On the election symbol of which Political Party, Janata Party contested in the 1977 Lok Sabha polls?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:

The correct option is 4: Bhartiya Lok Dal.

The 1977 Lok Sabha election was a landmark event in Indian political history, immediately following the period of the Emergency (1975–1977) imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Several opposition parties, which had been ideologically disparate but united by their opposition to the Emergency, merged to form the Janata Party in early 1977. These constituent groups included the Congress (O), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Socialist Party, and the Bharatiya Lok Dal (BLD). Since the newly formed Janata Party did not have time to register its own election symbol with the Election Commission before the polls, it needed a recognized symbol to contest the elections effectively. Among the constituent units, the Bhartiya Lok Dal (which itself was a conglomerate formed earlier by merging seven parties, including the Swatantra Party) possessed a symbol that could be allocated to the new united front for the election. The Election Commission allocated the BLD's symbol, which was a farmer ploughing within a wheel, to the Janata Party candidates across the country. This symbol became synonymous with the opposition's fight against the Congress, leading to a massive electoral victory for the Janata Party.

The incorrect option is 1:

Jan Sangh was a major constituent party of the Janata Party, led by figures like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. While the Jana Sangh’s organizational strength and cadre played a crucial role in the Janata Party's success, the Janata Party did not contest the election on the Jan Sangh's election symbol (Lamp/Deepak). The Election Commission granted the Bhartiya Lok Dal's symbol to the consolidated Janata Party.

The incorrect option is 2:

Congress (O), or Organisation Congress, was another crucial faction that joined the Janata Party. This group comprised veterans who had broken away from the Congress party after the 1969 split, such as Morarji Desai and S. Nijalingappa. They provided legitimacy and experience to the new alliance. However, their election symbol was not chosen for the united Janata Party in the 1977 polls.

The incorrect option is 3:

The Swatantra Party, founded by C. Rajagopalachari, was a liberal conservative party that had already effectively merged into the Bharatiya Lok Dal (BLD) in 1974. By the time of the 1977 elections, it was not an independent entity contributing its symbol. Therefore, although its former elements were part of the alliance, the Janata Party contested on the symbol of the BLD, which had absorbed the Swatantra Party earlier.