The 1977 elections for the first time saw the Opposition coming into power at the Centre. What would you consider as the reasons for this development ?

The reasons for the Opposition coming into power at the Centre were as follows :

(i) Since 1967 elections the oppositions parties had been coming nearer to each other. That election had brought the idea of coalitions in Indian politics and various SVD governments were formed.

(ii) Before emergency the movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan had received support from the non-Congress opposition parties like the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the Congress (O), The Bharatiya Lok Dal and others.

(iii) The opposition parties organised a massive demonstration on 25 June, 1975 and asked for resignation of Indira Gandhi.

(iv) Arrest, censorship, torture, custodial deaths during emergency and other actions of the government directly affected the political parties and the ordinary people.

(v)All these factors brought the opposition together and formed a new party known as the Janata Party under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan. The new party made the election into a refrendum on the Emergency.

(vi)The public opinion was against the Congress. The formation of the Janata Party ensured that non-Congress votes would not be divided. All these factors led to the victory of the Janata Party and coming of opposition into power at the Centre.