Era of Coalition Politics from 1990s onwards

1. COALITION POLITICS

2. INTRODUCTION
The term ‘coalition’ is derived from the Latin word ‘coalitio’ which means ‘to grow together’.
Thus, technically, coalition means the act of uniting parts into one body or whole.
Politically, coalition means an alliance of distinct political parties. Coalition is a phenomenon of a
multi-party government where a number of minority parties join hands for the purpose of
running the government which is otherwise not possible.
 A coalition is formed when many groups come into common terms with each other and define
a common programme or agenda on which they work.
A coalition government always remains in pulls and pressures particularly in a multinational
country like India.
When several political parties join hands to form a government and exercise political power on
the basis of a common agreed programme/agenda, we can describe the system as coalition
politics or coalition government .

3. WHAT IS A COALITION GOVERNMENT?
Coalition is a direct descendant of the exigencies of multi-party system in a democratic setup. It
is a phenomenon of a multi-party government where a number of minority parties join hands
for the purpose of running the government.
A coalition is formed when many splinter groups in a House agree to join hands on a common
platform by sinking their broad differences and form a majority in the House .
As far as definition is concerned there is difference between coalition politics and political
alliance. A political alliance, also referred to as a political coalition, political bloc, is an
agreement for cooperation between different political parties on common political agenda,
often for purposes of contesting an election to mutually benefit by collectively clearing election
thresholds, or otherwise benefiting from characteristics of the voting system or for government
formation after elections.
A coalition government is formed when a political alliance comes to power, or when only a
plurality (not a majority) has not been reached and several parties must work together to
govern. One of the peculiarities of such a method of governance results in Minister of State
without Portfolio.

4. FEATURES OF COALITION GOVERNMENT
1. Coalitions are formed for the sake of some reward, material or psychic.
2. A coalition implies the existence of at least two partners.
3. The underlying principle of a coalition system stands on the simple fact of temporary
conjunction of specific interest.
4. Coalition politics is not a static but a dynamic affair as coalition players and groups dissolve
and form new ones.
5. The keynote of coalition politics is compromise, and rigid dogma has no place in it.
6. A coalition government works on the basis of a minimum programme, which may not be ideal
for each partner of the coalition.
7. Pragmatism and not ideology is the hallmark of coalition politics. In making political
adjustments, principles may have to be set aside.
8. The purpose of a coalition adjustment is to seize power.

5. FORMATION OF COALITION GOVERNMENTS
In our country, we have seen coalitions coming up either before the elections or after the
elections. The pre-poll coalition is considerably advantageous because it provides a common
platform to the parties in order to woo the electorate on the basis of a joint manifesto. The post-
election union is intended to enable constituents to share political power and run the
government.
In the first four Lok Sabha elections (1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967), the Congress party secured
the required majority to form the government at the Centre. Even though there was a split in
the Congress party in 1969, the minority government of Indira Gandhi managed to continue with
the outside support of the CPI, the DMK and other parties.
Congress party won the 1971 elections and formed a single-party government. However, the
dominant Congress party was badly defeated in the 1977 elections. Since then, there have been
a number of coalition governments at the Centre.

6. THE JANTA INTERREGNUM:
The opposition front that emerged after emergency was opposed to Indra Gandhi’s Emergency and
even released in large numbers. After Emergency, the Opposition leaders announced the merger of
Congress (O), the Jan Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal (BLD) and the Socialist Party into the new Janata Party.
The Opposition front made the Emergency and its excesses, as a referendum on the Emergency . With
the popular upsurge in favour of them, the Janata Party and its allies were victorious with 330 out of
542 seats. Congress trailed far behind and was virtually wiped out in North India. Both Indira Gandhi
and Sanjay were defeated.
There was a near-crisis over the issue of prime ministership between the three aspirants, Morarji
Desai, Charan Singh and Jagjivan Ram. Senior leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan ruled in favour of the
Morarji Desai, who was sworn in as prime minister on 23 March 1977. He was the oldest man to
become prime minister of India (81 years old).
The Janta government remained in power for about two years i.e, 1977-1979. The power struggle in
the government did not allow Desai to continue anymore. Once the no confidence motion against
Desai was discussed in the lower house, Desai tendered his resignation.
A week later, Charan Singh formed the government in alliance with the Congress (U) and some of the
Socialists and with the outside support of Congress (I) and the CPI. But he never got to face parliament
as, a day before the confidence vote, Indira Gandhi withdrew her support after Charan Singh rejected
her demand for the scrapping of special courts set up to prosecute her. On Charan Singh’s advice, the
President dissolved the Lok Sabha and announced mid-term elections.
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7. UNDER MORARJI DESAI
Thus the first experience of coalition in free India at the union level goes back to 1977 when non
congress forces united under the leadership of Morarji Desai in the name of Janta government.
One of the first steps taken by the new government was to try to consolidate its hold over the
states. Arguing that in those states where Congress had lost in the national elections, it had also
lost the mandate to rule even at the state level, the government dismissed nine Congress-ruled
state governments, and ordered fresh elections to their state assemblies.
The Janata government took immediate steps to dismantle the authoritarian features of the
Emergency regime and to restore liberal democracy . It restored Fundamental Rights and full
civil liberties to the Press, political parties and individuals.
Through the 44th Constitutional Amendment, it also modified the 42nd Amendment passed
during the Emergency, repealing those of its provisions which had distorted the constitution.
The right of the Supreme Court and High Courts to decide on the validity of central or state
legislation was also restored.

