CHP 12

INDIAN POLITICS: TRENDS & DEVELOPMENTS

Q1. Which were the five major developments that took place towards the late 1980s that made a long lasting
impact on Indian politics?

OR

Describe any three major developments that left a long lasting impact on the politics of India after the death of
Rajiv Gandhi.

Ans: The five developments are as follows:

1) DEFEAT OF THE CONGRESS PARTY IN THE 1989 ELECTIONS

i) Party that had won as many as 415 seats in Lok Sabha elections in 1984 was reduced to 197 seats in the ’89
elections.
ii) This marked the end of the ‘Congress system’.
iii) The Congress improved its performance and came back to power soon in the mid-term elections in 1991, but it
lost the kind of centrality it earlier enjoyed.
iv) 1989 elections also marked the ‘beginning of the era of coalitions’, ‘multi-party system’ and a shift to ‘less
ideological and more pragmatic based politics’.
2) RISE OF THE MANDAL ISSUE IN NATIONAL POLITICS (rise of caste-based politics)
i) The National Front Govt in 1990 implemented the recommendation of the Mandal Commission that 27% jobs
in central govt will be reserved for the OBCs who suffer from social and economic backwardness
ii) This decision sparked violent anti-Mandal protests which came to be known as the ‘Mandal issue’ - Indira
Sawhney vs Union of India Case in the Supreme Court
iii) Initially the opposition parties criticised the manner in which the decision was implemented but now there is
widespread acceptance of social and economic claims of the OBCs by all the political parties.
iv) This period also saw the rise of political organisation of Dalits. The BSP was formed and it won the 1991
elections in UP. Infact in the 1996 United Front govt, parties dominated by Dalits and OBCs played a crucial
role.
3) ECONOMIC POLICY FOLLOWED BY VARIOUS GOVTS
i) Economic policy followed by various govts known as Structural Adjustment Programmes or New Economic
Reforms.
ii) Though these reforms were initiated by Rajiv Gandhi, but the changes first became visible in the 1990s.
iii) According to these changes, India had ‘opened’ up its economy to foreign market.
iv) Although these policies have been criticised by various movements and organisations, but various govts that
have come to power have continued to follow these.
4) BABRI MASJID DEMOLITION/ AYODHYA DISPUTE AND RISE OF BJP (rise of religion-based politics)
i) A number of events culminated which led to the ‘demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992.
ii) The Shah Bano Case in 1985 and the Babri Masjid Demoliiton in 1992 were the two developments that
became central to the rise of BJP as a Hindutva Party.
iii) This triggered various changes in the politics of our country and intensified debates about secularism,
communalism and Indian nationalism.
iv) It posed questions that our country faced immediately after Partition- Was India going to be a country where
the majority religious community dominated the minorities? Or would India continue to offer equal
protection to all Indians irrespective of their religion? Whether religious sentiments would be used or
prohibited for electoral purposes?
5) ASSASINATION OF RAJIV GANDHI IN 1991
i) Finally, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991 led to a change in Congress leadership.
ii) He was assassinated by a Sri Lankan Tamil linked to the LTTE when he was on an election campaign tour in
Tamil Nadu.
 iii) In the elections of 1991, Congress emerged as the single largest party.
iv) Following Rajiv Gandhi’s death, the party chose Narsimha Rao as the Prime Minister.

EACH OF THESE TOPICS MIGHT COME SEPARATELY AS 6 OR 4 MARKERS

THE QUESTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Q2) “Elections in 1989 led to the defeat of the Congress party but did not result in a majority for any other party.”
Comment.

OR

A long phase of coalition politics began in India after the end of the Congress System. Justify and substantiate with
examples.

Ans:

i) The 1989 elections marked the end of the Congress System. Though the congress was the largest party in the
Lok Sabha, it did not have a clear majority and thus it decided to sit in the opposition.
ii) However, the party improved its performance and came back to power soon in the mid-term elections in
1991, but it lost the kind of centrality it earlier enjoyed.
iii) This situation was completely different from the period of 1950s to 1980s when the Congress dominated
electoral politics both at the national and the state level.
iv) Thus in the 1989 elections, not only the Congress but no other party could get majority.
v) The National Front govt that came to power in 1989 was an alliance of the Janata Dal and some other
regional parties which received support from diametrically two opposite political parties- the BJP and the Left
Front. Similarly, the United Front govt that came to power in 1996 was supported by the Congress and the
Left.
vi) However, the UF govt did not succeed for long as the BJP consolidated its position and emerged as the largest
party in the 1996 election.
vii) Since 1989, 11 govts at the centre have been either ‘coalition govts’ or ‘minority govts’ supported by other
parties which did not join the govt.
viii) All these coalition govts were formed with the help of smaller regional parties. Thus, began an era of multi-
party system
ix) While these developments weakened the congress party, they did not enable any single party to replace the
Congress till the victory of the BJP in 2014 elections.

