Editing 1980 Indian general election

{{Short description|General election in India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1980 Indian general election
| country = India
| type = parliamentary
| previous_election = 1977 Indian general election
| previous_year = 1977
| next_election = 1984 Indian general election
| next_year = 1984
| election_date = 3 and 6 January 1980
| seats_for_election = 529 of the 531 seats in the [[Lok Sabha]]
| majority_seats = 265
| image_size = 130x130px

| image1 = File:Face detail, Premier Indira Gandhi (Congrespartij), Bestanddeelnr 929-0811 (cropped).jpg
| leader1 = [[Indira Gandhi]]
| party1 = Indian National Congress (Indira)
| leaders_seat1 = [[Medak (Lok Sabha constituency)|Medak]]
| seats1 = '''353'''
| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 199
| popular_vote1 = '''84,455,313'''
| percentage1 = '''42.69%'''
| swing1 = {{increase}} 8.17pp

| image2 = Charan Singh.jpg
| leader2 = [[Charan Singh]]
| leaders_seat2 = [[Baghpat (Lok Sabha constituency)|Baghpat]]
| party2 = Janata Party (Secular)
| seats2 = 41
| seat_change2 = ''New''
| popular_vote2= 18,574,696
| percentage2 = 9.39%
| swing2 = ''New''

| image3 = File:Chandra Shekhar Singh.jpg
| leader3 = [[Chandra Shekhar]]
| leaders_seat3 = [[Ballia]]
| party3 = Janata Party
| seats3 = 31
| seat_change3 = {{decrease}} 264
| popular_vote3 = 37,530,228
| percentage3 = 18.97%
| swing3 = {{decrease}} 22.35pp

| title = [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]
| posttitle = Subsequent Prime Minister
| before_election = [[Charan Singh]]
| before_party = Janata Party (Secular)
| after_election = [[Indira Gandhi]]
| after_party = Indian National Congress 
| map_image = [[File:Wahlergebnisse Indien 1980.svg|300px|lang=en]]
| turnout = 56.92%
}}

'''General elections''' were held in [[India]] on 3 and 6 January 1980 to elect the members of the [[7th Lok Sabha]]. The [[Janata Party]] alliance came into power in the [[1977 Indian general election|1977 general elections]] amidst public anger with the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) and the [[The Emergency (India)|Emergency]]. However, its position was weak; the loose coalition barely held on to a majority with only 295 seats in the Lok Sabha and never quite had a firm grip on power. [[Bharatiya Lok Dal]] leaders [[Charan Singh]] and [[Jagjivan Ram]], who had quit the INC, were members of the Janata alliance but were at loggerheads with Prime Minister [[Morarji Desai]]. The tribunals the government had set up to investigate human rights abuses during the Emergency appeared vindictive.

The Janata Party, an amalgam of socialists and nationalists, split in 1979 when several coalition members including the Bharatiya Lok Dal and several members of the Socialist Party withdrew support for the government. Subsequently, Desai lost a vote of confidence in parliament and resigned. Charan Singh, who had retained some partners of the Janata alliance, was sworn in as Prime Minister in June 1979. the INC promised to support Singh in parliament but later backed out just two days before the Govt was scheduled to prove its majority on the floor of Lok Sabha. Charan Singh, forced to resign, called for elections in January 1980 and is the only Prime Minister of India never to have obtained the confidence of Parliament. In the run up to the general elections, [[Indira Gandhi]]'s leadership faced a formidable political challenge from a galaxy of regional satraps  and prominent leaders of Janata party like [[Satyendra Narayan Sinha]] and [[Karpuri Thakur]] in Bihar, [[Ramakrishna Hegde]] in Karnataka, [[Sharad Pawar]] in Maharashtra, [[Devi Lal]] in Haryana & [[Biju Patnaik]] in Orissa. Janata Party contested the election with Jagjivan Ram as its Prime Ministerial candidate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19830930-as-general-elections-loom-large-new-four-party-united-front-formed-to-counter-congi-771046-2013-07-18|title=As general elections loom large, new four-party United Front formed to counter Cong(I) |first=Prabhu |last=Chawla|date=September 30, 2013|website=[[India Today]] |access-date=2019-09-23 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19800115-jagjivan-ram-most-experienced-artful-dodger-of-indian-politics-821731-2014-12-23 Jagjivan Ram: Most experienced artful dodger of Indian politics] India Today, 23 December 2014</ref> However, internal feud  between Janata Party leaders and the political instability in the country worked in favour of Indira Gandhi's [[Congress (I)]], that reminded voters of the strong government of Indira Gandhi during campaigning.

