Coalition Government

Meaning

• Derived from Latin 'coalitio-' meaning 'to grow together'.
• Politically, it is an alliance of distinct political parties.
• Occurs when multiple parties join to form a government based on a common agenda.
• Typically arises in parliaments where no single party has a majority.

Features (as summarized by J.C. Johari)

• Formed for reward, material or psychic.
• Requires at least two partners.
• Based on temporary conjunction of specific interests.
• Dynamic; players and groups can dissolve and reform.
• Keynote is compromise; rigid dogma is not suitable.
• Operates on a minimum programme.

Formation

• Congress party had majority till 1967.
• 1969: Split in Congress, minority government continued with support of CPI, DMK, etc.
• 1977: Congress defeated, leading to coalition governments.

Coalition Governments in India (Table 84.1 Summary)

Sl. No.	Period	Coalition	Prime Minister	Partners
1	1977-1979	Janata Party	Morarji Desai	Congress (O), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal, Socialist Party, Congress for Democracy, Chandra Shekhar Group.
2	1979-1980	Janata Party (Secular)	Charan Singh	Janata (S) and Congress (U). Congress (I) supported from outside.
3	1989-1990	National Front	V.P. Singh	Janata Dal, TDP, DMK, AGP and Congress (Socialist). BJP and Left parties supported from outside.
4	1990-1991	Janata Dal (Socialist)	Chandra Shekhar	Janata Dal (S) and Janata Party. Congress (I) supported from outside.
5	1996-1997	United Front	H.D. Deve Gowda	Janata Dal, CPI, Congress (T), DMK, TDP, TMC, AGP, SP and others. Congress and CPM supported from outside.
6	1997-1998	United Front	I.K. Gujral	Janata Dal, CPI, TMC, SP, DMK, AGP, TDP and others. Congress supported from outside.
7	1998-1999	BJP-led Coalition	A.B. Vajpayee	BJP, AIADMK, BJD, Shiv Sena, Lok Shakti, Arunachal Congress, Samata, Akali Dal, PMK, TRC and others.
8	1999-2004	National Democratic Alliance (NDA)	A.B. Vajpayee	BJP, JD (U), Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, BJD, LJP, DMK, PMK, INLD, MDMK, National Conference, Akali Dal, RLD, AGP and others.
9	2004-2009	United Progressive Alliance (UPA)	Manmohan Singh	Congress, NCP, DMK, RJD, LJP, PMK and others. CPI and CPM supported from outside.
10	2009-2014	United Progressive Alliance-II (UPA-II)	Manmohan Singh	Congress, NCP, DMK, Trinamool Congress, National Conference and others.
11	2014-2019	National Democratic Alliance (NDA)	Narendra Modi	BJP, LJP, TDP, Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, Apna Dal (S) and others. TDP left NDA in 2018.
12	2019-till date	National Democratic Alliance (NDA)	Narendra Modi	BJP, Akali Dal, LJP, Shiv Sena and others. Shiv Sena left NDA in 2019 and Akali Dal in 2020.

Merits

1. Accommodation of Diverse Interests:
   • Meets expectations and addresses grievances of different groups.
2. Representation in a Diverse Country:
   • Represents various cultures, languages, castes, religions, and ethnic groups.
   • More representative and reflects popular opinion.
3. Consensus-Based Politics:
   • Governmental policy requires concurrence of all partners.
   • Leads to consensual decision-making.
4. Strengthens Federal Fabric:
   • Sensitive and responsive to regional demands and concerns.
5. Reduces Tyranny:
   • Reduces dominance of a single party.
   • Decisions are more balanced.

Demerits

1. Instability:
   • Differences in opinion can lead to collapse.
2. Curtailed Leadership:
   • Prime Minister is required to consult coalition partners.
3. 'Super-Cabinet':
   • Steering Committee undermines the role of the cabinet.
4. King-Maker Role:
   • Smaller constituents demand more than their strength.
5. Regional Factors:
   • Regional parties bring in regional factors.
   • Pressurize the central executive.
6. Large Council of Ministers:
   • Ministries have to reflect all constituents, leads to problem of distribution of portfolios and coordination.
7. Lack of Responsibility:
   • Members don't assume responsibility for failures, play blame games.