Q3) in the 1990s, there was a shift from ‘ideological to pragmatic based politics’. Justify.

OR

“In the era of coalition politics, political parties are not aligning/ realigning on the basis of ideology.” Justify with
examples.

Ans:

i) With the end of the Congress System began an era of multi-party system.
ii) More and more smaller and regional parties were now coming to power not only at the state level but also
at the national level as no single party could secure a clear majority.
iii) This was opposed to the 1950s or 1960s when ideology played an important role in party policies. For
example, the Congress party believed in the ideology of socialism and secularism, the Communist Party in
the ideology of Socialism.
 iv) However, after the 1989 elections, the National Front govt which came to power was an alliance of the
Janata Dal and some other regional parties which received support from two diametrically opposite
political parties- the BJP and the Left Front, parties that wanted to keep the Congress out of power.
v) Similarly, in 1996, the United Front govt that came to power was supported by the Congress and the Left,
parties that wanted to keep the BJP out of power.
vi) While most parties of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) did not agree with the ‘Hindutva’ ideology
of the BJP, yet they came together to form the NDA govt and remained in power for a full term.
vii) This shows that there has been a shift from ideological differences to more pragmatic considerations and
power-sharing arrangements.

Q4) Describe the emergence of collation governments in India.

Ans: The emergence of coalition govts in India took place in the foll ways:

i) In 1967 elections, the opposition parties realised that the division of votes kept the Congress in power.
This led to the formation of anti-Congress fronts and rise of ‘non-congressism’ in Indian politics. This
brought the opposition together. As a result of it, coalition govts were formed in eight states which
included Punjab, Haryana, UP, MP, Bihar and other states.
ii) Similarly, in the 1977 elections the Janata Party which was an alliance of all non-Congress parties that
were against the ‘emergency’ came to power, although it lacked direction, leadership and a common
programme.
iii) Congress once again came to power in 1980 and 1984 elections. However, by this time the opposition
parties too started to rely on Non-Congressism.
iv) Since the 1989 elections, no single party was able to secure a clear majority. Thus began an era of
colaiiton govts at the Centre in which regional parties played a crucial role in forming ruling alliances.

Q5) What was the Mandal Commission? What were its recommendations? Were they implemented? What were
the consequences of the implementation of the recommendations?

Ans:

i) The Mandal commission appointed by the Centre led by the Janata Party govt in 1978, was officially
known as the Second Backward Classes Commission. The commission is named after its chairman,
Bindeshwari Prasad Mandal.
ii) It was set up to:
a. investigate the extent of educational and social backwardness among various sections of Indian
society and
b. recommend ways of identifying these ‘backward classes’.
iii) The commission gave its recommendations in 1980 when the Janata Party govt had already fallen. Its
recommendations were as follows:
a. ‘backward classes’ should be understood to mean ‘backward castes’, since many castes, other than
the Scheduled Castes, were also treated as low in the caste hierarchy.
b. Since these castes had a very low presence in both educational institutions and in public sector
employment, therefore it recommended reserving 27 per cent of seats in educational institutions
and government jobs for these groups.
c. It also recommended land reforms to improve the conditions of the OBCs.
iv) In August 1990, the National Front government decided to implement one of the recommendations of
the Mandal Commission, i.e., reservations for OBCs in jobs in the central government and its
undertakings.
v) This decision sparked agitations and violent anti-Mandal protests in many cities of north India.
vi) The decision was also challenged in the Supreme Court and came to be known as the ‘Indira Sawhney
case’, after the name of one of the petitioners.
 vii) In November 1992, the Supreme Court gave a ruling upholding the decision of the government.
viii) There were some differences among political parties about the manner of implementation of this
decision. But now the policy of reservation for OBCs has support of all the major political parties of the
country.

Q6) Critically examine the Mandalisation of Indian politics.

