Outline tline • • • • • • • •
Co Coalition alition Pol olitics itics
Objective of the coalition politics To understand the characteristics of coalition governments. To understand the concept, rationale and desirability of coalition governments. To analyze the efficacy of coalition governments in general and their performance. To suggest certain remedies and guidelines for the better functioning of coalition governments.
Types of Coalitions Electoral Alliances. Coalition Governments. Grand Coalitions. Governments of National Unity. Legislative Coalitions.
Key Concept for Coalition buildings Opportunities and Risks. Context Matters. The four C’s : Communication, Consultation, Consensus and Compromise. The Five Steps .
Opportunities of coalition politics By combining forces & resources with others, parties can increase their influences and accomplish goals they could not achieve on their own. Parties can broaden their appeal and increase their vote by combining forces with others. This may create opportunities to secure legislative seats, form a govt. and achieve other specific political goals. They can provide opportunities to manage cleavage's (e.g, ethnic, religious) and broaden participation in govt. By sharing resources – e.g., money, people – parties can mitigate each other’s weaknesses and benefit from partner strengths.
Cont…. The public may see coalition-building as an admirable effort to consider other points of view and seek compromise. Coalition members can learn from each other and thus strengthen their individual organizations based on those experiences. The public may associate individual parties with coalition successes, helping to increase support.
Risks of coalition politics To find common ground with partners, each party must compromise on its priorities and principles, and cede some control. Parties lose some control over messaging and decision-making, and may find it difficult to maintain a distinct profile that distinguishes them from their coalition partners.
Cont……. The public may feel that party leaders have abandoned their principles to enjoy the spoils of power. The public may associate individual parties with controversial/unpopular coalition policies, thus weakening party support in subsequent elections. The need to consult and reach agreement among coalition partners can make government decision-making more complex and/or slower.
Cont……. Poor communication within individual parties on coalition goals, objectives and benefits can fuel intraparty tensions/divisions. Grand coalitions or coalitions with an overwhelming majority can weaken or marginalize democratic opposition groups.
Push and pull effects on politics Push – these factors represent the reasons why a group of people within a parent party repel or separate to form an independent party. Such a situation creates possibility of coalition in future. Pull- these are the factors that attracts various parties to come together to form a coalition
Some of the push factors Loss of trust and inability to represent the diversity of India. Failure of recognition of talent within the dominant party. If dominant party encompasses various political views within itself. To protect the national interest.
Some of the pull factors Formation of a Common Minimum Program which accommodates the views and ideologies of the various parties forming coalition. Opportunity for regional party to win office for their members Opportunities for regional parties to influence the policies to serve their region. Important strategy to deter other strong political party from rising to power. To get consensus in rajya sabha, tendency to form coalition at state level.
Coalition Politics in India - National level
1977-79 • First coalition government • The formation of the first Janata Party government at the Centre under the prime-ministership of Morarji Desai • Jana Sangh, the Congress (O) the Bhartiya Lok Dal and the Socialist Party- came together to contest the election with a common symbol and manifesto. • In this phase of Indian political system, bargaining politics reigned supreme replacing the characteristic collective leadership of pre- 1977 era
1979-80 • Janata party suffered a split and in its place Lok Dal became the ruling party • A new coalition government was formed with Charan Singh as the Prime Minister • However, this government also failed remain in power for more than six months • Ended the first era of coalition experiment • Single party dominance re emerged during the period from 1980-89.
1989- 90 National Front = the Jana Morcha +Janata party+ Lok Dal • Inefficiency and instability due to the presence of strong differences among its partners • dependence on the BJP and the left.
1991-1996 • In June 1991, a minority government of the Congress • it was in a position to hold power up to 1996
1996-98 • BJP emerged as the single largest party • Government could last for only 13days • United Front formed its government • The CPI joined this government • CPM - outside support • Lasted for about a year
1996-98 • The Second United Front government was again a coalition government • dependent upon the Congress support. • It could work smoothly for only six months and after the withdrawal of support by the congress in November 1998, it became a caretaker government.
1999 • 13 constituent parties at the time of its formation in May 1998 • By April 1999, there developed serious differences between it and the AIADMK. • withdraw its support.
1999-2004 • 1999, the NDA government the BJP-led NDA government under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee • This coalition was a coalition of too many parties and factions of parent parties. • They had all stronger state agendas and no national agendas. • The BJP which led NDA government resolved many conflicts amicably • NDA succeeded in maintaining stability. • NDA set the trend of successful running of a coalition.
2004-2014 • UPA was formed soon after the 14 th Lok Sabha elections in 2004. • This alliance is given the external support from the left front consisting of the four main leftist parties.
2014 onwards • NDA Government Was Formed Under The Prime Ministership Of Sh. Narendra Modi • Bharatiya Janata Party, The largest party, which forms the bulwark of the NDA,won a staggering 282 seats.
State Experience
Pseudo Timeline
State Important Experiences Outstanding Feature 1950s onwards but early 1980s these two coalitions Communist Party of India(Marxist)- Kerala have alternated in government led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Indian National Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) since late 1970s are 2 coalition fronts JP movement emergency 1967 onwards, Karpuri Thakur CM Bihar Fractured mandate leading to early Last 30 yrs – mostly coalitions – (RJD + INC) (JDU + elections BSP) (RJD + JDU et.al.) 6/16 Assembly elections – coalitions 1967 onwards, Raj Narain Singh (Samyukta Vidhayak It paved the way for coalitions at Uttar Pradesh Dal); Charan Singh first non Cong CM; centre & abuse of art 356 started. Second phase – 90s onwards: post Babri Masjid era Defections & counter defections Last 7/15 yrs coalition 9/16 Assembly elections - coalitions Punjab Post 1966 reorganization led to coalition politics with Last 10 yrs BJP + SAD SAD, BJP, INC, BSP etc 1971 onwards - Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo CM BJD & BJP since last 10 yrs Odisha Swatantra Party & Orissa Jana Congress 1980s onwards – Ramkrishna Hegde CM 3/14 Assembly elections - coalitions Karnataka 1995 onwards – Shiv Sena + BJP From 1999 until 2014, the NCP and Maharastra INC formed one coalition while Shiv Sena and the BJP formed
UPA-1 CASE IN POINT
START OF AN ALLIANCE
PARTNERS AND NUMBERS Congress and allies: 275 Indian National Congress: 145 Samajwadi Party: 39 Rashtriya Janata Dal: 21 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam: 16 Nationalist Congress Party: 9 Kerala Congress: 2 Pattali Makkal Katchi: 6 Telangana Rashtra Samithi: 5 Jharkhand Mukti Morcha: 5 Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam: 4 Lok Jan Shakti Party: 3 Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party: 1Republican Party of India: 1 Muslim League: 1
OUTSIDE SUPPORT • CPI (Marxist), • CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party(RSP) • All IndiaForward Block (AIFB) TOTAL 59 MPs
AN INFORMAL PREPOLL ALLIANCE UPA was formed soon after the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. However, aninformal alliance had existed prior to the elections as several of the current constituentparties had developed seat- sharing agreements in many states. Initially, the proposedname for the alliance was ‘ Secular Progressive Alliance
CRITICS UPA’s fragile coalition is in a way a MOCKERY because the parties do not agree on fundamental issues such as economicreforms.
SOLUTION- PLACATING TACTICS • Common Minimum Programme (CMP) • MANY POINTS OF CPI AND LEFT PARTIES INCLUDED
PROBLEMS FACED
SCAMS
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