8. JANTA PARTY IN CRISIS
Given its nonperformance in administration, implementation of developmental policies, and
realization of social justice, the Janata Party began to disintegrate.
The Janata Party ’s social base in North India consisted primarily of large landowners belonging to
upper castes and the urban and rural shopkeepers, small businessmen and the petty bourgeoisie.
In many states landowners tried to forcibly take back the plots given to the poor peasants and money
lenders began to reclaim debts cancelled during the Emergency . On the other hand, the rural poor
largely belonging to the Scheduled Castes, too had become conscious of their rights and started
defending their rights and benefits that they had obtained under the Twenty -Point Programme of
Indira Gandhi.The result was the wide prevalence of caste tensions and violent attacks on the
Scheduled Castes in North India.
The Janata regime explicitly repudiated the Nehruvian vision of rapid economic development based
on large-scale industry and science.
Janata’s economic policy merely counterposed rural development to industry -oriented growth. This
policy came to be based on three pillars: labour-intensive small-scale industry (not as complementary
to but in place of large-scale industry); decentralization in place of national planning; and rich-
peasant-led agricultural development.

9. After the first year of Janata rule, the economy started drifting with both agriculture and
industry showing stagnation or low rates of growth.
Holding the party together seemed to have been a major preoccupation of the Janata leaders.
Already disintegrating by the end of 1977, by 1978–79, the government, lacking all direction,
was completely paralysed by the constant bickering and infighting in the party both at the
Centre and in the states. Each political component tried to occupy as much political and
administrative space as possible.
In the ideological sphere, the Jan Sangh tried to promote its communal agenda via textbooks
and recruitment to the official media, educational institutions and the police.
The Janata Party remained a coalition of different parties and groups and was a victim of
factionalism, manipulation and personal ambitions of its leaders.

10. HISTORY OF COALITION GOVERNMENT
PERIOD COALITION PRIME MINISTER
1977-1979 JANTA PARTY MORARJI DESAI
1979-1980 JANTA PARTY CHARAN SINGH
1989-1990 NATIONAL FRONT V P SINGH
1990-1991 SAMAJWADI JANTA PARTY CHANDRA SHEKAR
1996-1997 UNITED FRONT H.D DEVEGOWDA
1997-1998 UNITED FRONT I.K GUJRAL
1998-1999 BJP-LED COALITION A.B VAJPAYEE
PARTY IN SUPPORT
CONGRESS PARTY (O)
JANTA (S)
JANTA DAL
JANTA DAL (S)
JANTA DAL
JANTA DAL
B.J.P
1999-2004 NDA A.B VAJPAYEE
2004-2009 UPA-I MANMOHAN SINGH
2009-2014 UPA-II MANMOHAN SINGH
BJP
CONGRESS
CONGRESS

11. REVIVAL OF CONGRESS
In the meantime, the Congress witnessed both a split and a revival. Seeing a lot of congress
leaders turning against her, Indira Gandhi split the party in 1978, with her wing being known as
Congress (I) (for Indira), and the other later as Congress (U).
Thereafter, Indira Gandhi’s political fortunes began to revive and in the February 1978 elections
to state assemblies Congress (I) defeated the Janata.
After having been out of office for thirty -four months, Indira Gandhi was once again the prime
minister and Congress was restored to its old position as the dominant party.
In 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated followed by Rajiv Gandhi reluctantly accepting the
position of next Prime Minister (1984-1989). Despite of various successes, Rajiv Gandhi failed to
win elections in the next slated elections of 1989.

