Class 12 Political Science Chapter 12 — Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System
Welcome to HSLC Guru. This page provides complete, exam-ready question and answer notes for ASSEB Class 12 Political Science (Politics in India Since Independence), Chapter 12 — Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System. The notes follow the prescribed NCERT-aligned ASSEB syllabus and cover the leadership succession after Nehru, the political turbulence of 1967, the Congress split of 1969, and Indira Gandhi’s dramatic comeback in the 1971 elections.
About the Chapter
The chapter traces Indian politics from 1964 to 1971 — a period that began with the death of Jawaharlal Nehru and ended with Indira Gandhi’s landslide victory in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections. It explains how the Congress party, which had dominated Indian politics for two decades, faced its first serious electoral setback in 1967, split into two factions in 1969, and was rebuilt under Indira Gandhi’s populist leadership through the slogan “Garibi Hatao” (Remove Poverty).
Summary (English)
Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, died in May 1964, raising the question “After Nehru, Who?” The succession was peaceful — Lal Bahadur Shastri became Prime Minister and led the country through the 1965 war with Pakistan, coining the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.” Shastri died unexpectedly in Tashkent in January 1966, triggering a second succession contest. Indira Gandhi, Nehru’s daughter, was chosen as a compromise candidate, defeating Morarji Desai in a Congress Parliamentary Party vote.
The fourth general elections of 1967 were held against a backdrop of severe economic distress — two consecutive droughts, food shortages, falling foreign exchange reserves, and rupee devaluation. The Congress retained power at the Centre but with a sharply reduced majority, and lost in eight states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha, and Madras. Non-Congress coalition governments — known as Samyukta Vidhayak Dal (SVD) — were formed in many of these states, marking the first major challenge to Congress dominance. Defections by elected legislators from one party to another (popularly called “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram”) destabilised many of these governments.
Inside the Congress, tensions between Indira Gandhi and the older party bosses — the “Syndicate” led by K. Kamaraj, S.K. Patil, S. Nijalingappa, N. Sanjiva Reddy, and Atulya Ghosh — came to a head in 1969. The dispute over the presidential election (V.V. Giri vs. the official Congress nominee Sanjiva Reddy) split the party into Congress (O) — Organisation, the Syndicate faction — and Congress (R) — Requisitionists, led by Indira Gandhi. Indira’s faction was popularly called Congress (Indicate) and the Syndicate’s was called Congress (Syndicate). To consolidate her popular base, Indira pushed through the nationalisation of fourteen major private banks in July 1969 and the abolition of the privy purses of former princely rulers.
The fifth Lok Sabha elections of 1971 saw a Grand Alliance of opposition parties — Congress (O), SSP, PSP, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and Swatantra Party — challenge Indira Gandhi with the slogan “Indira Hatao” (Remove Indira). Indira responded with a powerful pro-poor counter-slogan: “Garibi Hatao” (Remove Poverty). Congress (R) won 352 of 518 Lok Sabha seats — a landslide that re-established Congress dominance, this time built around Indira Gandhi’s personal charisma rather than the party organisation. India’s military victory in the December 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War cemented her resurgence and completed the restoration of the Congress system.
