Transformation of Congress Party-Why 1980 Was Not a Restoration

THE mid-term parliamentary election of 1980 appeared to restore the political universe that had supported one party dominance by the Indian National Congress. Indira Gandhi led the Congress to an unanticipated victory. The electoral outcome (43 per cent of the votes; 67 per cent of the seats) resembled outcomes in the era of one party dominance (1952, 1957 and 1962), But the resemblance was superficial.