12. DECLINE OF CONGRESS
The defeat of the Congress party in the elections of 1989 marked the end of Congress
dominance over the Indian party system. The nineties show the predominant position of the
Congress was challenged. It did not, however, mean the emergence of any other single party to
fill in its place.
Elections in 1989 led to the defeat of the Congress party but did not result in a majority for any
other party. Though the Congress was the largest party in the Lok Sabha, it did not have a clear
majority and therefore, it decided to sit in the opposition.
The National Front (which itself was an alliance of Janata Dal and some other regional parties)
received support from two diametrically opposite political groups: the BJP and the Left Front. On
this basis, the National Front formed a coalition government, but the BJP and the Left Front did
not join in this government.

13. V P SINGH (1989-1990)AND THE
NATIONAL FRONT
V P Singh had begun to build an anti-Rajiv political bloc. He called leftist and BJP towards his side and maintained
close links with Vajpayee and Advani. A new party called as National Front was formed by him and contested the
elections of 1989.
In the elections of 1989, no single party was able to secure a majority and even though Rajiv Gandhi’s congress
was the single largest party, he stood aside. He made it clear that Congress was not interested in trying to form a
government.
With the left parties and the BJP quickly declaring that they would support a National Front government from the
outside, the stage was set for the second non-Congress government in post-independence India to take office.
V.P. Singh took oath as prime minister on 2 December 1989.
During his tenure, V.P Singh made the most controversial decision of his rule. On 7 August 1990, he announced in
parliament that the report of the Mandal Commission about which we would be studying a different
presentation.
Meanwhile, the BJP had its own agenda to complete., L.K. Advani (1990) embarked on his 6,000-mile-long rath
yatra from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya (to lay the foundation stone for the Ram mandir). The rath yatra,
Advani’s arrest and the firing at Ayodhy a aroused communal passions and the ensuing riots led to many deaths in
North India.
On 5 November, 1990 the Janata Dal split and fifty -eight legislators elected Chandra Shekhar as their leader. On 7
November, the second attempt at running a non-Congress government came to an end after eleven stormy
months. (1990-1991)

14. NARASIMHA RAO (1991-1996)
The short-lived Chandra Shekhar government which took office on 10 November 1990 with the
support of Congress had only one role to perform: to hold the baby till Congress decided it
wanted to go for elections. A pretext was found and support withdrawn on 5 March 1991.
 The elections were announced from 19 May and one round of voting was over when tragedy
struck. Rajiv Gandhi was blown to pieces when a young woman, who came forward to greet him
during his campaigning triggered a bomb that she had strapped to her waist.
Congress won in the elections. Narasimha Rao formed what was initially a minority Congress
government on 21 June, but which gradually achieved a majority and lasted a full five year term.
It was during his tenure only when the infamous babri-masjid demolition took place in 1992.
The next elections took place in 1996 and Congress could not secure many seats giving way to
BJP which was attempting to raise her tally for getting a majority support.

15. BJP LED COALITION
A short-lived BJP government lasted from 16 May to 1 June, but failed to get majority support. This
was followed by a United Front government with H.D. Deve Gowda as prime minister supported by
Congress and the CPM in which the CPI joined as a partner and India got her first Communist Home
Minister in Indrajit Gupta. Congress withdrew support on 30 March 1997, failed to form a
government, and again supported a United Front government, this time with I.K. Gujral as prime
minister. The support was withdrawn again and fresh elections held in February 1998 which led to the
formation of BJP-led government with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as prime minister.
The large number of allies prevented stability , with their competing demands, and ultimately Jay
alalithaa withdrew her AIADMK from the alliance, leading to the government losing the vote of
confidence in April 1999. Efforts to form an alternative Congress or secular coalition government
failed and elections were announced once again. The BJP-led government continued as a caretaker
government till the elections were held in September and October 1999. The election results
improved the tally of the BJP.
A new government was formed with Vajpayee again at the helm.