সাৰাংশ (Assamese)
১৯৬৪ চনৰ মে’ মাহত ভাৰতৰ প্ৰথম প্ৰধানমন্ত্ৰী জৱাহৰলাল নেহৰুৰ মৃত্যু হোৱাৰ পিছত “নেহৰুৰ পিছত কোন?” বুলি প্ৰশ্ন উঠিছিল। লাল বাহাদুৰ শাস্ত্ৰীয়ে শান্তিপূৰ্ণভাৱে দায়িত্ব গ্ৰহণ কৰিছিল। ১৯৬৬ চনত শাস্ত্ৰীৰ আকস্মিক মৃত্যুৰ পিছত ইন্দিৰা গান্ধী প্ৰধানমন্ত্ৰী হ’ল। ১৯৬৭ চনৰ চতুৰ্থ সাধাৰণ নিৰ্বাচনত কংগ্ৰেছে কেন্দ্ৰত ক্ষমতা ৰাখিলেও আঠখন ৰাজ্যত পৰাজিত হৈছিল আৰু “সংযুক্ত বিধায়ক দল” নামৰ অ-কংগ্ৰেছ যুটীয়া চৰকাৰ গঠন হৈছিল। দলবদলৰ ৰাজনীতি (“আয়া ৰাম, গয়া ৰাম”) আৰম্ভ হৈছিল।
১৯৬৯ চনত ইন্দিৰা গান্ধী আৰু চিণ্ডিকেট বুলি জনাজাত প্ৰবীণ নেতাসকলৰ মাজৰ মতপাৰ্থক্যৰ ফলত কংগ্ৰেছ দুটা ভাগত বিভক্ত হ’ল — কংগ্ৰেছ (অ’) বা চিণ্ডিকেট আৰু কংগ্ৰেছ (ৰ) বা ইণ্ডিকেট। ইন্দিৰাই ১৪টা ব্যক্তিগত বেংক ৰাষ্ট্ৰীয়কৰণ আৰু প্ৰিভি পাৰ্ছ বিলোপ কৰি জনপ্ৰিয়তা লাভ কৰিলে। ১৯৭১ চনৰ পঞ্চম লোকসভা নিৰ্বাচনত “গৰিবী হটাও” শ্লোগানেৰে কংগ্ৰেছ (ৰ)-এ ৩৫২খন আসন লাভ কৰি বিপুল বিজয় অৰ্জন কৰিলে আৰু কংগ্ৰেছ ব্যৱস্থাৰ পুনৰুদ্ধাৰ সম্পূৰ্ণ হ’ল।
NCERT Textbook Questions and Answers
Q1. Match the following:
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| (a) Syndicate | (i) An informal group of senior leaders within the Congress |
| (b) Defection | (ii) Changing party allegiance from one party to another |
| (c) Slogan | (iii) Garibi Hatao |
| (d) Anti-Congressism | (iv) Coming together of all non-Congress parties |
Answer: (a)–(i); (b)–(ii); (c)–(iii); (d)–(iv).
Q2. The following are different arguments made about the Indian party system after the fourth general election. What evidence would you offer to support or oppose these arguments?
(a) The dominance of Congress ended.
Answer: Supporting evidence: Congress lost in eight states including Bihar, UP, Punjab, MP, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha and Madras. Its Lok Sabha tally fell from 361 (1962) to 283 (1967), a sharp drop in seats and vote share. Non-Congress coalition governments came to power for the first time in many states. Opposing evidence: Congress retained a clear majority at the Centre and continued as the ruling party at the national level; many state governments returned to Congress within months due to defections.
(b) There was no real opposition to the Congress.
Answer: Opposing evidence: A range of opposition parties — Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Swatantra Party, SSP, PSP, CPI, CPI(M), DMK, Akali Dal — formed coalition governments (SVD) in eight states. Anti-Congressism became a credible political plank. Supporting evidence: The opposition was ideologically incoherent, unable to unite into a single national alternative, and held together only by opposition to Congress; it could not sustain stable governments.
(c) This represented a real change in the nature of the Indian party system.
Answer: Yes — 1967 marked the shift from a one-party-dominant system to genuine multi-party competition at the state level. Coalition politics, defections, and anti-Congress alliances became permanent features of Indian politics from this point.
Q3. State which of these statements is correct or incorrect about the Syndicate.
Answer:
- (a) Syndicate was a group of leaders from non-Congress parties — Incorrect. It was a group within the Congress.
- (b) Syndicate played an important role in installing Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister — Correct.
- (c) Syndicate was responsible for the defeat of Congress in 1967 elections — Incorrect. Other factors (drought, devaluation, rising prices) caused the defeat.
- (d) Syndicate’s influence in the Congress declined after Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister — Correct.
Q4. What were the factors which led to the popularity of Indira Gandhi’s government in the late 1960s and early 1970s?
