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| 1976 |
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| An agreement was reached with Pakistan on exchange of ambassadors and restoration of air links; relations improved with China to the point of exchange of ambassadors. | 1 |
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| 1977, Jan |
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| Indira Gandhi announced that the postponed general elections would be held in March, at which time the state of emergency would be terminated. Widespread fears that democratic institutions had ceased to function were disproved in the extraordinary elections that took place. | 2 |
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| March |
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| Indira Gandhi lost her own seat in the Lok Sabha, and the Congress was defeated throughout North India. In the South, Congress and its allies improved their position. Congress (R) retired from the field and allowed the winners (the Janata Party) to establish a new government. | 3 |
| The first tasks of the Janata government, under the leadership of Morarji Desai, were to dismantle the machinery of the state of emergency and to repair the constitution. | 4 |
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| July |
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| Neelim Sanjiva Reddy was named president, but rifts quickly appeared in the Janata government. | 5 |
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