Elections

In 1977, after extending the state of emergency twice, Indira Gandhi called elections, to give the electorate a chance to vindicate her rule. Gandhi may have grossly misjudged her popularity[citation needed] by reading what the heavily censored press wrote about her. In any case, she was opposed by the Janata Party. Janata, led by her long time rival Desai and with Jai Prakash Narayan as its spiritual guide, claimed the elections were the last chance for India to choose between democracy and dictatorship. Gandhis Congress party was crushed soundly in the elections which followed. The public realized the statement and motto of the Janata Party. Indira and Sanjay Gandhi both lost their seats, and Congress was cut down to 153 seats (compared with 350 in the previous Lok Sabha), 92 of which were in the south. Although in the next election congress won with more than 400 seats.