Answer: The key factors were: (i) Nationalisation of fourteen major private banks in July 1969, projected as a pro-poor measure to channel credit to farmers and small entrepreneurs. (ii) Abolition of the privy purses of former princely rulers, framed as removing feudal privileges. (iii) The “Garibi Hatao” slogan, which gave her a clear pro-poor ideological identity. (iv) Effective use of populist rhetoric and direct appeal to voters bypassing the party organisation. (v) The 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War victory, which established her as a strong national leader. (vi) Re-alignment with weaker sections — landless labourers, Dalits, minorities and women.
Q5. What were the issues on which the Congress Party split in 1969? What was the outcome of the split?
Answer: The split arose over: (i) The choice of presidential candidate after Zakir Husain’s death — the Syndicate nominated Sanjiva Reddy as the official Congress candidate, while Indira Gandhi backed independent V.V. Giri. (ii) Ideological differences over economic policy — Indira pushed for bank nationalisation and abolition of privy purses, which the Syndicate resisted. (iii) A power struggle between Indira Gandhi and the Syndicate over control of the party.
Outcome: The Congress split into Congress (O) — Organisation/Syndicate, led by Nijalingappa — and Congress (R) — Requisitionists/Indicate, led by Indira Gandhi. Indira’s faction won the 1971 elections decisively and emerged as the “real” Congress. The split ended the era of collective Congress leadership and centralised power in Indira Gandhi’s hands.
Q6. Discuss the major issues which led to the formal split of the Congress Party in 1969.
Answer: (i) The 1967 elections weakened Congress and exposed differences between the old guard and Indira Gandhi. (ii) Indira’s “Ten Point Programme” — including bank nationalisation, ceilings on urban property and income, and curbs on monopoly — was opposed by the Syndicate. (iii) The 1969 presidential election became the immediate trigger: Indira issued a “conscience vote” call backing V.V. Giri against the official party nominee Sanjiva Reddy. Giri won. (iv) The Syndicate expelled Indira from the party for indiscipline; Indira’s supporters formed Congress (R). The 1971 mandate confirmed her faction as the legitimate Congress.
Q7. Explain the circumstances which led to the resurgence of the Congress in the 1971 elections.
Answer: (i) The Grand Alliance of opposition parties (Congress (O), SSP, PSP, Jana Sangh, Swatantra) used the slogan “Indira Hatao” but lacked any positive programme. (ii) Indira countered with “Garibi Hatao,” giving her campaign a pro-poor ideological direction. (iii) Bank nationalisation and abolition of privy purses had built a strong image as a champion of the underprivileged. (iv) Indira used a presidential-style direct campaign, appealing personally to voters across the country. (v) Result: Congress (R) won 352 of 518 Lok Sabha seats with 43.7% of the vote — a landslide that restored Congress dominance.
Short Answer Questions
Q1. Who was Lal Bahadur Shastri? What slogan is he associated with?
Answer: Lal Bahadur Shastri was India’s second Prime Minister (1964–1966), succeeding Nehru. He led India during the 1965 Indo-Pak war and is associated with the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” (Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer). He died in Tashkent on 11 January 1966.
Q2. Who was the main rival of Indira Gandhi for the Prime Ministership in 1966?
Answer: Morarji Desai. Indira Gandhi defeated him in a secret ballot of the Congress Parliamentary Party by 355 votes to 169.
Q3. What was the Syndicate?
Answer: The Syndicate was an informal group of powerful and influential leaders within the Congress who controlled the party organisation. Key members included K. Kamaraj (Tamil Nadu), S. Nijalingappa (Karnataka), S.K. Patil (Bombay), Atulya Ghosh (Bengal) and N. Sanjiva Reddy (Andhra Pradesh). They engineered Indira Gandhi’s selection as PM in 1966 expecting to control her.
Q4. What is meant by “non-Congressism”?
Answer: “Non-Congressism” was a strategy proposed by socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia, calling for ideologically diverse opposition parties to unite against the Congress to break its monopoly on power. It produced the SVD coalition governments of 1967.
Q5. What does “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” refer to?
Answer: The phrase “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” became famous after Haryana MLA Gaya Lal switched parties three times within a fortnight in 1967. It captured the rampant defection (party-hopping) of legislators that destabilised many state governments after the fourth general election.
