Indira's Coronation

At the end of last December's war with Pakistan, which left India the dominant power on the subcontinent, a senior British diplomat wryly commented that the victory had made Indira Gandhi "Empress of India." After last week's state elections, in which Mrs. Gandhi's New Congress Party scored the most overwhelming electoral victory in the history of independent India, an American official added: "And this was her coronation."

The election was indeed a personal triumph for India's Prime Minister. A year ago, she led her splintered party to victory in parliamentary elections under the campaign slogan "Garibi hatao" (Erase poverty), but failed to gain control of several key state governments. Having taken 70% of the states' assembly seats last week, the New Congress Party will now govern 17 of India's 21 states.

Eloquent Proof. The decisive military victory over Pakistan has added immeasurably to Mrs. Gandhi's popular support among India's voters. West Bengalis, particularly grateful that she had championed the Bengali cause--the independence of Bangladesh--lit devotional lamps in front of portraits of the Prime Minister, whom they call Mataji (Mother), and gave her party a two-thirds majority in their 280-seat statehouse.

The election victory was also the result of Mrs. Gandhi's hard work--and her firm control of the party machinery. She screened lists of party candidates and removed the names of those whose loyalty she was unsure of; through access to confidential dossiers of the Central Bureau of Investigation she was able to keep tab on leading politicians. During the campaign she flew an estimated 55,000 miles across India, focusing her attacks on the conservative Opposition Congress and Hindu right-wing Jana Sangh parties.

Mrs. Gandhi now has an unchallengeable mandate to promote her populist policies, including more aid to farmers and more effective distribution of land. It has also placed her in a stronger position--despite political backing from the Soviet Union in the Indo-Pakistani war--to pursue foreign policies of her own choosing. Last week, before leaving for a visit to India's ally the Soviet Union, Pakistan's President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto indicated that he is willing to drop his country's longstanding claim to Kashmir. It was a particularly eloquent bit of proof that Jawaharlal Nehru's imperious daughter has led her country into a new era.

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