Congress, the Lok Dal, and the Middle-Peasant Castes: An Analysis of the 1977 and 1980 Parliamentary Elections in Uttar Pradesh

[HE DRAMATIC CHANGES that have taken place in Indian politics I in the past five years have their roots in the post-Independence political history of north India, particularly of the state of Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in the Indian Union and the home of four of five of the prime ministers of the country. It has been widely noted that the Emergency imposed upon India by Mrs. Gandhi for two years between 1975 and 1977 affected the north Indian states more than the south and that Mrs. Gandhi's overwhelming defeat in the 1977 elections and the success of Janata was principally a consequence of the nearly total sweep of the parliamentary seats in that election in every state in the north. By the same token, the ability of the Congress to recoup most of its losses in the north Indian Hindispeaking states by winning 144 seats there in 1980, compared to only 2 in 1977, made it possible for the Congress and Mrs. Gandhi to regain power at the Center. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that the conflicts for control of