Q6. What was the Grand Alliance of 1971?
Answer: The Grand Alliance was a coalition of opposition parties — Congress (O), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Swatantra Party, SSP and PSP — formed for the 1971 Lok Sabha elections to defeat Indira Gandhi’s Congress (R). Their slogan was “Indira Hatao.” It failed comprehensively.
Q7. What was the “Garibi Hatao” slogan?
Answer: “Garibi Hatao” (Remove Poverty) was the campaign slogan of Indira Gandhi and Congress (R) in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections. It signalled a pro-poor agenda focused on land reform, employment, anti-poverty measures, and benefits for landless labourers, Dalits, minorities, and women — and helped deliver a landslide.
Q8. What is meant by privy purse?
Answer: The privy purse was an annual payment guaranteed by the Government of India to the former rulers of princely states as compensation for their accession to the Indian Union in 1947–48. Indira Gandhi’s government abolished it through the 26th Constitutional Amendment in 1971.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Discuss the political and economic context of the fourth general election of 1967.
Answer: The 1967 election was held in conditions of unprecedented difficulty. Politically, the Congress had lost two towering leaders in quick succession — Nehru (1964) and Shastri (1966) — leaving leadership uncertain. Economically, India faced two consecutive droughts (1965 and 1966), a major food crisis, sharp inflation, depleted foreign-exchange reserves, and the rupee devaluation of 1966. Public discontent was channelled by socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia’s call for “non-Congressism.”
Outcome: The Congress retained the Centre with a reduced majority (283 seats) but lost in eight states. Non-Congress coalition governments — SVDs combining ideologically opposed parties (Jana Sangh, Swatantra, socialists, communists, regional parties) — came to power. Defections destabilised most of these coalitions. The election ended one-party dominance at the state level and inaugurated coalition politics in India.
Q2. Explain the 1969 Congress split — its causes, course, and consequences.
Answer: Causes: A power struggle between Indira Gandhi and the Syndicate. The Syndicate had installed Indira expecting to control her, but she pushed an independent leftward economic agenda — bank nationalisation, abolition of privy purses, ceilings on incomes and urban property — which the Syndicate opposed.
Course: After President Zakir Husain’s death in 1969, the Syndicate fielded Sanjiva Reddy as the official Congress nominee. Indira backed independent V.V. Giri and asked Congress MPs to vote according to “conscience.” Giri won by a narrow margin. The Congress Working Committee expelled Indira; her supporters held a parallel “Requisition” session and formed Congress (R). The Syndicate-led group became Congress (O).
Consequences: The Election Commission allotted the original Congress symbol (two bullocks with yoke) to neither faction; Indira’s group adopted the cow-and-calf symbol. The split centralised power in Indira Gandhi, weakened the party organisation, and ended the era of collective Congress leadership. Congress (R) was vindicated by its 1971 landslide.
Q3. Why and how did Indira Gandhi nationalise the banks in 1969? What was its political significance?
Answer: On 19 July 1969, Indira Gandhi’s government issued an ordinance nationalising fourteen of India’s largest private commercial banks (each with deposits over Rs 50 crore). The stated objective was to direct credit to agriculture, small industry, exports, and weaker sections, and to break the link between concentrated industrial and banking ownership. Politically, it was a decisive break with the Syndicate’s pro-business orientation. Bank nationalisation was hugely popular among the rural poor, small businessmen, and the urban middle class. It established Indira Gandhi’s pro-poor image, isolated the Syndicate, and laid the foundation for her landslide in 1971.
Q4. Analyse the resurgence of the Congress in the 1971 election. Why is it called the restoration of the Congress system?
Answer: By 1971 Indira Gandhi had built a personal political base through bank nationalisation and the abolition of privy purses. The opposition Grand Alliance offered only the negative slogan “Indira Hatao.” Indira countered with the pro-poor “Garibi Hatao,” promising a positive transformation. She campaigned in presidential style, addressing huge rallies across India and projecting herself directly to voters.
