 During that period, the then Congress party president, Purushottam Das Tandon also resigned his post because of differences with Nehru and since Nehru's popularity was needed for winning elections.Nehru, while being the PM, also was elected the president of Congress for 1951 and 1952.In the election, despite a large number of parties competing, the Congress party under Nehru's leadership won large majorities at both state and national level.