Coalition Politics
International Research Journal , September 2010 ISSN- 0975-3486 RNI: RAJBIL 2009/30097 VOL I * ISSUE 12
Research Paper
COALITION POLITICS IN INDIA: PROSPECTS & PROBLEMS
September, 2010
* Dr. A.K.Pandey several parties to come together to form a viable government, generally under the premiership of the leader of the largest party involved. In other states, such as the UK, USA and Japan, there are fewer significant political parties and coalitions are rare, as after an election a winning party is able to form an effective government without any help from others. This debate is closely related to issues of voting reform, as countries with some form of proportional representation tend to have more political parties in parliament than those that use a first-past-the-post system, and so are more likely to have coalition governments. India has had coalition governments at the centre as well as in the states since the last two decades. Coalition governments are not a new phenomenon in India. Since 1967, 60 coalition governments have functioned in Indian polity. On an average, these governments lasted for 26 months. However, the communist coalition government in West Bengal has lasted for more than 25 years. In the wake of the decline of Congress Dominance, the fragmentation of the National Party System and the emergence of party systems at the regional level have turned India into a chequered federal chessboard. The past and likely future patterns of coalition governments in India are suggestive of at least three models of power sharing: (a) coalition of more or less equal partners, e.g. the National Front and the United Front, (b) coalition of relatively smaller parties led by a major party, e.g. National Democratic Alliance; and (c) coalition of relatively smaller parties facilitated but not necessarily led by a prime minister from the major party, e.g. the coalition of parties formed in 2004 around the Indian National Congress, avowing secular Indian
Research Paper
COALITION POLITICS IN INDIA: PROSPECTS & PROBLEMS
September, 2010
* Dr. A.K.Pandey several parties to come together to form a viable government, generally under the premiership of the leader of the largest party involved. In other states, such as the UK, USA and Japan, there are fewer significant political parties and coalitions are rare, as after an election a winning party is able to form an effective government without any help from others. This debate is closely related to issues of voting reform, as countries with some form of proportional representation tend to have more political parties in parliament than those that use a first-past-the-post system, and so are more likely to have coalition governments. India has had coalition governments at the centre as well as in the states since the last two decades. Coalition governments are not a new phenomenon in India. Since 1967, 60 coalition governments have functioned in Indian polity. On an average, these governments lasted for 26 months. However, the communist coalition government in West Bengal has lasted for more than 25 years. In the wake of the decline of Congress Dominance, the fragmentation of the National Party System and the emergence of party systems at the regional level have turned India into a chequered federal chessboard. The past and likely future patterns of coalition governments in India are suggestive of at least three models of power sharing: (a) coalition of more or less equal partners, e.g. the National Front and the United Front, (b) coalition of relatively smaller parties led by a major party, e.g. National Democratic Alliance; and (c) coalition of relatively smaller parties facilitated but not necessarily led by a prime minister from the major party, e.g. the coalition of parties formed in 2004 around the Indian National Congress, avowing secular Indian