In the 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election, which took place following the publication of the British government's white paper Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals, SDLP gathered 159,773 votes while DUP tailed with 78,228.
The 1973 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly took place following the publication of the British government's white paper Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals which proposed a 78-member Northern Ireland Assembly, elected by proportional representation. SDLP 159,773 DUP 78,228 