Ans:

i) The support for the Congress among many sections of the ‘backward castes’ (OBCs) had declined ever
since the Congress declared the emergency in 1975. This created a space for non-Congress parties to
draw more support from the backward communities.
ii) Parties led by OBCs first found political expression at the national level in the form of the Janata Party
government in 1977 that had set up the Mandal Commission. Many of the constituents of the Janata
Party, like the Bharatiya Kranti Dal and the Samyukta Socialist Party, had a powerful rural base among
some sections of the OBC.
iii) In the 1980s, the decision of the National Front government to implement the recommendations of the
Mandal Commission further helped in shaping Mandalisation of Indian politics.
iv) The intense national debate for and against reservation in jobs made people from the OBC communities
more aware of this identity.
v) Thus, it helped those who wanted to mobilise these groups in politics.
vi) This period saw the emergence of many parties that demanded better opportunities for OBCs in
education and employment and also raised the question of the share of power enjoyed by the OBCs.
vii) These parties claimed that since OBCs constituted a large segment of Indian society, it was only
democratic that the OBCs should get adequate representation in administration.
viii) Though there were some differences among political parties about the manner of implementation of this
decision. But now the policy of reservation for OBCs has support of all the major political parties of the
country.

Q7) Trace the emergence of BJP as a significant force in post-Emergency politics.

Ans:

i) After the fall of the Janata Party and its break-up, the supporters of erstwhile Jana Sangh formed the
Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) in 1980.
ii) Initially, the BJP adopted a broader political platform, and embraced ‘Gandhian Socialism’ as its ideology
than that of the Jana Sangh to gain support from more sections of people. But it did not get much success
in the elections held in 1980 and 1984. It won only two seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections.
iii) After 1986, the party began to emphasise the Hindu nationalist element in its ideology. The BJP pursued
the politics of ‘Hindutva’ and adopted the strategy of mobilising the Hindus.
iv) Two developments around 1986 became central to the politics of BJP as a ‘Hindutva’ party. In 1985
following the Shah Bano Case and the orders of the Supreme Court, the govt passed the Muslim Women
(Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 on the demand of some Muslim leaders.
v) The BJP criticised this action of the Congress government as an unnecessary concession and
‘appeasement’ of the minority community.
vi) At the same time, Ayodhya issue was made by the BJP as its major electoral and political plank. The BJP,
in order to generate public support, took out a massive march called the Rathyatra from Somnath in
Gujarat to Ayodhya in UP.
vii) As a result of above events, the BJP was able to consolidate its position in the 1989 and 1996 elections. It
was the largest party in the 96 elections.
 viii) Thus, from winning two seats in 1984, the party led the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) govt in 1999
under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and in the 2014 elections under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the party
secured an overwhelming majority of people’s votes.

Q8) Describe what is meant by Hindutva?

Ans:

i) Hindutva literally means ‘Hinduness’ and was defined by its originator, V. D. Savarkar, as the basis of
Indian (in his language also Hindu) nationhood.
ii) It basically meant that to be members of the Indian nation, everyone must not only accept India as their
‘fatherland’ (pitrubhu) but also as their holy land (punyabhu).
iii) Believers of ‘Hindutva’ argue that a strong nation can be built only on the basis of a strong and united
national culture.
iv) They also believe that in the case of India the Hindu culture alone can provide this base.

Q9) Discuss the two developments that became central to the politics of BJP as a Hindutva Party.

Ans: Two developments around 1986 that became central to the politics of BJP as a ‘Hindutva’ party are:

i) The Shah Bano case in 1985-

a. In this case a 62-year old divorced Muslim woman, had filed a case for maintenance from her former
husband. The Supreme Court ruled in her favour.
b. However, the orthodox Muslims saw the Supreme Court’s order as an interference in Muslim Personal Law.
c. And on the demand of some Muslim leaders, the government passed the Muslim Women (Protection of
Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 that nullified the Supreme Court’s judgment.
d. This action of the government was opposed by many women’s organisations, many Muslim groups and most
of the intellectuals.
e. The BJP criticised this action of the Congress government as an unnecessary concession and ‘appeasement’ of
the minority community.

ii) The Ayodhya Dispute and the Babri Masjid Demoliiton in 1992-
a. As soon as the locks of the Babri Masjid were opened, many Hindu and Muslim organisations tried to mobilise
their communities on this question.
b. The BJP made this issue its major electoral and political plank.
c. Along with many other organisations like the RSS and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the BJP took out a
massive march called the Rathyatra from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya in UP, in order to generate public
support.
d. Thousands of Karsevaks gathered from all over the country at Ayodhya on 6 December 1992 and demolished
the mosque.
e. This event symbolised and triggered various changes in the politics of the country and intensified debates
about the nature of Indian nationalism and secularism.