16. NDA GOVERNMENT (1999-2004)
Under NDA Government, the communal temperature was pushed up by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(VHP), the Bajrang Dal and the RSS, who used state power to fulfil their long-cherished desire of creating
a Hindu Rashtra or nation.
The agitation for the building of the Ram mandir at Ayodhya reached its peak in early 2002,
notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s refusal to allow construction on the disputed site and the
surrounding land.
This agitation had a direct effect on the communal situation in Gujarat, which witnessed what many
observers have called a genocide lasting for close to three months from February 2002.
The ideological agenda of communalization of education was pursued with great vehemence by the RSS
Minister for Human Resource Development, Murli Manohar Joshi.

17. AN ERA OF SCAMS
The NDA received numerous knocks from an almost endless series of scams. The first big one was the
exposé by Tehelka, a news-based Indian website, which laid bare the nexus between arms dealers,
army men and politicians.
It was a sting operation carried out by journalists posing as arms dealers, walking around defence
establishments, and party offices, with suitcases which had cash as well as hidden cameras and tape-
recorders. The video-tapes were aired on a television channel on 13 March 2001, and all hell broke
loose.
 The tapes not only compromised senior army officials, but the president of the BJP, Bangaru Laxman,
who was seen putting away Rs 100,000 into his table drawer.
The president of the Samata Party , Jay a Jaitly , was found accepting a sum of Rs 200,000 at the
official residence of the Defence Minister, George Fernandes. Laxman and Fernandes both had to go.
The government also had to appoint an enquiry committee.
The government’s reputation also suffered because it was widely believed that Tehelka was hounded
thereafter, and its staff and promoters harassed in a variety of way s, including being arrested.

18. UPA GOVERNMENT (UPA I from 2004-
2009 and UPA II from 2009 to 2014)
With the 2004 elections, Congress emerged as the largest party and formed a coalition with
Sonia Gandhi as party president. She named Manmohan Singh former Finance Minister as PM.
Beginning with education, the process of communalization was sought to be reversed. School
textbooks, particularly history books, were sent for review. It also introduced the Communal
Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill in parliament.
At the initiative of the National Advisory Council and with the strong support of Sonia Gandhi, a
national Right to Information (RTI) Act was passed in October 2005. This legislation bestowed on
citizens the right to get information from any public authority within a period of thirty days.
Another measure was the passing of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in
September 2005 under which the government was obliged to provide hundred days of
employment per annum to one member of every poor rural family. Women were guaranteed
one-third of the jobs made available under the NREGA.
The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 was passed. Another radical
measure gave Hindu women inheritance rights in coparcenary property equal to men’s in all the
states.

19. ADVANTAGES OF COALITION GOVERNMENT
The government's operation accommodates a variety of interests. A coalition government is a
vehicle for meeting and addressing the needs of various parties.
The federal fabric of the Indian political system is strengthened by coalition politics. This is
because a coalition administration is more receptive to regional requests.
Despotic control is less possible with a coalition administration. Because the government's
activities are not dominated by a single political party, this is the case. The coalition's members
are all participating in the decision-making process.
A coalition government is made up of a variety of political parties, each having its own ideology
and objectives. On the other hand, government policy necessitates the cooperation of all
coalition partners. As a result, a coalition government encourages political consensus.
India is a vast country with a wide range of interests. Cultures, languages, castes, religions, and
ethnic groupings are all present. This means that the coalition government is more
representational of the electorate and reflects public mood.

20. DISADVANTAGES OF COALITION GOVERNMENT
They're either unstable or on the edge of becoming so. The government is falling apart due to
differences of opinion among coalition members.
The Prime Minister's leadership is a fundamental principle of the parliamentary system of
government. In a coalition government, this principle is constrained because the Prime Minister must
consult with the coalition partners before making key decisions.
Regional leaders participate in national decision-making by bringing regional realities to the fore.
They put pressure on the alliance's central executive to comply with their requests, threatening to
depart if they don’t.
Members of the coalition government refuse to take responsibility for administrative shortcomings
and blunders. To avoid assuming personal and group responsibility, they may conduct blame games.
The smaller constituency of the coalition government could play a "king-maker" role. They demand
more than just parliamentary strength.
The coalition partners' Steering Committee or Coordination Committee serves as a "Super-Cabinet,"
undermining the cabinet's role and position in government operations.

21. THE END