Special feature done for Hindustan Times on January 25, 2014. Kickstarting election coverage with tons of archived data.

1. | nation |
SU NDAY HIN DU STA N T I M ES , N EW D E L H I
JA NUARY 26 , 2 0 14
myindiamyvote
REPUBLIC@65
A RE-CAP OF INDIA’S LOK SABHA ELECTIONS
India first went to polls in 1952 and the Indian National Congress under Jawaharlal Nehru stormed into power with 44.99% of the vote share.
Since then, India has gone to poll 15 times, coalition governments have become a reality and only nine governments have served their full term
1952
Years when
election held
1ST LOK SABHA
1957
2ND LOK SABHA
1962
3RD LOK SABHA
Tenure in
years
1967
4TH LOK SABHA
1971
5TH LOK SABHA
1977
6TH LOK SABHA
1980
7TH LOK SABHA
1998
11TH LOK SABHA
1999
UNITED FRONT
National Front, Left
Front, TMC, DMK,
AGP, Others
12TH LOK SABHA
42.69%
2004
2009
13TH LOK SABHA
14TH LOK SABHA
15TH LOK SABHA
NDA
BJP, TDP, JD(U),
Shiv Sena, DMK,
Others
UPA Alliance
INC, RJD, DMK,
NCP, Lok Jan Shakti
Party, Telangana
Rashtra Samithi,
PMK, JMM, MDMK,
Indian Union
Muslim League,
Republican Party of
India, PDP
UPA Alliance
INC, TMC, DMK, NCP,
National Conference,
JMM, Indian Union
Muslim League,
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal
Katchi, Kerala
Congress (Mani),All
India Majlis-eIttehadul Muslimeen,
RPI (Athvale)
UNDER
DEVE GOWDA AND
I K GUJRAL
United Front, INC
49.10%
43.68%
1996
10TH LOK SABHA
52.74%
40.78%
Vote share for
the winning
party/
coalition
9TH LOK SABHA
1991
INC, Left Front
47.78%
44.72%
8TH LOK SABHA
1989
Indira Gandhi
declares Emergency
in 1975
Nehru’s death
results in Gulzari
Lal Nanda taking
over as temporary
PM
44.99%
1984
40.80%
36.26%
35.40%
37.22%
20.29%
BJP vote
share
28.80%
25.59%
INC vote
share
17.79%
Seats gained
by the
winning party
1996 was an
exception
when the INC
refused to
form the govt.
after the BJP
couldn’t prove
majority
INC
won
INC
won
INC
won
INC
won
364/489
371 /494
361/494
283/520
Congress (I)
won
352/518
Janata Party
won
Congress (I)
won
Congress (I)
won
345/542
353/529
404/514
Janata Dal
won
143/529
INC
won
232/521
BJP won
161/543
INC won
BJP
won
BJP+
won
INC+
won
INC+
won
181/543
299/543
218/543
262/543
140/543
INC
KEY PLAYERS
Indian National
Congress (INC),
Socialist Party,
Communist Party
of India (CPI),
Bharatiya Jana
Sangh, Kisan Majdoor Praja Party.
RESULT
The Jawaharlal
Nehru-led INC
stormed into
power with 364
seats and 44.99 %
of the votes.
ISSUES
Jaya Prakash
Narayan and Kriplani were critical
of the INC for
moving away
from original Gandhian ideals,
which they
claimed they still
stood for.
KEY PLAYERS
INC, CPI, Praja
Socialist Party
(PSP)
RESULT
The INC repeated
its success and
Nehru became
prime minister.
AB Vajpayee,
from Bharatiya
Jana Sangh, won
his first election
from Balrampur in
Uttar Pradesh.
ISSUES
This election
marked the rise
of regional interest groups, with
the DMK, Samyukta Maharashatra Samiti and
Mahagujarat
Parishad making
a dent. CPI saw
resurgence in
Kerala.
KEY PLAYERS
INC, Swatantra
Party
RESULT
This was last
election for the
INC under the
leadership of
Nehru, who died
in 1964. The Congress won 10
fewer from the
earlier elections.
ISSUES
Swatantra party
formed by C
Rajagopalachari,
(Rajaji) the first
Governor General
of India, debuted
with 18 seats. It
opposed license
raj, advocated
free trade and
attacked the personality cult
around the prime
minister.
KEY PLAYERS
Indian national
Congress, Bharatiya Jana Sangh,
Communist Party
of India, Swatantra Party
RESULT
INC received a setback winning 283
seats. A year
before elections,
senior leader
Moraji Desai
opposed Indira
Gandhi’s claim
over the party’s
top post.
ISSUES
Under Indira Gandhi’s prime ministership, the INC
faced its first serious challenge with
the Opposition
calling it a party of
thieves.
