The year 1967 (Refer to Figure 5.6) is considered a landmark year in India’s political and electoral history. Amidst economic crises, social unrest, and rise of “non-Congressism,” Indira Gandhi, a politically inexperienced leader, faced an electorate disillusioned by inflation, unemployment, and communal tensions. Opposition parties united to challenge the Congress’s dominance, seeking to reshape India’s political future.

Context of the Elections

Economic and Political Backdrop

• Political Instability: The period leading up to the elections saw the demise of two Prime Ministers. 
  • Indira Gandhi, new Prime Minister, had been in office for less than a year and was perceived as politically inexperienced.
• Economic Crisis: India faced a severe economic crisis due to failed monsoons, drought, food shortages, declining exports, and increased military expenses. 
• Social Unrest: The devaluation of  Indian rupee led to an increase in prices, triggering widespread public protests.

Social and Political Movements

• Public Outcry: People protested against rising prices, unemployment, and overall economic conditions.
• Dismissed Demands: The government often viewed these protests as law and order issues rather than genuine concerns.
•  Political Agitation and Social Unrest: Communist and socialist parties pushed for greater equality, and some factions engaged in armed agrarian struggles.
  • The country also experienced severe Hindu-Muslim riots.

Non-Congress

The Concept

• Divided Opposition: Opposition parties believed that vote division among them helped Congress retain power.
• Emergence of Anti-Congress Alliances: Different parties with varied ideologies formed anti-Congress fronts or engaged in electoral seat-sharing.
  • The strategy was to capitalize on Indira Gandhi’s inexperience and the internal rifts within Congress.
• Ram Manohar Lohia coined the term ‘non-Congressism’, arguing that Congress rule was undemocratic and against the interests of ordinary citizens.

Electoral Verdict

The elections were marked by significant unrest, and the Congress faced voters without Nehru for the first time.

• Congress Wins Majority but Loses Ground: Although Congress secured a majority in Lok Sabha, it recorded its lowest seat tally and vote share since 1952.
• Congress Setbacks: Congress lost its majority in seven states, and defections prevented it from forming a government in two other states.
• Rise of Regional Parties: DMK, a regional party, secured a majority in Madras (now Tamil Nadu), marking the first time a non-Congress party achieved this feat.

Coalitions

The 1967 elections ushered in the era of coalition politics (Refer to Figure 5.7). Various non-Congress parties formed joint legislative parties (Samyukta Vidhayak Dal) to support non-Congress governments. These coalitions often comprised ideologically incongruent partners.

Defection

The politics after the 1967 elections witnessed significant defections.

• Congress Fractures: Breakaway Congress legislators played pivotal roles in forming non-Congress governments in states like Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Symbol of Frequent Defections: The term ‘Aya Ram, Gaya Ram’ (Refer to Figure 5.8) became popular, denoting frequent floor-crossings, notably by Gaya Lal, an MLA from Haryana.
• Curbing Defections: Due to these defections, the Constitution was later amended to prevent such instances.

Split in Congress Post-1967 Elections

The election results demonstrated Congress’s vulnerability. After the 1967 elections, Congress remained in power at Centre but with a decreased majority and lost in many States.

• Most non-Congress coalition governments in States were unstable; either new combinations were formed or the President’s rule was imposed.

Indira vs ‘Syndicate’

Internal Conflict: Indira Gandhi’s major challenge arose not from the opposition but from within her party.

• She contended with ‘Syndicate’, a powerful faction within Congress.
• Syndicate’s Influence: The Syndicate played a crucial role in Indira Gandhi’s appointment as Prime Minister and expected her to heed their advice.
• • As time passed, Indira Gandhi began to assert her leadership in government and the party.
• Asserting Authority: She relied on a trusted circle of advisers from outside the party and gradually marginalized Syndicate.
• Power Struggle to Ideology: Faced with the dual challenge of establishing her independence from Syndicate and regaining lost ground for Congress, Indira transformed a mere power tussle into an ideological battle.
• Ten Point Programme and Syndicate’s Discontent: She steered the government’s policy towards a Left orientation, introducing the Ten Point Programme in May 1967, which emphasized socialist policies.
  • While the Syndicate formally accepted this new direction, they held significant reservations.

Presidential Election of 1969 and Congress Split

Indira Gandhi Challenges to Party Establishment: In 1969, following death of President Zakir Hussain, a tussle arose over his successor. 

• The ‘Syndicate’ nominated N. Sanjeeva Reddy, Lok Sabha Speaker and a known adversary of Indira Gandhi, as official Congress candidate.
• Independent Candidate: In response, Indira Gandhi supported V.V. Giri, (Refer to Figure 5.9) the then Vice-President, to stand as an independent candidate.
• Nationalization and Resignation: To bolster her position, she initiated major policy decisions, such as nationalizing fourteen major private banks and abolishing ‘privy purse’ – special privileges granted to former princely states. 
  • This led to serious disagreements with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Morarji Desai, resulting in his resignation.
• Whip vs. Conscience Vote: As the presidential election neared, Congress President, S. Nijalingappa, issued a ‘whip’ directing all Congress MPs and MLAs to vote for Sanjeeva Reddy.

• • However, Indira Gandhi endorsed a ‘conscience vote’, allowing Congress members to vote freely.
  • V.V. Giri emerged victorious, defeating the official Congress nominee. This marked a formal division in Congress.
• Expulsion and Party Split: Indira Gandhi was expelled by the Congress President (Refer to Figure 5.10). 
  • By November 1969, the party split into two factions, namely, the Syndicate-led Congress (Organisation) and Indira-led Congress (Requisitionists), colloquially referred to as the Old and New Congress respectively. 
  • Indira Gandhi portrayed the schism as a divide between pro-poor socialists and pro-rich conservatives.

Conclusion

India’s political landscape experienced a significant change during the 1967 elections. During a period of economic uncertainty and societal upheaval, Indira Gandhi encountered major hurdles from opposing groups pushing for “non-Congressism.” Even though Congress maintained control, it experienced significant losses and emergence of regional parties. The period saw a rise of coalition politics and regular party switching, resulting in a division in Congress and Indira Gandhi’s calculated actions to strengthen her power, reshaping the party and its principles.

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