Result: Congress (R) won 352 of 518 seats with 43.7% of the vote — a two-thirds majority. The December 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War victory cemented her stature. This is called “restoration” because Congress dominance was re-established, but in a transformed form: dominance was now built around the personality of Indira Gandhi rather than the diverse ideological coalition and strong organisation of the old Congress. The party became more centralised, less ideologically plural, and more dependent on a single leader.
Q5. Discuss the phenomenon of defection (“Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram”) after 1967 and its impact on Indian politics.
Answer: After 1967 the SVD coalition governments became a hotbed of defection. Legislators frequently switched parties for office or financial gain, bringing down state governments and reinstating others. Haryana MLA Gaya Lal’s three switches in a fortnight gave the phenomenon its lasting nickname. Impact: (i) Coalition politics became unstable and discredited. (ii) Voter cynicism increased. (iii) President’s Rule was imposed repeatedly to handle collapsed governments. (iv) The instability ultimately benefited Indira’s centralising politics. (v) It eventually led, decades later, to the Anti-Defection Law (52nd Amendment, 1985).
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. Jawaharlal Nehru died in:
(a) May 1962 (b) May 1964 (c) May 1966 (d) May 1967
Answer: (b) May 1964.
2. Lal Bahadur Shastri’s famous slogan was:
(a) Garibi Hatao (b) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan (c) Indira Hatao (d) Inquilab Zindabad
Answer: (b) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.
3. Lal Bahadur Shastri died in:
(a) Delhi (b) Tashkent (c) Moscow (d) Lahore
Answer: (b) Tashkent.
4. Indira Gandhi defeated whom in the 1966 Congress Parliamentary Party leadership contest?
(a) Y.B. Chavan (b) Morarji Desai (c) K. Kamaraj (d) Jagjivan Ram
Answer: (b) Morarji Desai.
5. The fourth general election was held in:
(a) 1962 (b) 1965 (c) 1967 (d) 1971
Answer: (c) 1967.
6. In the 1967 elections, the Congress lost in how many states?
(a) Four (b) Six (c) Eight (d) Ten
Answer: (c) Eight.
7. The non-Congress coalition governments formed in 1967 were called:
(a) United Front (b) Samyukta Vidhayak Dal (SVD) (c) Janata Dal (d) National Front
Answer: (b) Samyukta Vidhayak Dal (SVD).
8. The phrase “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” is associated with:
(a) Defection (b) Bank nationalisation (c) Garibi Hatao (d) Privy purses
Answer: (a) Defection.
9. Who coined the slogan “non-Congressism”?
(a) Jayaprakash Narayan (b) Ram Manohar Lohia (c) Acharya Kripalani (d) C. Rajagopalachari
Answer: (b) Ram Manohar Lohia.
10. The Syndicate was a group of:
(a) Opposition leaders (b) Senior leaders within the Congress (c) Communist leaders (d) Princely rulers
Answer: (b) Senior leaders within the Congress.
11. Which of the following was NOT a member of the Syndicate?
(a) K. Kamaraj (b) S. Nijalingappa (c) Atulya Ghosh (d) Indira Gandhi
Answer: (d) Indira Gandhi.
12. The Congress split into two factions in:
(a) 1966 (b) 1967 (c) 1969 (d) 1971
Answer: (c) 1969.
13. Indira Gandhi’s faction was called:
(a) Congress (O) (b) Congress (R) / Indicate (c) Congress (S) (d) Congress (J)
Answer: (b) Congress (R) / Indicate.
14. The Syndicate-led faction after the 1969 split was called:
(a) Congress (R) (b) Congress (O) (c) Congress (I) (d) Congress (S)
Answer: (b) Congress (O) — Organisation.
15. Bank nationalisation was carried out in:
(a) 1967 (b) July 1969 (c) 1971 (d) 1975
Answer: (b) July 1969.
16. How many private banks were nationalised in 1969?
(a) 10 (b) 12 (c) 14 (d) 16
Answer: (c) 14.
17. Privy purses were abolished by which Constitutional Amendment?
(a) 24th (b) 25th (c) 26th (d) 42nd
Answer: (c) 26th.
