1977 Indian general election in Kerala

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1977 Indian general election
Flag of India.svg
 1971March 1977 1980  

20 seats
 First partySecond party
 
K. Karunakaran, Indian politician.jpg
E. M. S. Namboodiripad.jpg
Leader K. Karunakaran E. M. S. Namboodiripad
Party INC CPI(M)
Alliance UDF LDF
Leader's seat--
Last election182
Seats won200
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 2Decrease2.svg 2
Percentage54.2%43.2%

Prime Minister before election

Indira Gandhi
INC

Prime Minister after election

Morarji Desai
JP

The 1977 Parliamentary Election was held in the aftermath of the Emergency which was declared nationwide. At the national level, the Indian National Congress lost power for the first time in independent India, with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi losing from her own constituency and the Janata Party under Morarji Desai coming to power.

Contents

However, the trend was the reverse in Kerala with the INC-led United Front winning a landslide by registering victories in all 20 constituencies. It is the only election in Kerala where a coalition has whitewashed all the seats. In the concurrently held assembly election, the United Front won a colossal 111 out of 140 seats, the only state to elect a Congress-led government in that year. This seemingly unusual result was attributed to the good governance as well as performance of the outgoing Achutha Menon Ministry. Congress leaders K. Karunakaran and A.K. Antony would go on to assume the office of Chief Minister for the first time.

For the Communist Party of India (Marxist), this election remains its worst performance in a Lok Sabha election in Kerala. It also came at a time when the party came into power in West Bengal, marking the beginning of a 3 and a half decade long rule.

The two coalitions comprised the following parties-

United Front- Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India, Indian Union Muslim League, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Kerala Congress

Marxist Front- Communist Party of India (Marxist), Bharatiya Lok Dal, Kerala Congress (Pillai), Muslim League (Opposition)

Parties and alliances

United Front

No.PartyElection SymbolSeats contested
1. Indian National Congress Hand INC.svg 11
2. Communist Party of India
Star CPI symbol.svg
Star
4
3. Indian Union Muslim League Indian Election Symbol Lader.svg 2
4. Kerala Congress Indian Election Symbol Cycle.png 2
5. Revolutionary Socialist Party Indian Election Symbol Spade and Stoker.png 1

Marxist Front

No.PartyElection SymbolSeats contested
1. Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Key CPI(M) election symbol - Hammer Sickle and Star.svg
Key
9
2. Bharatiya Lok Dal No image available.svg 3
3. Kerala Congress (Pillai) No image available.svg 3
4. Muslim League (Opposition) No image available.svg 2
5. Independent No image available.svg 3

Results

No.PartySeats wonSeats contestedVotesVoteshare
United Front
1Indian National Congress111125,79,74529.1%
2Communist Party of India449,19,35910.4%
3Indian Union Muslim League225,33,7266.0%
4Kerala Congress224,91,6745.6%
5Revolutionary Socialist Party112,72,3783.1%
TotalUF202047,96,88254.2%
Marxist Front
1Communist Party of India (Marxist)0918,00,19320.3%
2Bharatiya Lok Dal036,37,2067.2%
3Independents035,61,7096.2%
4Kerala Congress (Pillai)035,26,9375.9%
5Muslim League (Opposition)023,18,9793.6%
Total02038,45,02443.2%
Vote Share by alliance
  1. UDF (54.2%)
  2. LDF (43.2%)
  3. Other (2.60%)