Q10) What were the consequences of the Ayodhya dispute and the Babri Masjid demolition in December 1992?

Ans: the effects were as follows:

i) Clashes between the Hindu Muslim communities erupted in many parts of the country including the
violence in Mumbai in 1993.
ii) The BJP govt in UP was dismissed.
 iii) A case for contempt of court was registered against the Chief Minister
iv) The central govt appointed a Commission of Inquiry.

Q11) What was the position of the BJP in 1996 elections in the Lok Sabha? Why its govt could not secure support of
the majority in the Lok Sabha?

Ans:

i) The BJP emerged as the largest party in the 1996 election and was invited to form the government.
ii) But most other parties were opposed to its policies and therefore, the BJP government could not secure a
majority in the Lok Sabha.
iii) It came to power at the Centre by leading a coalition govt from May 1998 to June 1999 and was re-
elected in October 1999 and this government completed its full term.

Q12) Describe any two advantages and two disadvantages of coalition govt in India.

Ans:

(A) Advantages:
i) It eliminates the fear of one party dictatorship
ii) Different groups and regions get due representation in the govt due to various regional and smaller
political parties
(B) Disadvantages:
i) Leads to instability of the govt because the withdrawal of support by any political party may lead to
the fall of the govt
ii) The Prime Minister or the govt remain under pressure from its partners on various policy matters.

Q13) Write a short note on the BAMCEF.

Ans:

i) BAMCEF or the Backward and Minority Classes Employees Federation was formed in 1978.
ii) It was not an ordinary trade union of government employees.
iii) It took a strong position in favour of giving political power to the OBCs and minorities.
iv) It was out of the BAMCEF that the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti and later the Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) emerged under the leadership of Kanshi Ram.

Q14) Write a note on Bahujan Samaj Party with special reference to its emergence as a major political player in UP.

Ans:

i) It was out of the BAMCEF that the Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti and later the Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) emerged under the leadership of Kanshi Ram.
ii) The party got more support from Dalit voters in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
iii) BSP was envisaged as an organisation based on pragmatic politics.
iv) It derived confidence from the fact that the Bahujans (SC, ST, OBC and religious minorities) constituted
the majority of the population, and therefore, they were a formidable political force on the strength of
their numbers.
v) In the 1989 and the 1991 elections, it achieved a breakthrough in Uttar Pradesh. This was the first time in
independent India that a political party supported mainly by Dalit voters had achieved this kind of
political success.
 vi) Since then the BSP has emerged as a major political player in the State and has been in government on
more than one occasion.

Q15) Many people think that a two-party system is required for successful democracy. Drawing from India’s
experience of last twenty years, write an essay on what advantages the present party system in India has.

Ans:

i) It is a fact that many people think that a two-party system is required for successful democracy as it is
prevalent in England and USA. It is called a bi-party system or two-party system. Under this, one party
forms the govt by securing majority and the other party functions as an opposition party.
ii) But it does not mean that multi-party system as it exists in India and some other countries is bad or
unsuccessful.
iii) In India, in the beginning there was dominance of Congress at the Centre and the states. However, the
situation changed in 1967 when some political parties came to power in some states.
iv) Congress, however, achieved its dominance under Indira Gandhi but ultimately an era of coalition politics
and multi-party system began in 1989. This system appears to be messy and leads to instability.
v) But the party system is not something that any country can choose. It evolves over a long time,
depending on the nature of society, its social and regional divisions, its history of politics and its system of
elections.
vi) India has evolved a multi-party system due to its social and geographical diversities which can be
absorbed by multi-party system.
vii) Not only this, multi-party system has allowed a variety of interests and opinions to have political
representation. The example is formation of various parties, i.e., Akali Dal for Akalis or the BSP for the
Bahujan Samaj. This has, infact, strengthened democracy in India.

Q16) How far is it correct to say that coalition govts in India have helped in achieving some consensus?

Ans: the coalition govts in India have helped in achieving consensus. This consensus consists of four elements as
mentioned below:

i) New economic policies: Most of the political parties support the new economic policies which are
followed since 1991. The parties believe that these polices would lead the country to prosperity and a
status of economic power in the world.
ii) Acceptance of the political and social claims of backward castes: All pol parties support the social and
political claims of the backward castes need to be accepted. They support reservation of seats for the
‘backward classes’ in education and employment. They are also willing to ensure that the OBCs get
adequate share of power.
iii) Role of State level parties in governance of the country: It has been recognised that the state level or
regional parties play an important role in the governance of the country. No govt at the centre can be
formed without their support because no single party has won majority of seats in the Lok Sabha since
1989.
iv) Emphasis on pragmatic considerations rather than ideological positions: Coalition politics has shifted the
focus of pol parties from ideological differences to power sharing arrangements. Thus, for ex, most
parties of the NDA did not agree with the ‘Hindutva’ ideology of the BJP. Yet, they came together to form
a government and remained in power for a full term.

