General elections were held in India between 17 and 21 February 1967 to elect 520 of the 523 members of the
fourth Lok Sabha, an increase of 15 from the previous session of Lok Sabha.
Elections to State Assemblies were also held simultaneously, the last general election to do so.
The incumbent
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
government retained power, albeit with a significantly reduced majority. Indira Gandhi was resworn in as the Prime Minister on 13 March.
Background
By 1967 economic growth in India had slowed – the
1961–1966 Five-Year Plan gave a target of 6% annual growth, but the actual growth rate was 2%. Under
Lal Bahadur Shastri, the government's popularity was boosted after India prevailed in the
1965 War with Pakistan, but the war, along with the previous
1962 War with China, put a strain on the economy. Internal divisions were emerging in the Indian National Congress while its two popular leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri had both died.
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...
had succeeded Shastri as leader, but a rift had emerged between her and Deputy Prime Minister
Morarji Desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian politician and Indian independence activist, independence activist who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India between 1977 and 1979 leading th ...
, who had been her rival in the 1966 party leadership contest.
Results
The INC suffered setbacks in seven states, which included Gujarat, where INC won 11 out of 24 seats while
Swatantra Party won 12 seats;
Madras State, where INC won 3 out of 39 seats and DMK won 25 seats; Orissa, where they won 6 out of 20 seats and
Swatantra Party won 8 seats. Rajasthan where they won 10 out of 20 seats
Swatantra Party won 8 seats, West Bengal where they won 14 out of 40, Kerala where they won only 1 out of 19. Delhi where they won 1 out of 7 while remaining 6 were won by
Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
The party was also ousted from power in nine states, while losing governance in Uttar Pradesh one month after the election.
State wise
See also
*
List of members of the 4th Lok Sabha
*
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established by Constitution of India, the Constitution of the Republic of India empowered to conduct free and fair elections in the Republic of India. It is headed by a Chief Ele ...
*
1967 Indian presidential election
References
{{Indian elections
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
General elections in India