K. C. Ramrakha - 1977 Constitutional Crisis

1977 Constitutional Crisis

By 1976, the NFP was beginning to split into two factions and Ramrakha was seen to be Koya's main opponent. After the NFP patched up its differences and won the election of March 1977, Ramrakha's opposition to Koya's leadership was one of the reasons for the delay in NFP attempting to form Government. By the time elections were held again in September 1977, the NFP had split into two factions and Ramrakha became a prominent member of the Flower faction, opposed to Koya's Dove faction . Ramrakha was seen as the natural leader of the Flower faction, but Irene Jai Narayan (another Flower faction leader), without consulting others, announced during the campaign that if Jai Ram Reddy defeated Koya in the Lautoka Indian Constituency, he would become the leader.

Jai Ram Reddy did defeat Koya and became the new leader of the opposition and later the leader of a reunified NFP. Ramrakha showed his disappointment by sitting as an independent member for the rest of the parliamentary term. He did not contest the 1982 election and migrated to Australia.