The late 1960s and the start of the 1970s were years which saw a number
of changes in the social, political and economic characteristics of
India
The biggest change in these years, however, was in the political climate of the country, and in the Indian National Congress in particular. Murmurs of dissent against Indira Gandhi had already plagued the party before the Lok Sabha election in 1967. The result, although in favour of the party, was also its worst so far in independent India. Indira Gandhi’s credentials were still in question and what’s worse is that many of who raised the questions were from her own party.
Fictional feuds and major differences in opinions eventually led to Indian National Congress president S Nijalingappa expelling Indira from the party in 1969 on charges of violating party discipline. She was accused of ‘fostering a cult of personality’ which – her critics say – was regarded as an essential need by Indira to not just stay relevant but stay in complete control. That the party lost several states in the so-called Hindi belt also acted as a catalyst.
The party fractured into Congress (O) under leaders like K Kamaraj and later Morarji Desai, while Indira formed Congress (R). While ‘O’ stood for Organisation, the ‘R’ in Indira’s party name stood for Requisition. The split in the Indian National Congress was essentially a split between the veterans and old guards of the party on the one hand, and Indira and her supporters/loyalists on the other.
The political battle lines were quite clearly defined in the run up to the Lok Sabha 1971 election.
While Congress (R) fancied its prospects under the leadership of Indira – who was determined to consolidate her power, Congress (O) teamed up with the likes of Swatantra Party, Jana Sangh Party and Samyukta Socialist Party to form the ‘Grand Alliance’.
Both Congress (R) and the Grand Alliance looked to field candidates in all 442 constituencies.
In addition, the Bharatiya Kranti Dal and the Praja Socialist Party fielded 95 and 63 candidates, respectively.
While CPI put forward 87 candidates, CPI (M) had 85 candidates.
Interestingly, over 1000 independent candidates contested the 5th Lok Sabha election of 1971
The election itself took place between March 1 and March 10. A total of 151,296,749 people came out to vote (55.2 per cent). This figure was three million less than the one in 1967 Lok Sabha election.
Congress (R), nonetheless, snubbed the challenge posed by all other rivals to cruise to an emphatic win.
Congress (R) under Indira won 352 seats by getting 63,905,356 (43.68 per cent) votes. No other party or alliance could even come close to the sheer dominance with Congress (O) especially hurt and winning a measly 16 seats. Swatantra Party had fancied its prospects after the previous Lok Sabha election but could secure just eight seats. Bharatiya Jan Sangh managed to win 22 seats while Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) won 23 and 25 seats, respectively
DMK emerged as a strong regional player by securing wins in 23 seats.
The biggest change in these years, however, was in the political climate of the country, and in the Indian National Congress in particular. Murmurs of dissent against Indira Gandhi had already plagued the party before the Lok Sabha election in 1967. The result, although in favour of the party, was also its worst so far in independent India. Indira Gandhi’s credentials were still in question and what’s worse is that many of who raised the questions were from her own party.
Fictional feuds and major differences in opinions eventually led to Indian National Congress president S Nijalingappa expelling Indira from the party in 1969 on charges of violating party discipline. She was accused of ‘fostering a cult of personality’ which – her critics say – was regarded as an essential need by Indira to not just stay relevant but stay in complete control. That the party lost several states in the so-called Hindi belt also acted as a catalyst.
The party fractured into Congress (O) under leaders like K Kamaraj and later Morarji Desai, while Indira formed Congress (R). While ‘O’ stood for Organisation, the ‘R’ in Indira’s party name stood for Requisition. The split in the Indian National Congress was essentially a split between the veterans and old guards of the party on the one hand, and Indira and her supporters/loyalists on the other.
The political battle lines were quite clearly defined in the run up to the Lok Sabha 1971 election.
While Congress (R) fancied its prospects under the leadership of Indira – who was determined to consolidate her power, Congress (O) teamed up with the likes of Swatantra Party, Jana Sangh Party and Samyukta Socialist Party to form the ‘Grand Alliance’.
Both Congress (R) and the Grand Alliance looked to field candidates in all 442 constituencies.
In addition, the Bharatiya Kranti Dal and the Praja Socialist Party fielded 95 and 63 candidates, respectively.
While CPI put forward 87 candidates, CPI (M) had 85 candidates.
Interestingly, over 1000 independent candidates contested the 5th Lok Sabha election of 1971
The election itself took place between March 1 and March 10. A total of 151,296,749 people came out to vote (55.2 per cent). This figure was three million less than the one in 1967 Lok Sabha election.
Congress (R), nonetheless, snubbed the challenge posed by all other rivals to cruise to an emphatic win.
Congress (R) under Indira won 352 seats by getting 63,905,356 (43.68 per cent) votes. No other party or alliance could even come close to the sheer dominance with Congress (O) especially hurt and winning a measly 16 seats. Swatantra Party had fancied its prospects after the previous Lok Sabha election but could secure just eight seats. Bharatiya Jan Sangh managed to win 22 seats while Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) won 23 and 25 seats, respectively
DMK emerged as a strong regional player by securing wins in 23 seats.
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