Coalition Government in India

By Dhruv Kumar|Updated : June 23rd, 2020

The term coalition is derived from the Latin word 'coalition', means 'to grow together'A coalition government is formed when more two or more political parties come together to form the Government. Parties generally decide to form a coalition government if there is a hung parliament where no single party has a clear working majority in the House to form the Government.

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Features of Coalition Government

  1. Coalition governments are formed for the purpose of reward, material or psychic.
  2. Coalition politics is not static, but a dynamic affair as the coalition groups dissolves as their purpose is solved or they have new interests and form new coalitions.
  3. Pragmatism and not ideology is the symbol of coalition politics. In coalition governments for making political adjustments, principals may have to be set aside.
  4. The purpose of the formation of the coalition government is to seize power.

There are two types of the coalition:

  1. Pre Poll coalition
  2. Post Poll coalition

The pre-poll coalition is advantageous as it provides a common platform to the political parties in order to seek the favour of people on the basis of a joint manifesto.

Formation of Coalition Government at Centre

S. no

YearCoalition PartiesPrime Minister and PartyCoalition

1

1977– 1979

Congress (O), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal, Socialist Party, Congress for Democracy, Chandra Shekhar Group (former congressmen) and others

Morarji Desai (Congress (O))

Janata Party

2

1979– 1980

Janata (S) and Congress (U). Congress (I) supported from outside

Charan Singh (Janata(S)) 

Janata Party (Secular) 

3

1989– 1990 

Janata Dal, TDP, DMK, AGP and Congress (Socialist) BJP and Left parties supported from outside.

V.P. Singh (Janata Dal) 

National Front

4

1990– 1991 

Janata Dal (S) and Janata Party. Congress (I) supported from outside

Chandra Shekhar (Janata Dal (S) or Samajwadi Janata Party)

Janata Dal (Socialist) or Samajwadi Janata Party

5

1996– 1997

Janata Dal, CPI, Congress (T), DMK, TDP, TMC, AGP, S.P. and others. Congress and CPM supported from outside.

H.D. Deve Gowda (Janata Dal)

United Front 

6

1997– 1998

Janata Dal, CPI, TMC, S.P., DMK, AGP, TDP and others. Congress supported from outside

I.K. Gujral (Janata Dal)

United Front 

7

1998– 1999

BJP, J.D. (U), 2004 Democratic Alliance (NDA) (BJP) Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, BJD, LJP, DMK, PMK, INLD, MDMK, National Conference, Akali Dal, RLD, AGP and others. 

A.B. Vajpayee (BJP)

BJP-led Coalition 

8

1999– 2004

BJP, J.D. (U), 2004 Democratic Alliance (NDA) (BJP) Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, BJD, LJP, DMK, PMK, INLD, MDMK, National Conference, Akali Dal, RLD, AGP and others. 

A.B. Vajpayee

(BJP) 

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) 

9

2004– 2009

Congress, NCP, DMK, RJD, LJP, PMK and others. CPI and CPM supported from outside. 

Manmohan Singh (Congress) 

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) 

10

2009– 2014 

Congress, NCP, DMK, Trinamool Congress, National Conference and others

Manmohan Singh (Congress) 

United Progressive Alliance-II (UPA-II)

11

2014– 2019 

BJP, LJP, TDP, Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, Apna Dal (S) and others. TDP left NDA in 2018

Narendra Modi (BJP) 

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) 

12

2019- to date

BJP, Akali Dal, LJP, and others. Shiv Sena left NDA in November 2019.

Narendra Modi (BJP) 

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) 

Merits

  1. Consensus or majority based decisions are taken in the coalition government.
  2. Regional aspirations are fulfilled or considered.
  3. The Government formed by coalition favours nationalism and lowers regionalism.
  4. It lowers tyranny of Government.
  5. The Government formed ina coalition is a more responsible government.

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Demerits

  1. The Government formed in the coalition government is an unstable government.
  2. The time-consuming process of decision making.
  1. In the coalition government, sometimes National interests are kept aside for accomplishing regional interest. 
  2. Generally, appeasement policies are made in coalition government rather developmental policy.

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