A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election.
A coalition agreement is a negotiated agreement between the parties that constitute a coalition government in multi-party nations.
It codifies the cabinet’s most essential common aims and objectives. It is frequently written by legislative party leaders.
A coalition system’s core basis is the simple fact of temporary convergence of specific interests. Coalition politics is a dynamic affair in which coalition actors and organizations can dissolve and create new ones.
Coalitions are divided into two types: internal coalitions and external coalitions. Internal coalitions are made up of people who already work in an organization, such as a workplace.
Merits of Coalition Government
A coalition government acts as a channel to meet the expectations and redress the grievances of different groups.
India is a highly diversified country. There are different cultures, languages, castes, religions and ethnic groups. This means that the coalition government’s more representative in nature and reflects the popular opinion of the electorate.
A coalition government comprises different political parties having their own ideologies or agendas. But the government policy requires the concurrence of all the coalition partners. Therefore, a coalition government leads to consensus-based politics.
Coalition politics strengthens the federal fabric of the Indian political system. This is because a coalition government is more sensitive and responsive to regional demands
A coalition government reduces the chances of despotic rule. This is due to the reduced domination of a single political party in the functioning of the government. All the members of the coalition participate in the decision making.
Demerits of Coalition Government
Usually, the inherent nature of coalition government is of instability. They are mostly unstable or prone to instability. The difference of opinion among coalition members leads to the collapse of the government
Leadership of the Prime Minister is a principle of parliamentary form of government. This principle is curtailed in a coalition government as the Prime Minister is required to consult the coalition partners before taking any major decisions.
The Steering Committee or the Coordination Committee of the coalition partners acts as the ‘Super-Cabinet’ and thereby it undermines the role and position of the cabinet in the functioning of the government machinery
There is a possibility of the smaller constituents of the coalition government playing the role of a ‘king-maker’. They demand more than strength in the Parliament
The leaders of regional parties bring in the regional facts in the national decision-making. They pressurise the central executive to act on their lines; otherwise, they would threaten to withdraw from the coalition
The members of the coalition governments do not assume responsibility for the administrative failures and lapses. They could play blame games and there by escape from collective and individual responsibilities
History of Coalition Government in India
Post India’s freedom on 15 August 1947, the Indian National Congress, the prominent political party and a key catalyst in the Indian independence movement, ruled the nation. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister and his successor Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Indira Gandhi, the third Prime Minister, were all members of the Congress party.
However, Raj Narain, who lost to Indira Gandhi in Rae Bareilly Lok Sabha election in 1971, lodged a case alleging electoral malpractice. Indira was found guilty in June 1975, and was barred by the High Court from holding public office for 6 years.
Eventually, Mrs Gandhi declared a state of emergency under the pretext of national security. The next general election resulted in the formation of India’s first ever national coalition government with Morarji Desai as then prime minister. It was also the first non-Congress national government.
That government existed from 24 March 1977 to 15 July 1979, headed by the Janata Party, an amalgam of political parties opposed to the emergency imposed between 1975 and 1977. Following dwindling popularity of the Janata Party, Desai had to resign, and his rival Chaudhary Charan Singh became the fifth Prime Minister. Unfortunately, owing to lack of support, his coalition government failed complete its five-year term.
Congress returned to power in 1980 under Indira Gandhi, and later his son Rajiv Gandhi became the sixth Prime Minister. The general election of 1989 once again brought a coalition government under National Front, which lasted until 1991, with two Prime Ministers, the second one being supported by Congress. The 1991 election resulted in a Congress-led stable minority government for five years. The eleventh parliament produced three Prime Ministers in two years and forced the country back to the polls in 1998.
The first successful coalition government in India which completed a whole five-year term was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2004. Then another coalition, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, consisting of 13 separate parties, ruled India for two terms from 2004 to 2014 with Manmohan Singh as PM.
However, in the 16th general election in May 2014, the BJP secured a majority on its own (becoming the first party to do so since the 1984 election), and the National Democratic Alliance came into power, with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.
In 2019, Narendra Modi was re-elected as Prime Minister as the National Democratic Alliance again secured a majority in the 17th general election.