In the ensuing elections, the INC won 353 seats and the Janata Party just 31 seats, with Charan Singh's Janata Party (Secular) taking 41. The Janata Party alliance continued to split over the subsequent years.

==Results==
{{Election results
|image=[[File:Lok Sabha Zusammensetzung 1980.svg|350px]]
|party1=[[Indian National Congress|Indian National Congress (Indira)]]|votes1=84455313|seats1=353|sc1=+199
|party2=[[Janata Party]]|votes2=37530228|seats2=31|sc2=–264
|party3=[[Janata Party (Secular)]]|votes3=18574696|seats3=41|sc3=New
|party4=[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]|votes4=12352331|seats4=37|sc4=+15
|party5=[[Indian National Congress (U)|Indian National Congress (Urs)]]|votes5=10449859|seats5=13|sc5=New
|party6=[[Communist Party of India]]|votes6=4927342|seats6=10|sc6=+3
|party7=[[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]|votes7=4674064|seats7=2|sc7=–16
|party8=[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]|votes8=4236537|seats8=16|sc8=+14
|party9=[[Shiromani Akali Dal]]|votes9=1396412|seats9=1|sc9=–8
|party10=[[Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)|Revolutionary Socialist Party]]|votes10=1285517|seats10=4|sc10=0
|party11=[[All India Forward Bloc]]|votes11=1011564|seats11=3|sc11=0
|party12=[[Jammu & Kashmir National Conference]]|votes12=493143|seats12=3|sc12=+1
|party13=[[Indian Union Muslim League]]|votes13=475507|seats13=2|sc13=0
|party14=[[Peasants and Workers Party of India]]|votes14=470567|seats14=0|sc14=–5
|party15=[[Republican Party of India (Khobragade)]]|votes15=383022|seats15=0|sc15=–2
|party16=[[Kerala Congress]]|votes16=356997|seats16=1|sc16=–1
|party17=[[Republican Party of India]]|votes17=351987|seats17=0|sc17=0
|party18=[[Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)|Socialist Unity Centre of India]]|votes18=307224|seats18=0|sc18=0
|party19=[[Jharkhand Party]]|votes19=254520|seats19=1|sc19=+1
|party20=[[Muslim League (Opposition)|All India Muslim League]]|votes20=196820|seats20=0|sc20=0
|party21=[[United Democratic Front (Kerala)|United Democratic Front]]|votes21=140210|seats21=0|sc21=–1
|party22=[[Shiv Sena]]|votes22=129351|seats22=0|sc22=New
|party23=[[Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party]]|votes23=127188|seats23=1|sc23=0
|party24=[[Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti]]|votes24=111953|seats24=0|sc24=0
|party25=[[People's Party of Arunachal]]|votes25=69810|seats25=0|sc25=New
|party26=[[Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad]]|votes26=61161|seats26=0|sc26=0
|party27=Peoples Conference|votes27=53891|seats27=0|sc27=New
|party28=[[Manipur Peoples Party]]|votes28=49277|seats28=0|sc28=0
|party29=[[Indian Socialist Party]]|votes29=39399|seats29=0|sc29=New
|party30=Shoshit Samaj Dal (Akhil Bharatiya)|votes30=38226|seats30=0|sc30=0
|party31=[[Sikkim Janata Parishad]]|votes31=31750|seats31=1|sc31=New
|party32=[[All India Muslim Majlis (Dr. Faridi)|Muslim Majlis]]|votes32=26363|seats32=0|sc32=New
|party33=All India Labour Party|votes33=14720|seats33=0|sc33=0
|party34=[[All Party Hill Leaders Conference]]|votes34=13058|seats34=0|sc34=New
|party35=[[Sikkim Congress (Revolutionary)]]|votes35=11632|seats35=0|sc35=New
|party36=[[Sikkim Prajatantra Congress]]|votes36=5125|seats36=0|sc36=New
|party37=Independents|votes37=12717510|seats37=9|sc37=0
|row38=Appointed [[Anglo-Indians]]|seats38=2|sc38=0
|invalid=4928619
|total_sc=–13
|electorate=356205329
|source=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140718175926/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1980/Vol_I_LS_80.pdf EIC]
}}

==See also==
*[[Election Commission of India]]
*[[1977 Indian presidential election]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Indian elections}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=January 1980 events in Asia
|description=
}}

[[Category:1980 Indian general election| ]]
[[Category:1980 elections in India|General election]]
[[Category:General elections in India|1980]]
[[Category:January 1980 events in Asia]]
[[Category:1980 elections in Asia|India]]