Deolindo Felipe Bittel was born in Villa Ángela, a Chaco Province town known for its tannin industry, in 1922 to a farming family of French Belgian descent.

"[2] President Arturo Frondizi's lifting of the 1956 electoral ban on Peronism led to nationwide Peronist candidacies in the 1962 elections, and of 14 provinces whose governorships were in play, they carried 10 - including Bittel's victory in Chaco.

[2] He granted municipal demands for restored prior autonomy and introduced the lottery to Chaco, which became an important source of funds for education in the underdeveloped province.

He was reelected in 1965 by 11%,[3] though Peronists' new success at that year's midterm elections again led to the overthrow of the president (Arturo Illia) and to the replacement of civilian governors by military comptrollers.

His efforts were hampered in 1975 both by a sudden inflationary crisis in Argentina (335%), as well as by a sharp drop in global cotton prices - thereby adversely affecting a leading source of revenue for the agrarian province.

[4] Elections increasingly likely, he led the JP into the "Multiparty" formed by UCR leader Ricardo Balbín in early 1981 to lobby the dictatorship for a return to democracy.

The choice was made partly to balance Lúder's record, as he had authorized repression against the violent left in 1975, whereas Bittel had been a populist who was remembered for his defense of the disappeared during the dictatorship.

[4] Ultimately, the Peronists' late start (the nomination was secured less than two months before election day), Alfonsín's skillful campaign, voters' bitter memories of Isabel Perón's chaotic tenure, and other problems put their ticket at a disadvantage.