Which opposition parties formed the Grand Alliance against Congress (R) in the elections?
1) Congress (O), Rashtriya Janata Dal and CPI
2) BJP, NCP, Swatantra Party, and Bharatiya Kranti Dal
3) SSP, PSP, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Swatantra Party, and Bharatiya Kranti Dal
4) Janata Dal and Rashtriya Janata Dal only

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

3

The correct answer is Option 3 - 3

3) SSP, PSP, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Swatantra Party, and Bharatiya Kranti Dal

The electoral contest of 1971 appeared to be loaded against Congress(R). After all, the new Congress was just one faction of an already weak party. Everyone believed that the real organisational strength of the Congress party was under the command of Congress(O). To make matters worse for Indira Gandhi, all the major non-communist, non-Congress opposition parties formed an electoral alliance known as the Grand Alliance. The SSP, PSP, Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Swatantra Party and the Bharatiya Kranti Dal came together under this umbrella. The ruling party had an alliance with the CPI The results of the Lok Sabha elections of 1971, were as dramatic as was the decision to hold these elections. The Congress(R)-CPI alliance won more seats and votes than the Congress had ever won in the first four general elections. With this the Congress party led by Indira Gandhi established its claim to being the ‘real’ Congress and restored to it the dominant position in Indian politics. The Grand Alliance of the opposition proved a grand failure. Their combined tally of seats was less than 40.