Which one of the following statements is correct about the electoral verdict in fourth general elections to the Lok Sabha?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The Congress got the lowest tally of seats and shares in votes since 1952.
Option (1) The Congress did not manage to get majority in the Lok Sabha. — False. The Congress did manage to get a majority in the Lok Sabha in 1967.
Option (2) The Congress got the lowest tally of seats and shares in votes since 1952. — True. The majority came with its lowest tally of seats and share of votes since 1952; observers called the result a ‘political earthquake’.
Option (3) One-tenth of ministers in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet were defeated — False. Half the ministers, not one-tenth, were defeated.
Option (4) Kamaraj in Tamil Nadu, S.K. Patil in Maharashtra, Atulya Ghosh in West Bengal and K.B. Sahay in Bihar won ... — False. These political stalwarts lost in their constituencies.
NCERT (2025-26): “Electoral verdict … The results jolted the Congress at both the national and state levels. Many contemporary political observers described the election results as a ‘political earthquake’. The Congress did manage to get a majority in the Lok Sabha, but with its lowest tally of seats and share of votes since 1952. Half the ministers in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet were defeated. The political stalwarts who lost in their constituencies included Kamaraj in Tamil Nadu, S.K. Patil in Maharashtra, Atulya Ghosh in West Bengal and K. B. Sahay in Bihar.” |