Rise of Coalition Politics in India

 

Image Courtesy: Medium

Introduction:

Democratic politics in multicultural societies is essentially an exercise in coalition. In the contemporary world, coalition government has become norm in parliamentary democracy. 

Several countries of the world experimented coalition governments like Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Israel, Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Netherland, Japan, Bangladesh, Sri-lanka, India etc. 

Coalition governments have become a regular feature in India both at the center as also in some states. 

India witnessed its first coalition government on 25th October 1946 when Jawaharlal Nehru formed the Indian National Congress (INC) – Muslim League interim government in New Delhi under the shadow of the last British Governor General of India. 

Lord Mountbatten, with the imperial partition of India hovering overhead.

How Coalition Government Works?

This coalition government worked for a brief period of nine months. After independence, the Indian National Congress was the only party which commanded popularity, respect, and mass support of the people in India. 

From 1947 to 1967, the Congress party remained a dominant player in Indian politics, and had monolithic character both at the center as well as in the states (Fadia 2008, p. 817). 

After 1967 general elections, India witnessed a new era in its politics that signified the process of transferring the power, previously concentrated in the Congress system to diverse parties and party coalitions in more than half of the Indian states. 

However Congress continued to be a dominant player at the Union level till 1977 elections when it was voted out of power by non – Congress coalition Known as Janata government.

Emergence of Coalition Government in India:

The process of fragmentation of the national party system and emergence of minority or coalition governments started in India from 1967. This period also marked the emergence of coalitions and also new parties and mergers along with breakup of some parties and absorption of the others.

This began the era of Coalition Politics or Multi party rule in India. The adoption of multi-party system and regionalism changed the center-state relations to a certain extent. 

Participation of many regional parties in the coalition government at the center particularly indicates the significant shift from centralized governance towards shared rule and federal governance.

Coalition Government and Its Impact on Centre State Relationship:

With the increase in the regional parties’ participation the Indian government both at the center and state has led to various changes and impact on Centre- State relation.

The impact of the Coalition government on Centre- State relations can be discussed under the following headings in light of the recent political developments:

1. Office of the Governor:

In the recent times the appointment of the governor has gone through a rough phase due to coalition form of government. Political compulsions to form the government especially at the national level solely guided by the majority gaining political party certainly results in deteriorating Centre- State relations. 

Further also it would make the office of Governor exposed to vulnerabilities of the political pressures. 

For example, recent wholesale removal, transfer and resignations of the Governors of Rajasthan, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Punjab, who were previously appointed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

More particularly the way in which the government of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) dealt with the Governor of Tamil Nadu by getting into a avoidable controversy of a political natures proves beyond any doubt that the politics in India has gone a long way to come within the grips of co-operative federalism.

2. State Autonomy:

The participation of regional parties in the Centre has significantly impacted Indian federal structure. 

The formation of coalition government has resulted to a large extent deviation from the characteristic of Indian federalism with centralizing tendencies. With regional parties emergence the demand for state autonomy has increased drastically.

The participation of regional parties has resulted in unstable, weak government at the center. Every party to the coalition attempts to assert its own geographical, cultural and economic interests in the political process. 

The regional parties emphasized on the development of their region instead of focusing on the development of the nation as a whole.

Conclusion:

It is necessary at this point to note the recent demand of Tamil Nadu to fully give the power generated by a power station located in its state instead of allotting the power to the national grid. 

And share power according to Central Electricity Authority gives a picture of the unusual demand of a regional party which overrides national priority.

Written by: Gopal Prasad

Edited by: Gourav Chowdhury