Congress System Class 12 Political Science NCERT Book PDF

The Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System PDF is the official NCERT chapter on the decade after Nehru from Politics in India Since Independence. This page lets students download the original Chapter 5 text and figures for the 2026-27 CBSE syllabus. Reading the source chapter is the best way to understand the 1967 election, the 1969 Congress split and the 1971 restoration.

• Official NCERT chapter with the original cartoons, photographs and source boxes.
• This Class 12 Political Science chapter usually carries 5 to 6 marks in the board paper.
• Pairs with the NCERT Solutions, Notes and Handwritten Notes linked lower on this page.

This is the official NCERT Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System chapter from Politics in India Since Independence, offered for free download in the 2026-27 edition.

What the Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System NCERT Chapter Covers

Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System is the fifth chapter of Politics in India Since Independence. It traces Indian politics through the decade after Nehru, from his death in 1964 to Indira Gandhi's win in 1971. Before this, the Congress had dominated Indian politics almost without challenge.

The chapter is built around three threads, which the NCERT covers in order:

• Succession: the deaths of Nehru and Shastri, and the rise of Indira Gandhi.
• Challenge: the 1967 election, non-Congressism and the 1969 split.
• Restoration: the 1971 "Garibi Hatao" win that rebuilt Congress dominance.

Reading the original NCERT text matters because the source boxes and cartoons in the class 12 political science chapter 5 pdf are exactly what CBSE quotes in source-based questions. A student who knows the chapter's own examples, such as the R. K. Laxman "Grand Finish" cartoon and the Sudipta Kaviraj passage, can answer those questions with confidence.

Chapter Highlights and Important Topics

The NCERT chapter is rich with cartoons, photographs and source boxes that the exam often refers to. Knowing what each highlight covers helps students answer questions quickly. The table below lists the highlights students should study in the original chapter PDF.

The chapter also explains how Indira Gandhi rebuilt the Congress around a single popular leader. One point students should mark while reading is that "restoration" did not mean revival of the old party. That single idea from the chapter is the heart of the restoration answer, and it appears almost every year.

The 1967 Election and the Congress Split in the Chapter

The chapter devotes whole sections to the 1967 election, non-Congressism and the 1969 split. These sections feed the short and long answers, so reading them in the original NCERT helps students quote the right examples. The lists below show what the chapter covers under each theme.

• 1967 election: the drought and crisis, the "political earthquake", and the loss of nine states.
• Non-Congressism: Lohia's idea, the SVD coalitions and the "Aya Ram, Gaya Ram" defections.
• The Syndicate: K. Kamaraj and the organisation bosses who controlled the party.
• The 1969 split: the Presidential election, the conscience vote and Congress (O) versus Congress (R).

The chapter is clear that the split was a contest over who would control the party, not just a quarrel. It also gives the cartoons and source statements students need for the opinion and source-based questions, from the "Grand Finish" cartoon to the leadership-rivalry cartoon of 1969. Because these examples are drawn straight from the source chapter, the chapter 5 political science class 12 ncert book is the most reliable place to learn them.

Restoration and the Kaviraj Passage in the Chapter

The closing sections of the chapter explain the 1971 election and how the Congress was restored. These pages are the most exam-relevant for the "restoration" question, so reading them in the original chapter helps students write balanced answers.

• Garibi Hatao: Indira Gandhi's positive slogan that beat the Grand Alliance's "Indira Hatao".
• The 1971 result: Congress (R)-CPI won 375 seats; the Grand Alliance under 60.
• The 1971 war: the birth of Bangladesh sealed Indira Gandhi's stature.
• Kaviraj passage: the source extract on how the Congress "died" as an organisation.

The chapter is clear that Indira Gandhi restored the Congress by changing its very nature, not by reviving the old one. It ends with the paradox that the party was never more successful at the polls yet never weaker as an organisation. Reading these closing pages in the official PDF gives students the wording NCERT itself uses, which scores best in the board paper.

How to Download and Use the NCERT Chapter PDF

The chapter PDF is free and easy to use on any device. Students can save it for offline reading and pair it with the solutions and notes. The steps below show how to get the most out of the Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System PDF during revision.

• Download: tap the download card above to save the official Chapter 5 PDF to your device.
• First read: read the chapter once end to end, marking the source boxes and the cartoons.
• Source practice: keep the PDF open while attempting source-based questions, since the Kaviraj passage comes from it.
• Revision: use the chapter alongside the notes to fix dates, key numbers and the chronology.

Many students search for the class 12 political science chapter 5 pdf the night before a test so they can revise offline. A saved copy means the source boxes and cartoons are always at hand. After reading the chapter, move to the solutions to check that your answers match the model points, then use the notes for a final quick recall.

How the Book PDF Pairs with the Solutions and Notes

The NCERT Book PDF is the source text. To prepare fully, students should use it with the other resources for the same chapter, all linked in the table below. Read the chapter, fix the ideas with the notes, then test yourself with the solutions.

Tip: read the chapter PDF first, then attempt the solutions on your own, and only then check the model answers. Reading the source text before the answers builds far stronger source-based skills.

All Class 12 Political Science NCERT Book PDFs by Chapter

The table links the NCERT chapter PDFs for every chapter in both Class 12 Political Science books, so students can move across the course in one click. Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System is highlighted.

FAQs on Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System NCERT Book PDF