The 1971 Election and Restoration of Congress

The Congress split reduced Indira Gandhi’s government to a minority, but it continued with support from other parties like the Communist Party of India and the DMK. Gandhi campaigned for land reform and further legislation. To strengthen her party, she recommended dissolving the Lok Sabha in December 1970, and held the fifth general election in February 1971.

The Contest

The electoral contest against Congress(R) was dominated by the Grand Alliance, which included major non-communist opposition parties. Indira Gandhi, a leader of the Grand Alliance, aimed to create a positive agenda and slogan, Garibi Hatao (Remove Poverty), which focused on the growth of the public sector, imposing ceilings on rural land holdings, removing income disparities, and abolishing privileges. This strategy aimed to build an independent nationwide political support base among the disadvantaged, particularly landless laborers, Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, women, and unemployed youth.

The Outcome and After

The 1971 Lok Sabha elections saw the Congress(R)-CPI alliance win more seats and votes than the Congress had ever won in the first four general elections. Indira Gandhi’s Congress(R) won 352 seats with 44% of the popular votes, establishing its claim as the “real” Congress and restoring its dominant position in Indian politics. The Grand Alliance of the opposition failed, with their combined tally of seats being less than 40. The 1971 elections, followed by the Indo-Pak war and the establishment of Bangladesh, further boosted Indira Gandhi’s popularity. With two successive election victories, the Congress was in power in almost all states and popular across different social sections.

Restoration

Indira Gandhi re-invented the Congress party, focusing on the supreme leader’s popularity and weak organizational structure. This new Congress party, which won elections, relied more on social groups like the poor, women, Dalits, Adivasis, and minorities. Despite being more popular, the new Congress did not absorb all tensions and conflicts, leading to a political crisis that threatened the existence of constitutional democracy in the country. The Congress system’s capacity to absorb tensions and conflicts remained limited.

Class 12 Political Science Chapter 5 Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System looks into the complicated mechanics of India’s Congress System, analyzing its struggles and final restoration. The Congress System, defined by the Indian National Congress party’s dominance in the political landscape following independence, faced many difficulties and disturbances. This chapter explores the evolution of the Congress System, the rise of new political forces, and the measures used to regain its dominance in the face of shifting political perspectives. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the complexity of Indian politics during this critical period.

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