The 1971 Lok Sabha elections were fought against the backdrop of a split in the Congress party, which had been the dominant political party in the country since Independence. The rift had already been brewing with Indira Gandhi’s increasingly authoritarian hold over the party, and widened when it came to backing candidates for the 1969 presidential election.
Background
The 1969 presidential election was arguably the most bitterly contested since India gained independence in 1947. Neelam Sanjiva Reddi was the official Congress candidate for the post, while V. V. Giri became the non-official nominee of the Congress Prime Minister, Mrs. Gandhi.
