The Ganatanra Parishad (GP) or the All India Ganatantra Parishad (AIGP) was a regional political party based in

Orissa Odisha (), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is a state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the thir ...

state in eastern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

from 1950 to 1962. This political party was formed by the former rulers of the erstwhile princely states and big landlords. It was founded in 1950 and

Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo KCIE (31 March 1912 – 23 February 1975) was an Indian politician and the last ruler of the princely state of Patna in Odisha before Indian independence in 1947. He was the President of the Ganatantra Parishad p ...

became its president. In 1962, after the

parliamentary election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

, this political party was merged with the Orissa unit of the

Swatantra Party The Swatantra Party was an Indian classical liberal political party that existed from 1959 to 1974. It was founded by C. Rajagopalachari in reaction to what he felt was the Jawaharlal Nehru-dominated Indian National Congress's increasingly so ...

Background

The roots of this party can be traced to the Koshal Utkal Praja Parishad founded in October, 1948 with its headquarters at

Sambalpur Sambalpur () is the fifth largest city in the Indian State of Odisha. It is located on the banks of river Mahanadi, with a population of 335,761 (as per 2011 census). Prehistoric settlements have been recorded there. It is the home of the Samb ...

. The first meeting of the Praja Parishad was held on 8, 9 and 10 October 1948 at

Balibandha Balibandha is a village located in Jhumpura Block of Kendujhar district in Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East ...

. In the annual meeting of the Praja Parishad at

Bolangir Balangir also known as Bolangir, is a town and a municipality, the headquarters of Balangir district in the state of Odisha, India. Balangir's cultural heritage makes it one of the finest places for tourists in Odisha. Balangir municipality ...

in October, 1950 it was transformed into a full-fledged political party, the Ganatantra Parishad.

Performance in the elections

In the first general election in 1951, the GP won 0.91% of the total votes and 6 seats in the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

In the first general election to the Legislative Assembly of Orissa in 1952, the GP received 20.5% of the total votes and 31 seats in the Legislative Assembly. and its leader, Shraddhakar Supakar became the leader of the opposition. In the second general election to the Legislative Assembly of Orissa in 1957, the GP received 28.74% of the total votes and 51 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Its leader, Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo became the leader of the opposition. After the fall of the minority

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

government, the GP formed a coalition government with the Congress on 22 May 1959. Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo became its finance minister. The coalition government collapsed on 21 February 1961 and the President's rule was imposed. In the third general election to the Legislative Assembly of Orissa in 1961, the GP received 22.34% of the total votes and 37 seats in the Legislative Assembly and Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo again became the leader of the opposition.

Notes

{{Reflist 1950 establishments in Orissa Political parties established in 1950 Conservative parties in India Defunct political parties in Odisha