Which one of the following states was not ruled by Congress during 1952-67?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Jammu and Kashmir.
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there seems to be an ambiguity in the question. Read strictly, each of the four states had a Congress government at some point during 1952-67: Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa were ruled by the Congress until the 1967 elections, and in Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq of the Congress became Chief Minister in 1965. Judged by who held power for most of the period, Jammu and Kashmir is the state among the options that the Congress did not rule, which is Option (2), as explained below.
Option (1) Orissa. — Incorrect. In 1952 the Congress did not win a majority in Orissa, but it finally formed the government there too, and it ruled until it lost power in the 1967 elections.
Option (2) Jammu and Kashmir. — Correct. Jammu and Kashmir was ruled by the National Conference: first under Sheikh Abdullah, and after 1953 by a truncated National Conference that ruled with the active support of the Congress, until it later merged with the Congress.
Option (3) Bihar. — Incorrect. Apart from exceptions like Kerala in 1957, the Congress controlled all the state governments in this period; Bihar was among the nine States where it lost power only in 1967.
Option (4) West Bengal. — Incorrect. West Bengal too was ruled by the Congress and was among the States where it lost power only in 1967.
Tip: This question is the chapter’s own exercise, almost word for word. Work through the end-of-chapter exercises; NTA picks questions from them too.
NCERT (2025-26): “Congress dominance in the first three general elections … The Congress scored big victory in those elections as well. It won a majority of seats in all the states except Travancore-Cochin (part of today’s Kerala), Madras and Orissa. Finally even in these states the Congress formed the government. So the party ruled all over the country at the national and the state level.… Congress dominance in the first three general elections … A look at the electoral map on the previous page would give you a sense of the dominance of the Congress during the period 1952-1962. In the second and the third general elections, held in 1957 and 1962 respectively, the Congress maintained the same position in the Lok Sabha by winning three-fourth of the seats. None of the opposition parties could win even one-tenth of the number of seats won by the Congress. In the state assembly elections, the Congress did not get majority in a few cases. The most significant of these cases was in Kerala in 1957 when a coalition led by the CPI formed the government. Apart from exceptions like this, the Congress controlled the national and all the state governments.… Politics since 1948 … After taking over as the Prime Minister, Sheikh Abdullah initiated major land reforms and other policies which benefitted ordinary people. But there was a growing difference between him and the central government about his position on Kashmir’s status. He was dismissed in 1953 and kept in detention for a number of years. The leadership that succeeded him did not enjoy as much popular support and was able to rule the State mainly due to the support of the Centre. There were serious allegations of malpractices and rigging in various elections. During most of the period between 1953 and 1974, the Congress party exercised influence on the politics of the State. A truncated National Conference (minus Sheikh Abdullah) remained in power with the active support of Congress for some time but later it merged with the Congress. Thus, the Congress gained direct control over the government in the state and brought about the changes. In the meanwhile, there were several attempts to reach an agreement between Sheikh Abdullah and the Government of India. A change in the provision of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir was made in 1965 by which the Prime Minister of the state was designated as Chief Minister of the state. Accordingly, Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq of the Indian National Congress became the first Chief Minister of the state. Electoral verdict … The dramatic nature of the political change would be more apparent to you at the State level. The Congress lost majority in as many as seven States. In two other States defections prevented it from forming a government. These nine States where the Congress lost power were spread across the country – Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Madras and Kerala.…”
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