Orissa Assembly Election Results in 1974

Elections to the 7th term of the Legislative Assembly in Orissa were held in 1977, after President’s rule was imposed in the state for a brief prior period. The Government was dismissed in spite of the then Chief Minister Binayak Acharya of the Congress enjoying majority support in the Assembly, thereby leading to imposition of President’s rule. Fresh elections were held in June of the same year, with candidates from political parties contesting for a total of 147 Assembly constituencies. The newly formed Janata Party, which was an amalgamation of Socialist Party, Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Congress (O) won with a thumping majority, bagging 110 out of the 147 Assembly constituencies in which it contested and hence forming the government in the state. The Congress managed to bag a mere 26 seats in the state.

Harcharan Singh Brar was the Governor of Orissa for the first few months of the Seventh Assembly, before this prestigious post was taken over by the first Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhagwat Dayal Sharma, popularly called Panditji. Panditji remained the Governor of the state till the end of this tenure. Satyapriya Mohanty was the Speaker of the Orissa Vidhan Sabha during this period, while Surendra Nath Nayak was the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. Nilamani Routray of the Janata Party was the Chief Minister of Orissa during this period, while Chintamani Panigrahi was the Leader of Opposition in the Orissa Assembly.

Routray contributed to the economic, social and political uplifting of the state of Orissa during his regime. He was a founder of the Orissa unit of All India Students' Federation. Some of the significant legislations passed in the Assembly in this period were:

• Orissa Appropriation Act, 1977
• Orissa Panchayat Samiti (Re-Election of Office Bearers) Act, 1977
• Orissa Contingency Fund (Amendment) Ordinance, 1977
• Orissa University Laws (Amendment) Act, 1978
• Orissa Municipal (Amendment) Act, 1978
• Orissa State Aid to Industries Act, 1978
• Orissa Co-operative Societies Act, 1978
• Orissa Aided Educational Institutions (Appointment of Teachers Second Validation) Act, 1978
• Orissa Appropriation Act, 1979
• Orissa Secondary Education (Amendment) Act, 1979
• Societies Registration (Orissa Amendment) Act, 1979
• Orissa Agricultural Income-Tax Law Repealing Act, 1979
• Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment Act, 1979

List of Successful Candidates in Orissa Assembly Election in 1977

List of Participating Political Parties in Orissa Assembly Election in 1977