Punjab, Bihar, West Bengal and UP went to the polls in February, 1969 for the mid-term elections. The Congress was battered in every state except in UP where its strength went from 198 to 211 out of 425 seats, although it did not reach the majority mark. What is significant however, is the performance of the new entrant, BKD under Charan Singh, which swept away votes from the other non-Congress alternatives like Jan Sangh and SSP to became the second largest party in the state assembly. They also polled the highest number of votes. Smaller parties were virtually wiped out. Congress did however end up in power with the help of some independents and the Swatantra Party, and on February 16, 1969, a year after Charan Singh’s resignation, C.B. Gupta was sworn in as the Chief Minister with a 16-member cabinet.