Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili - 1937 Elections

1937 Elections

The Justice Party contested the 1937 provincial assembly elections, the first according to the Government of India Act 1935, under the Raja's leadership and lost badly, winning just 18 out of 215 assembly seats and 7 out of 46 council seats. The Raja, himself, lost his seat to Indian National Congress candidate V. V. Giri by over 6,000 votes, almost triggering the end of his political career. Other prominent losers in the election were P. T. Rajan, Kumarraja of Venkatagiri and A. P. Patro. The Justice Party ceased to be a major force and remained so until it was revived by E. V. Ramasami during the 1938 Madras Anti-Hindi agitations. The Raja led a much-weakened Justice Party until 1938, when he bowed out of politics.

Meanwhile, the Justice Party's opponents the Indian National Congress had decided to contest the elections at a rally in 1935. It was at this rally that the Swarajya Party formally merged with the Indian National Congress when Congress resolved to participate in the elections. The united Indian National Congress led by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari captured power in the province and ruled until the declaration of war in 1939.

P. Rajaraman sums up the factors as follows "internal dissension, ineffective organization, inertia and lack of proper leadership led to the Justice Party along the path of decline".