Q17) Describe the nature of govts formed at the Centre since 1989.

Ans:

i) There have been ten govts at the Centre since 1989. All of these govts have either been coalition govts or
minority govts supported by other parties which did not join the govt.
 ii) In this phase, govts were formed only with the support of many regional parties.
iii) This applied to the National Front (1989) United Front (1996), NDA(1997), BJP-led coalition govt(1998),
NDA (1999), UPA govt (2004 and 2009), and at present NDA govt (2014).

Q1) Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:

Party politics in India has confronted numerous challenges. Not only has the Congress system destroyed itself, but
the fragmentation of the Congress coalition has triggered a new emphasis on self-representation which raises
questions about the party system and its capacity to accommodate diverse interests, …. . An important test facing
the polity is to evolve a party system or political parties that can effectively articulate and aggregate a variety of
interests. — ZOYA HASAN

(a) Write a short note on what the author calls challenges of the party system in the light of what you have
read in this chapter.

Ans: the challenges of the party system are as follows:

i) dominance of Congress till 1989

ii) era of coalitions or multi-party system
iii) emergence of powerful parties to represent the Dalits and OBCs
iv) role of regional parties in national politics
v) coalitions on the basis of pragmatic politics rather than on ideological base

(b) Given an example from this chapter of the lack of accommodation and aggregation mentioned in this
passage.

Ans: the party system in India lacks capacity to accommodate diverse interests. There was a time when the
Congress represented diverse groups and ideologies. It represented India’s diversity in terms of classes, castes,
religions and languages and various interests. Now with the end of Congress dominance, different parties have
come up. These parties represent Dalits and backward classes and regional interests. Various sections had left the
Congress and formed separate parties of their own since the late 1960s.

(c) Why is it necessary for parties to accommodate and aggregate variety of interests?

Ans: It is necessary for parties to accommodate and aggregate variety of interests for the success of democracy
otherwise new parties will be formed by new groups of people and people will be divided on the basis of caste,
region and religion. This will lead to ore differences among the political parties. Parties will become more
opportunist and form govts on power-sharing basis rather than on the basis of ideology.

Q2) Read the pictorial and answer the questions that follow:
Q) Interpret

Ans: From above, the foll conclusions can be drawn:

i) Bjp and Congress were engaged in tough competition. No party has secured majority of seats alone since
1989. However, Congress has secured more seats in the lections of 1989, 1991, 2004 and 2009.
ii) Since 1989, the percentage of votes secured by Congress has declined and that of BJP has increased but
even then it has been getting more votes than the BJP
iii) In the 2004 elections, Congress formed coalition govt with the help of Left Front parties known as the
UPA govt. These elections signified the ‘partial revival of the Congress party.’ It could increase its seats
for the first time since 1991. And the party still continues to influence the politics of the country.
ZOOM THE IMAGE AND RELATE THE PLACARDS THEY’RE HOLDING TO THEIR NAMES
GIVEN BELOW
Leadres names- Bottom Row
i. Rajiv Gandhi – Sadbhavana Yatra-
ii. Mandal- V.P.Singh- implemented Mandal Comm recommendations
iii. Rath Yatra- L.K.Advani- from Gujarat to Ayodhya- Babri Masjid Demoiliton
iv. Beside L.K.Advani (Zindabad)- Devi Lal, CM from Haryana and deputy PM in v.P.Singh’s govt
v. Viva Mandal- Karunanidhi
Above Row
vi. Vendetta Express- Jyoti Basu. CM of West Bengal for 20 years
vii. V.P.Hatao- Chandrashekhar
viii. ????- N T Rama Rao
ix. Up!Up!Ulfa!- P.K.Mahanta- belongs to Asom Gana Parishad
Ans 1. This is a coalition govt. National Front govt led by V.P.Singh was supported by the Left- represented
by Jyoti Basu as well as the BJP represented by L.KAdvani
Ans 2. Advantages:
i. It eliminates the fear of one-party dictatorship/ dominance.
ii. Different groups and regions get due representation in the govt due to participation by various
regional and smaller political parties.
Disadvantages:
i. It leads to instability of the govt because withdrawal of support by any pol party may lead to the fall
of the govt
ii. The prime minister or the govt remains under pressure from its partners on various policy matters.
Ans 3. 1989
Ans 4. Support from outside means these parties did not join the govt , instead they supported the govt from
outside. It was a puppet govt. it could remain in office only for a year and once the support was withdrawn,
the govt fell.
Questions related to UNITED FRONT GOVT will come. 1996 Elections.
INITIALLY THE CONGRESS PARTY SUPPORTED THE UNITED FRONT GOVT BUT LATER
WITHDREW ITS SUPPORT. THE UNITED FRONT COALITION GOVT WAS SUPPORTED BY BOTH
THE CONGRESS AND THE LEFT PARTIES TO KEEP THE BJP OUT OF POWER.

