus we can control India by deploying 300 platoons or about 25 infantry battalions; a mere three or four divisions. The party [the Congress], supported by paramilitary forces and the police, can deal with other administrative details." Although Indira agreed with Sanjay's plan, Raina refused to follow the plan, despite noting Sanjay's assumptions were "mathematically correct". See also List of members of the 6th Lok Sabha 1977 Indian general election by state or union territory Notes References Further reading Guha, Ramachandra. India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy (2008) pp 491–518 Klieman, Aaron S. "Indira's India: Democracy and Crisis Government," Political Science Quarterly (1981) 96#2 pp. 241–259 in JSTOR Roy, Ramashray; Sheth, D. L. "The 1977 Lok Sabha Election Outcome: The Salience of Changing Voter Alignments Since 1969," Political Science Review (1978), Vol. 17 Issue 3/4, pp 51–63 India India Category:General elections in India