Major Changes :
The fourth general election was held in 1967 for the first time without Nehru:
1. The election verdict was not in favor of Congress and results jolted the Congress both at the national and state levels.
2. Half the ministers in Indira Gandhi’s Cabinet were defeated including K. Kamaraj in Tamil Nadu, S.K. Patil in Maharashtra, Atulya Ghosh in West Bengal, K.B. Sahay in Bihar.
3. Defection played a major role in making or unmaking of government. The Congress did not lose the only majority in seven states but two other states also prevented it to form a government due to defections.
4. In Madras (Tamil Nadu) a regional party came to power by securing a clear majority. This was the first time any non-Congress party had secured a majority of its own in any state.
5. For the first time, any non-Congress party secured a majority in any state and in other eight states i.e. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa (Odisha) and Kerala, different non-Congress parties formed the coalitions.
6. These election results were called as a ‘Political Earthquake’. Hence, the domination to the Congress was over.