Q) What does this event refer to?

Ans:
a) The event refers to the economic policy followed by the various governments which took a radically
different turn after 1991.
b) This is known as the initiation of the structural adjustment programme or the new economic reforms.
c) Started by Rajiv Gandhi, these changes first became very visible in 1991 and radically changed the
Indian economy since Independence.
d) These policies have been widely criticised by various movements and organisations. But the various
governments that came to power in this period have continued to follow these.
In earlier times (1947- till the split in the Congress party), it was the Congress party itself that was a
‘coalition’ of different interests and different social strata and groups. This gave rise to the term ‘Congress
system’.
But since the late 1960s, various sections had been leaving the Congress fold and forming separate political
parties of their own. Many regional parties rose in the period after 1977. Thus, began an era of multi-party
system or coalition governments. While these developments weakened the Congress party, they did not
enable any single party to replace the Congress.

INTERPRET THE PICTORIAL

The pictorial indicates that all the persons have been Prime Ministers in India at one point or another, leading
coalition governments, which begun since the end of the Congress system in the 1989 elections. There have
been nine governments at the Centre, all of which have either been coalition governments or minority
governments supported by other parties, which did not join the government. These were shaky governments.
That is why, the cartoon raises the question of survival of the govt. In this new phase, any government
could be formed only with the participation or support of regional parties. This applied to the National Front
in 1989, the United Front in 1996 and 1997, the NDA in 1997, BJP-led coalition in 1998, NDA in 1999 and
the UPA in 2004.

Sub-Unit: ‘NDA III & IV’

The Bharatiya Janata Party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi got an absolute
majority in the Lok Sabha elections held in May 2014 and after nearly 30 years in
Indian politics, a strong government with an absolute majority was established at
the Centre. Though called NDA III, the BJP-led coalition of 2014 was largely
different its predecessor coalition governments. Where the previous coalitions were
led by one of the national parties, the NDA III coalition was not only steered by a
national party, i.e., BJP it was also dominated by BJP with an absolute majority of
its own in Lok Sabha. It was also called a ‘surplus majority coalition’. In that sense
a major transformation could be seen in the nature of coalition politics which could
be seen from one party led coalition to one party dominated coalition.

The 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the 17 th since independence, once again brought
back BJP led NDA [NDA IV] to the centre of power by winning more than 350
seats out of
543. The BJP on its own won 303 seats in Lok Sabha, the biggest number any
single party has won in the lower house since 1985 when Congress swept the
elections in the aftermath of Mrs Indira
Gandhi’s assassination. Based on the tumultuous success of the BJP in 2019, Social
Scientists have started equating the contemporary party system with the ‘BJP
System’ where an era of one-party dominance, like the ‘Congress System’ has once
again started appearing on the democratic politics of India.
 Sub-Unit: ‘Issues of Development and Governance’

A major change in Indian politics after 2014 is the shift from caste
and religion based politics to development and governance oriented
politics. With its pre-intended goal Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, the
NDA III Government started several socio-economic welfare
schemes to make development and governance accessible to the
masses such as
– Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Jan-
Dhan Yojana, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Kisan Fasal
Bima Yojna, Beti Padhao, Desh Badhao, Ayushman Bharat
Yojana,etc.

All these schemes intended to take administration to the doorstep of the

common man by making the rural households, particularly the women,
real beneficiaries of the Central Government schemes. The success of
these schemes could be seen from the results of 2019 Lok Sabha
elections where the voters across states – castes, classes, communities,
gender and regions brought back the issues of development and
governance to the centre stage under the BJP led NDA Government
characterizing the current change with ‘Sabka Saath, SabkaVikas and
Sabka Vishwas’.

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