Subsequently, the UPA again formed the government after winning the 2009 general elections, and Singh became the first Prime Minister since Nehru in 1962 to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term. The Congress-led coalition known as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) under Manmohan Singh formed a government. The Congress party won the 2004 general elections and returned to power after a record eight years out of office. However, it lost the 1996 general election, and was replaced in government by the National Front and then the Bharatiya Janata Party. Narasimha Rao, who moved the party towards an economically liberal agenda, a sharp break from previous leaders.
The Congress then returned to power under P. Under his leadership, the party won a massive victory in 1984, but lost power in 1989 to the National Front under V. In 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated, and was succeeded as president by her son, Rajiv Gandhi. Another split occurred in 1979, leading to the creation of the Congress (I), which was recognised as the Congress by the Electoral Commission in 1981. However, backlash against the Emergency and the uniting of several opposition parties into the Janata Party led to the Congress being defeated in the 1977 Indian general election. The Congress (R) became the dominant faction, winning a strong victory in the 1971 Indian general election. In 1969, the party suffered a major split, with a faction led by Indira Gandhi leaving to form the Congress (R), leaving the remainder as the Congress (O). During her tenure, the Congress shifted to the left. After Nehru's death and the short tenure of Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi became the leader of the party. During this time, the Congress generally advocated socialist policies, and established a secular state. There have been six Congress Prime Ministers, the first being Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–1964), and the most recent Manmohan Singh (2004–2014).Īfter Indian independence, the Congress emerged as a catch-all party under Nehru, dominating Indian politics for the next 20 years. As of 2021, in the 17 general elections since independence, it has won an outright majority on seven occasions and has led the ruling coalition a further three times, heading the central government for more than 54 years. On social issues, it advocates secular policies that encourage equal opportunity, right to health, civil liberty and welfare of weaker sections and minorities, with support for a mixed economy. It is a " big tent" party whose platform is generally considered to lie in the centre to centre-left of Indian politics. The Congress today is one of the two major political parties in India, along with its main rival the Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress led India to independence from the United Kingdom, and powerfully influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire. From the late 19th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence movement.
Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia and Africa. INC) is a political party in India with widespread roots. The Indian National Congress (often called the Congress Party or simply Congress, abbr.