Democratic Labour Party (Trinidad and Tobago)
Bhadase Sagan Maraj, the first leader of the party in the Legislative Council, became ill, bedridden and overly reliant on pethidine.
1961 saw the introduction of the Representation of the People Act, which modernized the election process by instituting identification cards, voting machines, and altered the way in which constituencies were laid out.
When the Federation was dissolved in 1961 (following the withdrawal of Jamaica), this majority allowed the PNM to write the Independence Constitution without input from the DLP.
In response to allegations of voting irregularities the DLP boycotted the opening of parliament and operated largely through boycotts and walk-outs.
[citation needed] George Weekes, an anti-PNM Afro-Trinidadian trade unionist, gained control of the Oilfields Workers' Trade Union, while Krishna Gowandan challenged Bhadase Sagan Maraj's leadership of the All Trinidad Sugar Estates and Factory Workers Union.
However, two members of the House of Representatives (Ashford Sastri Sinanan and Lionel Frank Seukeran), and all four Senators voted in favour of the bill.
Upon arrival he denounced Simbhoonath Capildeo as the main troublemaker in the party, and accused him of hiring a hit man to kill him.
[citation needed] He met with Maharaj, James, Kelshall and Rienzi and promised to mobilise the DLP to oppose the ISA.
When the DLP chose to boycott the by-election in protest, Bhadase Sagan Maraj was able to return to Parliament by winning the seat as an Independent.
Hoping to capitalize on the DLP's absence Bhadase Sagan Maraj formed the Democratic Liberation Party.
The DLP in retaliation sent out their supporters to vote for their rival the People's National Movement, rather than see Maraj's party win.
Thus, the Democratic Liberation Party failed to make headway against the DLP's "No-Vote" campaign and won no seats.
Many in the party felt betrayed by Robinson's actions, but the boycott resulted in a switch from voting machines to paper ballots.
This led to Vernon Jamadar breaking off and forming the Social Democratic Labour Party of Trinidad and Tobago.
Another faction led by Ashford Sinanan emerged and called itself the West Indian National Party (WINP).
The new United Labour Front led by Basdeo Panday was able to totally displace the DLP from its core Indo-Trinidadian constituency.
Satnarayan Maharaj took over control of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha after the death of his father-in-law, Bhadase Sagan Maraj in 1971.
Alloy Lequay went on to play a distinguished role as President and CEO of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, from which he retired in 2005.
The PDP was a conservative party of the Indo-Trinidadian middle and upper-middle class with a primarily Brahmin Hindu leadership.
The POPPG was a party of the white and near-white middle and upper-middle class, a small but economically powerful group.
Rudranath Capildeo's adoption of Democratic Socialism was an attempt to create a stronger link with the party's base, but it widened the rift with the middle class.
The labour unrest of the 1960s and the Black Power movement of the early 1970s created other blocks of opposition to the PNM, but the DLP leadership was not able to attract these groups to their orbit.
