Janata Dal () was an
Indian political party which was formed through the merger of
Lok Dal
Lokdal or Lok Dal is an Indian political party based on agriculture policies, founded by former Prime Minister Charan Singh. It was founded on 26 September 1979 by merging Janata Party (Secular), Socialist Party (Limaye) and Orissa Janata Party ...
,
Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the
Jan Morcha
The Jan Morcha ( translation: ''People's Front'') was an Indian political party founded by V. P. Singh after he left the Indian National Congress party in 1987 upon being dismissed as Defence Minister by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Together ...
on 11 October 1988—the birth anniversary of
Jayaprakash Narayan under the leadership of
V. P. Singh.
History
V. P. Singh united the entire disparate spectrum of parties ranging from regional parties such as the
Telugu Desam Party
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP; ) is an Indian regional political party primarily active in the Federated state, states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It was founded by Telugu cinema, Telugu matinée idol N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) on 29 March 1982 a ...
, the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; ; DMK) is an Indian political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu, where it is currently the ruling party, and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry, where it is currently the main ...
, and the
Asom Gana Parishad
Asom Gana Parishad (translation: ''Assam People's Council'', AGP) is a political party in the state of Assam, India. The AGP was formed following the historic Assam Accord of 1985 and formally launched at the Golaghat Convention held from 13 t ...
, together and formed the
National Front with
N. T. Rama Rao as President and
V. P. Singh as convenor. The front also included outside support from the
right-wing
Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
and the
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
Left Front, led by the
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...
and
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...
. They defeated
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian statesman and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi, assassination of his mother, then–prime ...
's
Congress (I) in the 1989 parliamentary elections.
His government fell after
Lalu Prasad Yadav got
Advani arrested in
Samastipur and stopped his ''
Ram Rath Yatra
The ''Ram Rath Yatra'' was a political and religious rally that lasted from September to October 1990. It was organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Hindu nationalist affiliates, and led by the then-president of the BJP, L. K ...
,'' which was going to
Ayodhya
Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...
on the site of the Babri Masjid on 23 October 1990, and the Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew support.
V. P. Singh lost a parliamentary vote of confidence on 7 November 1990. In the
1991 Indian general election
General elections were held in India on 20 May, 12 June and 15 June 1991 to elect the members of the 10th Lok Sabha, although they were delayed until 19 February 1992 in Punjab.
No party could muster a majority in the Lok Sabha, resulting i ...
the Janata Dal lost power but emerged as the third largest party in
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 ...
.
The Janata Dal-led
United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political and/ ...
formed the government after the
1996 Indian general election
General elections were held in India on 27 April, 2 May and 7 May 1996 to elect the members of the 11th Lok Sabha, eleventh Lok Sabha.
The elections resulted in a hung parliament with no single party having a clear majority. The Bharatiya Jan ...
with the outside support of the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
. However, after this the Janata Dal gradually disintegrated into various smaller factions, which largely became regional parties such as
Biju Janata Dal,
Rashtriya Janata Dal
The Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD; translation: National People's Party) is an Indian political party, mainly based in the state of Bihar. The party was founded in 1997 by Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The party's support base has traditionally been Other ...
,
Janata Dal (Secular) and
Janata Dal (United)
Janata Dal (United) ("People's Party (United)"), abbreviated as JD(U), is a Social democracy, social-democratic and secular List of political parties in India, Indian political party, rooted mainly in East India, eastern and Northeast India, ...
.
Ascent to power
It first came to power in 1989, after cases of corruption, known as the
Bofors scandal, caused
Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian statesman and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi, assassination of his mother, then–prime ...
's
Congress (I) to lose the elections. The
National Front coalition that was formed consisted of the Janata Dal and a few smaller parties in the government, and had outside support from the
Left Front and the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
.
