Question

Write the name of first Prime Minister of Janta Party Government.

Answer 1

Concept: Following the revoking of the National Emergency in 1977, the sixth Lok Sabha elections were held. Opposition parties joined hands under the banner of the Janata Party to defeat the ruling Congress Party, forming the first non-Congress government at the Centre.

Step 1: Identifying the political developments after the 1977 Lok Sabha Election.
The Janata Party secured a decisive victory in the March 1977 elections, ending decades of uninterrupted Congress rule at the national level.

Step 2: Determining the leader chosen to head the government.
After consensus among key opposition leaders including Charan Singh and Jagjivan Ram, Morarji Desai was selected as the leader of the Janata Party parliamentary party and was sworn in as the 4th Prime Minister of India on March 24, 1977.

Answer 2

Concept: Under Article 352 of the Indian Constitution, a National Emergency can be declared on the grounds of internal disturbance, external aggression, or war. In June 1975, the government invoked internal disturbance to declare a state of emergency across the country.

Step 1: Identifying the precise date and year of the declaration.
On the recommendation of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared a nationwide National Emergency under Article 352 late on the night of June 25, 1975.

Step 2: Contextualizing the operational duration.
The Emergency officially came into effect on June 25, 1975, and remained enforced for 21 months until it was formally revoked on March 21, 1977.

Answer 3

Concept: In 1974–1975, a major popular political movement arose against corruption, price rise, and unemployment, initially led by students in Bihar and Gujarat, which later developed into a nationwide anti-government agitations.

Step 1: Identifying the leader of the Total Revolution movement.
Veteran Gandhian and socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) assumed the leadership of the popular movement and called for 'Sampoorna Kranti' (Total Revolution).

Step 2: Locating the historic rally at Ramlila Maidan.
On June 25, 1975, Jayaprakash Narayan organized a massive historic rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, where he announced a nationwide civil disobedience Satyagraha demanding Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's resignation following the Allahabad High Court verdict.

Answer 4

Concept: The March 1977 Lok Sabha election was fought primarily as a referendum on the 1975–1977 National Emergency and civil liberties, leading to a historic political realignment in Indian democracy.

Step 1: Examining the election context.
Major opposition parties—including the Congress (O), Jan Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal, and Socialist Party—merged on the eve of elections to form a unified political umbrella.

Step 2: Identifying the winning party.
The Janata Party (and its allies) won a historic landslide victory in the 1977 elections, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress and securing an absolute majority in the 6th Lok Sabha.