Janata Party: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Janata Party was a coalition of Indian political parties which came together in 1977 to become the first non-Congress government in Independent India. Winning in the elections called after the end of Indira Gandhi's widely unpopular period of Emergency rule, they chose veteran politician and former Deputy Prime Minister Morarji Desai to be India's Prime Minister. In 1979, Morarji Desai lost the support and Charan Singh was chosen as the second Janata Party Prime Minister. In 1980, fresh elections were held, returning the Indian National Congress to power. The Janata Party split several times over the next few years. Those members who had formerly been members of the Jan Sangh formed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and another group formed the Janata Dal.