The Indian general election of 1967 elected the 4th Lok Sabha of India and was held from 17 to 21 February. The 27 Indian states and union territories were represented by 520 single-member constituencies in the Lok Sabha, an increase of 26 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 (INC) government retained power, albeit with a significantly reduced majority. Indira Gandhi was resworn in as the Prime Minister on 4 March 1967.
Background
By 1967, economic growth in India had slowed – the 1961–1966 Five-Year Plan gave a target of 5.6% annual growth, but the actual growth rate was 2.4%. 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 Nehru and Shastri had both died. Indira Gandhi had succeeded Shastri as leader, but a rift had emerged between her and Deputy Prime Minister Morarji Desai, 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, 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.
Results by Party
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| Lok Sabha elections 1967 Electoral participation: 61.04% |
Code | % | Won (total 521) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bharatiya Jana Sangh | BJS | 9.31 | 35 | ||
| Communist Party of India | CPI | 5.11 | 23 | ||
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) | CPI(M) | 4.28 | 19 | ||
| Indian National Congress | INC | 40.78 | 283 | ||
| Praja Socialist Party | PSP | 3.06 | 13 | ||
| Samyukta Socialist Party | SSP | 4.92 | 23 | ||
| Swatantra Party | SP | 8.67 | 44 | ||
| Akali Dal – Sant Fateh Singh | ADS | 0.66 | 3 | ||
| All India Forward Bloc | AIFB | 0.43 | 2 | ||
| Bangla Congress | BC | 0.83 | 5 | ||
| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | DMK | 3.79 | 25 | ||
| Indian Union Muslim League | IUML | 0.28 | 3 | ||
| Peasants and Workers Party of India | PWPI | 0.71 | 2 | ||
| Republican Party of India | RPI | 2.47 | 1 | ||
| United Goans (Sequiera Group) | UG(S) | 0.07 | 1 | ||
| Jana Kranti Dal | JKD | 0.13 | 1 | ||
| Jammu & Kashmir National Conference | NC | 0.14 | 1 | ||
| Independents | – | 13.78 | 35 | ||
| Nominated Anglo-Indians | – | – | 2 | ||