Monday 21 April 2014

Coalition politics and india in a backdrop of 16th lok sabha election



The 16th lok sabha election will be held in 9 phases in 29 states and 7 union territories of india. There are total 543 seats in lok sabha election  .the magic figure for formation of a government is 272. There are more than 600 political parties contesting in the 16th lok sabha. The major two national based party are  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and National congress. There are too many regional political parties  across the country like Trinamool Congress , All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) , Janata Dal (United),  Biju Janata Dal (BJD), YSR Congress , Rashtriya Janata Dal , Telugu Desam Party , Telangana Rashtra Samithi , Communist party of India (Marxist) CPI(M), CPI , RSP, FORWARD BLOC, Aam Admi Party  and etc.
There are many parties in the country those who are not contesting in the election but they are supporting the other candidate like in the constituent of Darjeeling  Gorkha Janamukti Morcha is supporting the candidate of  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).There are two types of coalition politics are formed one is post coalition politics and the other
one is pre coalition politics.
FEATURES OF COALITION POLITICS

The following are the features of coalition politics in India particularly since 1986.

1. It has been quite evident that today no single national level party is in a position to get a majority in elections and to form a government, at the centre it is expected that national level political parties will now become increasingly depended on the other political parties to form a central government.
2. Coalitions with regional parties. It also appears that in future pre poll alliance will be made after the election results only limited political changes will be made in these.
3. Since a coalition government is formed on the basis of a mutually agreed common programme and it sustains itself through consensus decision making. The role of political of consensus will gain strength in the Indian politics.
4. It is now also certain that in every coalition government. The leadership role will fall in the hands of the single largest constituent of the coalition alliance.
5. Three distinct alliance groups appears to be emerging in Indian politics BJP led alliance, congress led alliance and left front alliance.

                  

Coalition politics has tended to make the working of the Indian political system in general and the parliamentary system of governance in particular more complex problematic and even fluid. It can strengthen the demand for the incorporation of at least some features of the presidential system in the Indian parliamentary system of governance. With all of the above mentioned features and emerging trends the era of coalition politics has really open in the Indian political system. After having worked through a one party dominant party system the Indian political system is currently working through a system of coalition politics under which several political parties are simultaneously sharing power both at the centre and state levels. Contemporary India has today undergone a complex and tortuous political transition. The demise of the one party dominance system has given birth to an era of coalition with the decline of the congress and in the absence of a national alternative having a countrywide spread it was logical for the people to repose faith in different parties and groups some confined to region. For the last couple of decades the Indian political landscape has been dominated by coalition politics.


The above analysis of coalition governments at the centre clearly reflects that the hung parliaments became the norm of the India because of fragmentation in political parties have demonstrated a shocking lack of ability to create enduring coalitions. Indian democratic politics so far has been lacking in the talent and culture of coalition making and coalition maintaining however, NDA and UPA experience in coalition governance with two major national parties BJP and congress leading it alternatively has gradually helped in building up a coalition culture. However coalitions have still a long way to go in as far as India is concerned. Since there is a coalition pattern at all India level and state level increasing role of regional parties and social groups gave birth to coalition governments in India.


Sayantan Duttagupta
M.Sc Media P.G 1

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