Indian general election, 1977
Encyclopedia
India held general elections to the 6th
Lok Sabha
. This sixth general elections, which were conducted for 542 seats from 542 constituencies, represented 27 Indian states and union territories. These 542 constituencies were remain same till Indian general elections, 2004 for the 14th Lok Sabha
.
The state of Emergency declared by the Congress 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 extremely unpopular for her decision and paid for it during the elections. Gandhi, on January 23, called fresh elections for March and released all political prisoners. Four Opposition parties, the Organisation Congress, the Jan Sangh, the Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Socialist Party, decided to fight the elections as a single party, called the Janata Party.
The Janata Party reminded voters of 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." The Congress looked jittery: Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram quit the party, and he was one among many.
The Congress tried to woo voters by speaking about the need for a strong government but the tide was against it.
The Congress lost the elections for the first time in independent India and Janata Party leader Morarji Desai, who had been released from prison two months before the elections, won 298 seats. Desai became India's first non-Congress Prime Minister on March 24. Desai had actually been a Congress leader until the Congress split up after Lal Bahudur Shastri's death in 1966 and the resulting appointment of Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister.
The Congress lost nearly 200 seats. Indira Gandhi, who had been in government since 1966, and her son Sanjay both lost elections.
6th Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India. The 6th Lok Sabha, which ran from 23 March 1977 - 22 August 1979 was elected in February and March 1977.-Important members:* Speaker:...
Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
. This sixth general elections, which were conducted for 542 seats from 542 constituencies, represented 27 Indian states and union territories. These 542 constituencies were remain same till Indian general elections, 2004 for the 14th Lok Sabha
14th Lok Sabha
The 14th Lok Sabha was convened after the Indian general election, 2004 held in four phases during 20 April – 10 May 2004, which led to the formation of First Manmohan Singh Cabinet...
.
The state of Emergency declared by the Congress 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 extremely unpopular for her decision and paid for it during the elections. Gandhi, on January 23, called fresh elections for March and released all political prisoners. Four Opposition parties, the Organisation Congress, the Jan Sangh, the Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Socialist Party, decided to fight the elections as a single party, called the Janata Party.
The Janata Party reminded voters of 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." The Congress looked jittery: Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram quit the party, and he was one among many.
The Congress tried to woo voters by speaking about the need for a strong government but the tide was against it.
The Congress lost the elections for the first time in independent India and Janata Party leader Morarji Desai, who had been released from prison two months before the elections, won 298 seats. Desai became India's first non-Congress Prime Minister on March 24. Desai had actually been a Congress leader until the Congress split up after Lal Bahudur Shastri's death in 1966 and the resulting appointment of Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister.
The Congress lost nearly 200 seats. Indira Gandhi, who had been in government since 1966, and her son Sanjay both lost elections.
Results by alliance
Source: KeesingsResults by Party
Lok Sabha Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India... elections 1977 Electoral participation: 60,49% | % | 545 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bharatiya Lok Dal Bharatiya Lok Dal Bharatiya Lok Dal was a political party in India. The BLD was formed at the end of 1974 through the fusion of seven parties opposed to the autocratic rule of Indira Gandhi, including the Swatantra Party, the Utkal Congress, the Bharatiya Kranti Dal, and the Socialist Party... /Janata Party Janata Party The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress... | BLD | 41,32 | 295 |
| Communist Party of India Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925... | CPI | 2,82 | 7 |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of... | CPI(M) | 4,29 | 22 |
| Indian National Congress (Indira) Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... | INC(I) | 34,52 | 154 |
| Indian National Congress (Organization) | INC(O) | 5,28 | 13 |
| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. The party was founded by M. G. Ramachandran and is now headed by J. Jayalalithaa. The party headquarters is in Royapettah, Chennai, and was gifted to the party in 1986 by its... | AIADMK | 2,9 | 18 |
| All India Forward Bloc All India Forward Bloc The All India Forward Bloc is a leftwing nationalist political party in India. It emerged as a faction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra Bose. The party re-established as an independent political party after the independence of India... | AIFB | 0,34 | 2 |
| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by Periyar... | DMK | 1,76 | 2 |
| Indian Union Muslim League Indian Union Muslim League Indian Union Muslim League is a state political party in the state of Kerala, India. The chief support base of the party falls inside northern and central Kerala... | IUML | 0,3 | 2 |
| Jammu & Kashmir National Conference Jammu & Kashmir National Conference The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference is a State political party in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Led at the time of Indian Independence in 1947 by Sheikh Abdullah, it dominated electoral politics in the state for many decades... | NC | 0,26 | 2 |
| Kerala Congress Kerala Congress The Kerala Congress is a recognized State political party in Kerala, India. The party was founded by K. M. George in October 1964 after a group of legislators decided to break from the Indian National Congress... | KC | 0,18 | 1 |
| Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party was Goa's first ruling party after the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1961. In the first elections held after India took over the former Portuguese colony, it ascended to power in December 1963 and stayed on, till being ousted from power by defections in early... | MGP | 0,06 | 1 |
| Manipur Peoples Party Manipur Peoples Party The Manipur Peoples Party is a political party in the Indian state of Manipur. MPP was founded on December 26, 1968 by a group of dissidents from the Indian National Congress. At the February 2007 Manipur state elections, the party received 5 of the 60 seats.... | MPP | 0,06 | 0 |
| Muslim League (Opposition) Indian Union Muslim League Indian Union Muslim League is a state political party in the state of Kerala, India. The chief support base of the party falls inside northern and central Kerala... | ML(O) | 0,17 | 0 |
| Peasants and Workers Party of India Peasants and Workers Party of India Peasants and Workers Party of India , is a marxist political party in Maharashtra, India. The party was founded in 1949, having its roots from the pre-Independence period and has around 10,000 members. The influence of the party is largely limited to three districts.Member of legislative council of... | PWPI | 0,55 | 5 |
| Revolutionary Socialist Party Revolutionary Socialist Party (India) Revolutionary Socialist Party is a Marxist-Leninist political party in India. The party was founded on March 19, 1940 and has its roots in the Bengali liberation movement Anushilan Samiti and the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army. The party got around 0,4% of the votes and three seats in the Lok... | RSP | 0,45 | 4 |
| Shiromani Akali Dal Shiromani Akali Dal The Shiromani Akali Dal , translation: Supreme Akali Party) is a Sikh nationalist political parties based in Punjab. The current party to be recognized by the Election Commission of India is the one led by Parkash Singh Badal... | SAD | 1,26 | 9 |
| United Democratic Front United Democratic Front (India) United Democratic Front is an alliance of political parties of Kerala state in India. This alliance is led by the Indian National Congress.... | UDF | 0,07 | 1 |
| Vishal Haryana | VH | 0,1 | 1 |
| Jharkhand Party Jharkhand Party Jharkhand Party, a political party in India. The party was founded on March 5, 1949 at a large conference in Ranchi. Jaipal Singh was elected president and Idsen Deba general secretary. JKP grew out of the demand for a separate Jharkhand state.... | JP | 0,07 | 1 |
| Republican Party of India (Khobragade) Republican Party of India (Khobragade) The Republican Party of India is a political party in India, a splinter group of the old Ambedkarite Republican Party of India, named for its leader, B.D. Khobragade. It was an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra.... | RPI(K) | 0,51 | 2 |
| Independents | - | 5,5 | 9 |
| Nominated Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent... s | - | - | 2 |