What lesson was learned from the experience of the Emergency in India and the 1977 elections?

Governments that are perceived to be anti-democratic are severely punished by the voters.

The correct answer is Option 1- Governments that are perceived to be anti-democratic are severely punished by the voters.

The most valuable and lasting lesson of the Emergency was learnt as soon as the Emergency was over and the Lok Sabha elections were announced. The 1977 elections turned into a referendum on the experience of the Emergency, at least in north India where the impact of the Emergency was felt most strongly. The opposition fought the election on the slogan of ‘save democracy’. The people’s verdict was decisively against the Emergency. The lesson was clear and has been reiterated in many state level elections thereafter– governments that are perceived to be anti-democratic are severely punished by the voters. In this sense the experience of 1975–77 ended up strengthening the foundations of democracy in India.