The fifth Lok Sabha, which was to be dissolved in March 1976, was
extended twice since the Indira government had imposed Emergency in the
country since January 1975. The state of Emergency ended after a period
of 21 months when the extended session was dissolved on 18 January 1977,
15 months prior to the expiry of its extended term.
The voting for the 6th Lok Sabha election was held between March 16 and 20, 1977
Enraged by Indira's authoritarian rule during Emergency, four main non-Communist opposition parties - the Organization Congress (also known as the Opposition Congress), the Jan Sangh, the Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Socialist Party - decided to join hands and contest the election together as part of a single party. The combined party was to be called the Janata Party
For the first time in India's electoral history since Independence, the Congress lost its majority in the Lok Sabha. The Janata Party emerged triumphant with a landslide victory winning 295 of the 405 seats it contested on with a vote percentage of 41.32. The Organisation Congress also bagged 3 seats taking their winning seat share to 298
The Janata party, which had fought on the Bharatiya Lok Dal's symbol, trounced the Congress and formed the first non-Congress government of independent India with Morarji Desai as the prime minister. Desai, who was previously India's finance minister before Indira removed him in 1969, was one of the veteran leaders who had been imprisoned for nearly two months during the Emergency.
Other parties in the Janata Alliance included The Communist Party of India (Marxist) which won 22 seats, 3 less that it won in the previous election. The other parties which were part of the alliance were Shiromani Akali Dal which won 9 seats, 8 more than the last election; Peasants and Workers Party of India which won 5 seats, Revolutionary Socialist Party which won 3 seats, All India Forward Bloc with 3 seats, Republican Party of India (Khobragade) with 2 seats. Two Independents also gave its support to the Janata alliance. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam which sided with the Janata party suffered a major setback losing on 22 seats from the past election and winning just one.
The Congress, on the other hand, faced its worst defeat in 30 years, managing to win 154 of the 492 seats it contested on with a vote percentage of 34.52. The result showcased a clear North vs South divide among those who voted in its favour and those against. In the North Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the party could not even win a single seat. Uttar Pradesh which was the biggest state in terms of the Lok Sabha seats had been a Congress stronghold since the first election but Indira's calculation in the 1977 election turned out to be wrong and she could not even win one out of the 85 Lok Sabha seats.
However, in the south, the party did fairly well. Of the 154 seats that the party won in the country, 112 were from Andhra Pradesh (41), Maharashtra (20), Karnataka (26), Tamil Nadu (14) and Kerala (11). Its allies also won 9 seats in Kerala taking up the tally in these states to 121.
The pro-Congress Communist Party of India won 7 of the 91 seats it contested on, 16 less than its tally in the 1971 election.
Altogether 2,439 candidates had contested in the election for the 542-member House. The Lok Sabha seats had been increased from 518 in the previous election on the basis of the 1971 census.
The Janata party had fought the election on issues ranging from domestic problems to the civil liberties which had been curtailed during the Emergency and forced sterlisations which were done during the period. The Congress, with an aim to come back to power, focussed on the need for a strong central government.
The voting for the 6th Lok Sabha election was held between March 16 and 20, 1977
Enraged by Indira's authoritarian rule during Emergency, four main non-Communist opposition parties - the Organization Congress (also known as the Opposition Congress), the Jan Sangh, the Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Socialist Party - decided to join hands and contest the election together as part of a single party. The combined party was to be called the Janata Party
For the first time in India's electoral history since Independence, the Congress lost its majority in the Lok Sabha. The Janata Party emerged triumphant with a landslide victory winning 295 of the 405 seats it contested on with a vote percentage of 41.32. The Organisation Congress also bagged 3 seats taking their winning seat share to 298
The Janata party, which had fought on the Bharatiya Lok Dal's symbol, trounced the Congress and formed the first non-Congress government of independent India with Morarji Desai as the prime minister. Desai, who was previously India's finance minister before Indira removed him in 1969, was one of the veteran leaders who had been imprisoned for nearly two months during the Emergency.
Other parties in the Janata Alliance included The Communist Party of India (Marxist) which won 22 seats, 3 less that it won in the previous election. The other parties which were part of the alliance were Shiromani Akali Dal which won 9 seats, 8 more than the last election; Peasants and Workers Party of India which won 5 seats, Revolutionary Socialist Party which won 3 seats, All India Forward Bloc with 3 seats, Republican Party of India (Khobragade) with 2 seats. Two Independents also gave its support to the Janata alliance. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam which sided with the Janata party suffered a major setback losing on 22 seats from the past election and winning just one.
The Congress, on the other hand, faced its worst defeat in 30 years, managing to win 154 of the 492 seats it contested on with a vote percentage of 34.52. The result showcased a clear North vs South divide among those who voted in its favour and those against. In the North Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the party could not even win a single seat. Uttar Pradesh which was the biggest state in terms of the Lok Sabha seats had been a Congress stronghold since the first election but Indira's calculation in the 1977 election turned out to be wrong and she could not even win one out of the 85 Lok Sabha seats.
However, in the south, the party did fairly well. Of the 154 seats that the party won in the country, 112 were from Andhra Pradesh (41), Maharashtra (20), Karnataka (26), Tamil Nadu (14) and Kerala (11). Its allies also won 9 seats in Kerala taking up the tally in these states to 121.
The pro-Congress Communist Party of India won 7 of the 91 seats it contested on, 16 less than its tally in the 1971 election.
Altogether 2,439 candidates had contested in the election for the 542-member House. The Lok Sabha seats had been increased from 518 in the previous election on the basis of the 1971 census.
The Janata party had fought the election on issues ranging from domestic problems to the civil liberties which had been curtailed during the Emergency and forced sterlisations which were done during the period. The Congress, with an aim to come back to power, focussed on the need for a strong central government.
| HOW JANATA PARTY FARED IN 1977 ELECTION | HOW CONGRESS FARED IN 1977 ELECTION | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ANDHRA PRADESH | 1 | ANDHRA PRADESH | 41 |
| ASSAM | 3 | ARUNACHAL PRADESH | 1 |
| BIHAR | 52 | ASSAM | 10 |
| GUJARAT | 16 | GOA DAMAN & DIU | 1 |
| HARYANA | 10 | GUJARAT | 10 |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH | 4 | JAMMU & KASHMIR | 3 |
| KARNATAKA | 2 | KARNATAKA | 26 |
| MADHYA PRADESH | 37 | KERALA | 11 |
| MAHARASHTRA | 19 | MADHYA PRADESH | 1 |
| ORISSA | 15 | MAHARASHTRA | 20 |
| PUNJAB | 3 | MANIPUR | 2 |
| RAJASTHAN | 24 | MEGHALAYA | 1 |
| TRIPURA | 1 | ORISSA | 4 |
| UTTAR PRADESH | 85 | RAJASTHAN | 1 |
| WEST BENGAL | 15 | SIKKIM | 1 |
| CHANDIGARH | 1 | TAMIL NADU | 14 |
| NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OFDELHI | 7 | TRIPURA | 1 |
| WEST BENGAL | 3 | ||
| ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS | 1 | ||
| DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI | 1 | ||
| LAKSHADWEEP - 1 | 1 | ||
| TOTAL | 295 | 154 | |
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