V. P. Singh was the prime minister. In November 1990, this coalition collapsed, and a new government headed by
Chandra Shekhar under
Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) which had the support of the congress came to power for a short while. Two days before the vote,
Chandra Shekhar, an ambitious Janata Dal rival who had been kept out of the National Front government, joined with Devi Lal, a former deputy prime minister under V. P. Singh, to form the Samajwadi Janata Party, with a total of just sixty
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 ...
members. The day after the collapse of the National Front government, Chandra Shekhar informed the president that by gaining the backing of the Congress (I) and its electoral allies he enjoyed the support of 280 members of the Lok Sabha, and he demanded the right to constitute a new government. Even though his rump party accounted for only one-ninth of the members of the Lok Sabha, Chandra Shekhar succeeded in forming a new minority Government and becoming Prime Minister (with Devi Lal as deputy prime minister). However, Chandra Shekhar's government fell less than four months later, after the Congress (I) withdrew its support.

Its second spell of power began in 1996, when the Janata Dal-led
United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political and/ ...
coalition came to power, with outside support from the congress under
Sitaram Kesri, choosing
H. D. Deve Gowda as their prime minister. The Congress withdrew their support in less than a year, after the
H. D. Deve Gowda Government restarted probing the corruption cases against a lot of Congress leaders, hoping to gain power with the support of various United Front constituent groups, and
I. K. Gujral became the next prime minister. His government too fell in a few months, and in February 1998, the Janata Dal-led coalition lost power to the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
in General Elections.
List of prime ministers & chief ministers of India
Prime ministers
Chief ministers
Electoral records
Vice President & Deputy Prime Minister of India
Party presidents & deputy chief ministers
National units
Thakur Ji Pathak (1989 – 1994)- National General Secretary
State units
Uttar pradesh
Anantram Jaiswal (1983)
Karnataka
''Presidents''
B. Rachaiah (1989)
Siddaramaiah
Siddaramaiah (born 3 August 1947), also referred to by his nickname Siddu, is an Indian politician who is serving as the 22nd List of chief ministers of Karnataka, chief minister of Karnataka from 20 May 2023. He also held that position previo ...
(Feb 1999)
C. Byre Gowda (July 1999)
''General Secretary''
Jeevaraj Alva (1989-1990)
C. Narayanaswamy (1999)
Tamil Nadu
''President''
Sivaji Ganesan
Villupuram. Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001), better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian actor and film producer. He was mainly active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th centur ...
(1989-1993)
Janata Dal factions
Defunct parties
*
Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) led by
Pappu Yadav (merged with
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
).
*
Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) of Late
Chandra Shekhar is now defunct because of weak leadership.
*
Samajwadi Janata Dal (Democratic) led by
Devendra Prasad Yadav
Devendra Prasad Yadav (born 26 November 1953) is a former member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Jhanjharpur constituency of Bihar and was a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United) and Janata Dal. He joine ...
(merged with
Rashtriya Janata Dal
The Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD; translation: National People's Party) is an Indian political party, mainly based in the state of Bihar. The party was founded in 1997 by Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The party's support base has traditionally been Other ...
).
* Bharatiya Sablog Party led by
Arun Kumar (merged with
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)).
*
Lok Janshakti Party of Late
Ram Vilas Paswan and led by
Chirag Paswan (split into the
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Ram's son
Chirag Paswan, and the
Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party led by Ram's brother
Pashupati Kumar Paras).
*
Rashtriya Lok Samta Party led by
Upendra Kushwaha
Upendra Kumar Singh, commonly known as Upendra Kushwaha (born 6 February 1960) is an Indian politician, and a former Member of Bihar Legislative Council and Bihar Legislative Assembly. He has also served as Minister of State for Human Resources ...
(merged with
Janata Dal United).
*
Loktantrik Janata Dal led by Late
Sharad Yadav
Sharad Yadav (1 July 1947 – 12 January 2023) was an Indian politician from the Loktantrik Janata Dal(LJD) party. He was elected to the Lok Sabha seven times and to the Rajya Sabha four times from JD(U). He was the first national president of ...
(merged with
Rashtriya Janata Dal
The Rashtriya Janata Dal ( RJD; translation: National People's Party) is an Indian political party, mainly based in the state of Bihar. The party was founded in 1997 by Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The party's support base has traditionally been Other ...
).
* Socialist Janata Party led by Manju Mohan (merged with
Socialist Party (India)).
*
Samras Samaj Party led by Nagmani (merged with
Rashtriya Lok Samta Party).