18. In the 1969 presidential election, Indira Gandhi backed:
(a) Sanjiva Reddy (b) V.V. Giri (c) Zakir Husain (d) Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Answer: (b) V.V. Giri.
19. The 1971 Lok Sabha election slogan of Indira Gandhi was:
(a) Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan (b) Indira Hatao (c) Garibi Hatao (d) Total Revolution
Answer: (c) Garibi Hatao.
20. The 1971 opposition slogan against Indira Gandhi was:
(a) Garibi Hatao (b) Indira Hatao (c) Total Revolution (d) Save Democracy
Answer: (b) Indira Hatao.
21. Congress (R) won how many seats in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections?
(a) 283 (b) 352 (c) 414 (d) 415
Answer: (b) 352.
22. The Bangladesh Liberation War took place in:
(a) 1969 (b) 1970 (c) December 1971 (d) 1972
Answer: (c) December 1971.
23. The 1971 election is called the “restoration” of the Congress system because:
(a) The Syndicate returned to power (b) Indira Gandhi rebuilt Congress dominance around her personality (c) Old Congress symbol was restored (d) Coalition governments ended
Answer: (b) Indira Gandhi rebuilt Congress dominance around her personality.
24. The new election symbol of Congress (R) after the 1969 split was:
(a) Hand (b) Cow and Calf (c) Two bullocks with yoke (d) Lotus
Answer: (b) Cow and Calf.
25. Which of the following parties was NOT part of the 1971 Grand Alliance?
(a) Congress (O) (b) Bharatiya Jana Sangh (c) Swatantra Party (d) CPI
Answer: (d) CPI (it supported Indira’s Congress (R)).
Timeline (1964–1971)
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 27 May 1964 | Death of Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 9 June 1964 | Lal Bahadur Shastri sworn in as Prime Minister |
| 1965 | Indo-Pak war; “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” slogan |
| 1966 | Rupee devaluation; severe drought |
| 11 January 1966 | Death of Lal Bahadur Shastri at Tashkent |
| 24 January 1966 | Indira Gandhi sworn in as Prime Minister |
| February 1967 | Fourth general election; Congress loses 8 states |
| 1967–1969 | SVD coalition governments; “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” defection wave |
| 3 May 1969 | Death of President Zakir Husain |
| 19 July 1969 | Nationalisation of 14 private banks |
| August 1969 | V.V. Giri elected President defeating Sanjiva Reddy |
| November 1969 | Formal split of Congress into Congress (O) and Congress (R) |
| December 1970 | Lok Sabha dissolved; early elections called |
| March 1971 | Fifth Lok Sabha election; Congress (R) wins 352 seats with “Garibi Hatao” |
| December 1971 | Bangladesh Liberation War; India’s victory |
| 1971 | 26th Constitutional Amendment abolishes privy purses |
Key Terms / Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Syndicate | Informal group of senior Congress leaders who controlled the party organisation in the 1960s |
| Congress (O) | “Organisation” Congress led by the Syndicate (Nijalingappa) after the 1969 split |
| Congress (R) / Indicate | “Requisitionists” Congress led by Indira Gandhi after the 1969 split |
| Non-Congressism | Lohia’s strategy of uniting opposition parties of all ideologies against the Congress |
| SVD (Samyukta Vidhayak Dal) | Coalition governments of non-Congress parties formed in many states after 1967 |
| Defection | An elected legislator switching from one party to another, often for office or money |
| “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” | Popular phrase capturing rampant defection by legislators after 1967 |
| Bank Nationalisation | Government takeover of 14 large private banks in July 1969 |
| Privy Purse | Annual payment to former princely rulers; abolished by 26th Amendment, 1971 |
| Garibi Hatao | “Remove Poverty” — Indira Gandhi’s pro-poor 1971 election slogan |
| Indira Hatao | “Remove Indira” — slogan of the 1971 Grand Alliance opposition |
| Grand Alliance | 1971 coalition of Congress (O), Jana Sangh, Swatantra, SSP and PSP against Indira |
| Restoration of Congress System | Re-establishment of Congress dominance under Indira Gandhi after the 1971 landslide, but built around personal leadership rather than the older organisational coalition |