CONG
JP
KEY PLAYERS
Indian National
Congress(I), Indian
National Congress
(O), Bharatiya
Jana Sangh, Communist Party of
India, Swatantra
Party, DMK
KEY PLAYERS
Indian National
Congress(I) and
Janata Party alliance, comprising
Congress(O), Jana
Sangh, Bharatiya
Lok Dal and the
Socialist Party
KEY PLAYERS
Indian National
Congress (I), Communist Party of
India, Communist
Party of India (M),
Janata Party, Janata Party (secular)
KEY PLAYERS
Indian National
Congress (I), CPM,
Janata party,
Telgu Desam Party
RESULT
The Indira Gandhiled Congress(I)
bounced back with
352 seats.
RESULT
Following the
Emergency, the
Congress(I) won
only 189 seats.
The Janata Party
alliance won 345
seats.
ISSUES
Gandhi’s ‘garibi
hatao’ (remove
poverty) slogan
was the flavour of
this election. She
took pro-poor decisions, such as
nationalising
banks, abolishing
privy purses, and
guaranteeing minimum wages.
ISSUES
The misuse of
power by Indira
Gandhi and her
kitchen cabinet
struck a chord the
people.
RESULT
The Congress (I),
under a chastised
Indira Gandhi, won
by a landslide. The
Janata Party alliance crumbled
when Jana Sangh
pulled out in 1979.
ISSUES
This election
marked the end of
purely ideological
planks during the
elections and
Gandhi campaigned
on her ability to
stabilise the
government.
RESULT
Riding on sympathy wave after the
assassination of
Indira Gandhi in
October 31, the
Congress under
Indira Gandhi’s son
Rajiv Gandhi
swept the polls,
winning 414 seats.
ISSUES
The assassination
of Indira Gandhi
led to a sympathy
wave in favour of
the Congress.
TEXT: M RAMAKRISHNAN & BRAJESH KUMAR
SOURCE: ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
GRAPHIC: HT DESIGN
JD
KEY PLAYERS
Congress, Janata
Dal, CPI, CPM
RESULT
Vishwanath
Pratap Singh, the
former defence
minister under
Rajiv Gandhi’s
government and
leader of Janata
Dal, led a minority
government.
ISSUES
Allegations of taking kickbacks in
the Bofors gun
deal stuck Rajiv
Gandhi, who lost
his impressive
mandate.
BJP
KEY PLAYERS
Congress, Bhartiya
Janata Party
(BJP), CPI, CPM
RESULT
The Janata Dalgovernment collapsed within 16
months of its formation, and the
Congress bounced
back, but it was
short of majority.
It formed a minority government
with support from
Left parties and
ran its full course
of five years.
ISSUES
Votes were sought
in the backdrop of
RamjanmbhoomiBabri Masjid controversy, and reservation debate.
V P Singh
Prime Ministers
since freedom
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Indira Gandhi
Morarji Desai
Indira Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
15
Chandra Shekhar
KEY PLAYERS
Congress, BJP,
Shiv Sena, Haryana
Vikash Party,
Samata Party, CPI,
CPI(M), Janata Dal
and TDP.
KEY PLAYERS
Congress, BJP,
AIADMK, Samta
Party, Biju Janata
Dal, Haryana
Vikash Party, CPI,
CPM
KEY PLAYERS
Congress, BJP,
AIADMK, Samta
Party, Biju Janata
Dal, Haryana
Vikash Party, CPI,
CPM
RESULT
The BJP emerged
as the single largest party but could
not muster a twothird majority. It
fell in 13 days. HD
Deve Gowda-led
UF formed the
government till
April 1997, when
the INC withdrew
support and forced
a change of leadership to IK Gujral.
RESULT
IK Gujral government did not last
long. The Congress
pulled the plug
again in 1998 leading to fresh elections. The BJP
once again
emerged as the
single largest party
with 181 seats.
RESULT
The BJP led-NDA
alliance came to
power winning 270
seats. It received
the outside support from the
Telgu Desam Party,
which had won 29
seats.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
ISSUES
The robust growth
in economy and
instability caused
by coalition government were
some of the issues
raised by the BJP.
ISSUES
With the Kargil
victory behind it,
the BJP brought
together more
than 20 parties to
form National
Democratic Alliance and challenge
the Congress.
KEY PLAYERS
Congress, BJP, CPI,
CPM, Samajwadi
Party (SP), Bahujan Samajwadi
Party (BSP)
KEY PLAYERS
Congress, BJP, CPI,
CPM, Samajwadi
Party (SP), Bahujan Samajwadi
Party (BSP)
RESULT
The Congress-led
United Progressive
Alliance (UPA)
won and formed
the government in
alliance with the
Left (59 seats),
Samajwadi Party
(36 seats) and
Bahujan Samajwadi party (19seats).
RESULT
The incumbent
UPA repeated its
2004 performance
in the 14th Lok
Sabha elections
and came back to
power in the 15th
Lok Sabha. increasing its tally to 262.
ISSUES
The BJP went to
the polls with
‘India shining’
campaign. The
impressive economic growth
didn’t click with
the masses.
ISSUES
The incumbent
party spoke of the
social schemes—
NREGA, NRHM
etc— in its campaign pitch. The
NDA, on the other
hand, raised issues
such as inflation
and internal security threats.
H D Deve Gowda
P V Narasimha Rao
I K Gujral
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Manmohan Singh