*
Samata Party
The Samata Party (SAP) is a political party in India, initially formed in 1994 by George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar, is now being led by Uday Mandal as its National President. Samata Party once launched Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister of ...
of Late
George Fernandes
George Mathew Fernandes (3 June 1930 – 29 January 2019) was an Indian politician, trade unionist, statesman, and journalist, who served as the Minister of Defence (India), Defence Minister of India from 1998 until 2004. A veteran socialist, h ...
(merged with
Janata Dal (United)
Janata Dal (United) ("People's Party (United)"), abbreviated as JD(U), is a Social democracy, social-democratic and secular List of political parties in India, Indian political party, rooted mainly in East India, eastern and Northeast India, ...
).
*
Socialist Janata (Democratic) led by Late
M. P. Veerendra Kumar (merged with
Janata Dal (United)
Janata Dal (United) ("People's Party (United)"), abbreviated as JD(U), is a Social democracy, social-democratic and secular List of political parties in India, Indian political party, rooted mainly in East India, eastern and Northeast India, ...
)
*
Jan Morcha
The Jan Morcha ( translation: ''People's Front'') was an Indian political party founded by V. P. Singh after he left the Indian National Congress party in 1987 upon being dismissed as Defence Minister by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Together ...
of Late
V. P. Singh and led by
Ajeya Pratap Singh (merged with
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
).
*
Odisha Jan Morcha is defunct because of weak leadership.
*
Odisha Gana Parishad led by
Bijoy Mohapatra (merged with
Nationalist Congress Party
The Nationalist Congress Party is one of the List of political parties in India#State parties, state parties in India and is one of the major political parties in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Maharashtra with a recognised state party statu ...
).
*
All India Progressive Janata Dal led by Late
Ramakrishna Hegde and late
S. R. Bommai (merged with
Janata Dal (United)
Janata Dal (United) ("People's Party (United)"), abbreviated as JD(U), is a Social democracy, social-democratic and secular List of political parties in India, Indian political party, rooted mainly in East India, eastern and Northeast India, ...
).
*
Janata Dal (Left) led by Late Surendra Mohan and Late
M. P. Veerendra Kumar (merged with
Janata Dal (Secular)).
*
Lok Shakti
Lok Shakti ( lit. People's Power) was a political party in India. Lok Shakti was one of several parties that were formed when the Janata Dal crumbled in the mid-1990s. LS was formed in February 1997 after Ramakrishna Hegde was expelled from ...
led by Late
Ramakrishna Hegde (merged with
Janata Dal (United)
Janata Dal (United) ("People's Party (United)"), abbreviated as JD(U), is a Social democracy, social-democratic and secular List of political parties in India, Indian political party, rooted mainly in East India, eastern and Northeast India, ...
).
*
Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohiya) led by Shivpal Singh Yadav (merged with
Samajwadi Party
The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...
).
*
Janata Dal (Gujarat) led by Late
Chimanbhai Patel and Late
Chhabildas Mehta (merged with
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
).
* Janata Dal (Digvijay) led by
Digvijay Singh (merged with
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
).
*
Janata Dal (Ajit) led by Late
Ajit Singh (merged with
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
).
* Janata Dal (Socialist) led by Late
Chandra Shekhar, Late
Devi Lal, Late
Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav (22 November 1939 – 10 October 2022) was an Indian politician, a socialism, socialist figure and founder of the Samajwadi Party. Over the course of his political career spanning more than six decades, he served for three t ...
(renamed as Late
Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya)).
* Punjab Janata Morcha (PJM), in English the Punjab Popular Front, was a
Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
in the
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 ...
n state of
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
. The party formed in 1989 as a splinter group of the Janata Dal. The party failed to win any election seats in its lifetime. Party president
Kirpal Singh announced that the PJM was disbanded in 1997. Most members joined the
Jan Morcha
The Jan Morcha ( translation: ''People's Front'') was an Indian political party founded by V. P. Singh after he left the Indian National Congress party in 1987 upon being dismissed as Defence Minister by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Together ...
by 2003.
See also
*
Samata Party
The Samata Party (SAP) is a political party in India, initially formed in 1994 by George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar, is now being led by Uday Mandal as its National President. Samata Party once launched Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister of ...
References
{{Janata Parivar parties
Defunct political parties in India
V. P. Singh administration
1988 establishments in India
1999 disestablishments in India
Political parties disestablished in 1999
Political parties established in 1988