General Secretary's Letter No. 320

Summary

Dated August 20, 1974, General Secretary’s Letter No. 320 reports on the Swatantra Party’s Seventh National Convention, held in New Delhi on August 4–5 to decide whether the party should dissolve. The letter explains that the party’s General Council had welcomed efforts to form a National Alternative but reserved the final decision for a national convention. It also records procedural disputes over press access, secret voting, and the conduct of the convention’s deliberations.

The letter reports that the convention rejected a motion opposing dissolution by 53 votes to 407, while approving the dissolution resolution by 407 votes to 53, with one neutral delegate. A state-wise voting table and delegate breakdown show the geographical distribution of the decision, with 484 delegates attending. The attached resolutions frame dissolution as part of the proposed formation of a new party, Bharatiya Lok Dal, while allowing members who did not join the new organisation to continue non-partisan activity under another name. The documents also include a dissenting resolution arguing that Swatantra’s principles remained valid and that dissolution would not produce a genuinely national alternative.

Key points

• The letter records the Swatantra Party’s Seventh National Convention in New Delhi on August 4–5, 1974.
• The convention was convened to decide the party’s dissolution in the context of efforts to create a National Alternative.
• Delegates debated whether voting should be secret and whether the press should be admitted to the proceedings.
• A resolution rejecting dissolution received 53 votes for and 407 against, with one neutral vote.
• A resolution approving dissolution received 407 votes for and 53 against, with one neutral vote.
• The documents report 484 attending delegates and provide a state-wise breakdown of attendance and voting.
• The attached dissolution resolution connects the party’s planned merger with the proposed Bharatiya Lok Dal while preserving an alternative for members who would not join.