"The emergency declared on 25 june …

The impact of the Emergency on the party system in India was as described below :
(i) A large number of leaders and workers of the opposition parties were arrested. These arrested persons could not even challenge their arrests through habeas corpus petitions.
(ii) It is said that with the arrest of opposition leaders, India ceased to be democratic during emergency.
(iii) The Emergency led to the unity among the opposition parties. The opposition parties came together and formed the Janata Party on the eve of 1977 elections.
(iv) Some Congress leaders, who had opposed the emergency, too joined the Janata Party. A separate party-Congress for Democracy was formed by Jagjivan Ram. It later on merged with the Janata Party.
(v) In 1977 elections the Janata Party won but could not remain together. Congress once again won in 1980 elections. Between these two elections, the Congress Party changed dramatically.