Question

Highlight any three factors which were responsible for the downfall of the Congress Party in the 1977 elections.

Answer 1

Three major reasons for the Congress Party's demise were:

1. The Congress Party lost favor among the country's ordinary citizens, whose fundamental rights were infringed during the Emergency. Some of Congress's initiatives, such as forced sterilisation of adult men, were perceived negatively by a wide segment of population.
2. The Congress lost favor with the media since the emergency imposed censorship on their activities. As a result of the revocation of the Emergency, the media published numerous critical articles on Congress, eroding its image.
3. Indira Gandhi's image was shaped as an authoritarian leader who did not believe in parliamentary democracy and made decisions solely on her opinion. This harmed the Congress Party since Indira Gandhi was a popular leader.