Ram had stayed loyal to Indira after she imposed a state of emergency in 1975. However, the state of emergency had proven widely unpopular and upon calling elections in 1977, it became apparent that Indira's Indian National Congress could suffer defeat. Consequently, Ram and his supporters resigned from the government and the Indian National Congress in January 1977, denouncing Indira Gandhi and her Emergency rule.
Although the new party was mocked by Indira's Indian National Congress as the "Congress for Defectors"[1]Jagjivan Ram's support was actively courted by the opposition Janata party alliance as he was the most influential Scheduled Caste leader in the country.[1] While the Congress for Democracy agreed to jointly campaign and contest the election with the Janata party, it stated that it would maintain a separate organisation and identity.[1]
In the 1977 elections, the Janata-CFD alliance won 298 seats, ousting the Indian National Congress from power for the first time in 30 years. The Congress for Democracy itself won only 28 seats, but its role in raising significant support for the Janata alliance amongst India's Scheduled Caste communities, formerly a loyal Congress base, earned it considerable influence in the formation of a new government.[1]
Merger with Janata
Along with Morarji Desai and Charan Singh, Jagjivan Ram was a leading candidate to become the new Prime Minister of India as head of the Janata-CFD coalition.[1] Seeking to avoid a divisive contest, Janata leaders asked Jayaprakash Narayan (JP), who was seen as the spiritual leader of the party, to choose the leader, pledging to abide by his choice.
When JP chose Desai, the CFD expressed criticism at the un-democratic selection of the leader and hesitated about joining the government. However, JP and Desai coaxed Ram into joining the government as a Deputy Prime Minister of India and Minister of Defence. H. N. Bahuguna joined the Cabinet as Minister of Petroleum and Chemicals. On May 5, 1977 the Congress for Democracy announced its intention to merge its organisation with the Janata Party.[1]
Post-Janata
Despite joining the ranks of the Janata Party, CFD politicians remained specifically loyal to Jagjivan Ram. When Ram withdrew his support for the Desai government in 1979, he was supported by a significant number of former CFD MPs. With the fall of the Janata government in 1979-80, Ram and his supporters formed the Congress (J) - "J" standing for "Jagjivan", which maintained a small presence in the Indian Parliament.
Bahuguna rejoined the Congress (I) for a brief period before founding Socialist Democratic Front.[2]
Congress Congress of the Confederation Congress of Deputies Continental Congress Pradesh Congress Committee Library of Congress Indian National Congress Congress of Vienna Congress, Arizona All-Albanian Congress Congress of Europe Eucharistic congress Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee Indian Youth Congress Peace congress Kerala Congress (Joseph) All India Congress Committee Hotel Congress Trinamool Congress All-Russian Congress of Soviets Congress of Colombia Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee Indian National Congress (R) Second Continental Congress Indian National Congress (Organisat…
ion) Pan-African Congress Provincial Congress Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress United States Congress Congress Working Committee Olympic Congress Kerala Congress (M) Congress of Manastir Assam Pradesh Congress Committee Indian Congress (Socialist) Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Congress of Soviets First Continental Congress Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee Journals of the Continental Congress International Congress of Mathematicians President of the Continental Congress All India Mahila Congress YSR Congress Party Act of Congress Prague Slavic Congress, 1848 Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee Congress of Lushnjë Congress Heights Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee World Zionist Congress Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Congress of the Philippines Celtic Congress List of United States Congresses Orissa Jana Congress Confederate States Congress Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee International Congress of Orientalists Nepali Congress Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia Stamp Act Congress Congress of the Union Goa Pradesh Congress Committee St. Imier Con