User talk:MADHU. NADUVINAMANI

After Indian independence, the Congress emerged as a catch-all party under Nehru, dominating Indian politics for the next 20 years. During this time, the Congress generally advocated socialist policies, and established a secular state. After Nehru's death and the short tenure of Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi became the leader of the party. During her tenure, the Congress shifted to the left.

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). The Congress (R) became the dominant faction, winning a strong victory in the 1971 Indian general election. 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. 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.

In 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated, and was succeeded as president by her son, Rajiv Gandhi. Under his leadership, the party won a massive victory in 1984, but lost power in 1989 to the National Front under V. P. Singh. The Congress then returned to power under P. V. Narasimha Rao, who moved the party towards an economically liberal agenda, a sharp break from previous leaders. However, it lost the 1996 general election, and was replaced in government by the National Front and then the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Congress party won the 2004 general elections and returned to power after a record eight years out of office. The Congress-led coalition known as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) under Manmohan Singh formed a government. 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. However, in the 2014 general election, the Congress suffered a heavy defeat winning only 48 seats of the 543-member Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Parliament of India). As of June 2021, the party with its alliances is in power in six legislative assemblies.