Until then, national elections had been votes of confidence in the Congress and, following Indira Gandhi's 19-month emergency rule in the mid-'70s, a punishment vote against it.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

Congress, the party that spearheaded India's independence, was converted by Indira Gandhi into a family vehicle for the Gandhi clan.

ECONOMIST: India

Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, won a hotly contested battle for the succession, largely because leaders of the Congress party thought they could manipulate her from behind the scenes.

ECONOMIST: Happy anniversary?