Summary Pointers

Unit IV: Political Process

Topic: Changing Trends in Party System
MacIver defined a political party as an association organized in support of some principle or
policy, which by constitutional means, endeavors to make the determinant of the government.
Parties have been categorized in different ways by different scholars. Based on their structure
and functions, Maurice Duverger classifies parties into four kinds: Caucus, Branch, Cell, and
Militia.
The party system refers to a complex social and political process that explores the intricate
pattern of interactions and interrelationships among political groups and organizations, societal
associations and individual leaders.
Based on the numerical strength of political parties competing for political power in any
country, party system is classified into one-party system, two-party system, and multi-party
system. Single political party acquires the monopoly of power in one party system and becomes
permanently part of the government. It enjoys close proximity with the state administration.
Two-party system is marked by dominant presence of two parties that virtually run all the
political show in that country, for example, United States of America, United Kingdom in the
past. In multiparty system, many parties across the spectrum compete for winning elections
and getting control of government offices. However, none of these classifications could capture
the unique character of the Indian party system.
Though India adopted the multiparty system but, initially, Indian politics reflected the
predominance of the Congress party. This enabled it to enjoy larger than life share in the
electoral politics, which can be basically attributed to its legacy of anti-colonial movement.
Paul Brass states that party politics in India display numerous paradoxical features, which
reveal the blending of western and modern forms of bureaucratic organization and participatory
politics with indigenous practices and institutions.
As India celebrates 75 years of independence, we assess the role of political parties in shaping
the country’s democracy in this rapidly changing political landscape. Modern democracies are
unimaginable without the political parties as they serve as the nerve centre linking citizens and
the State in three critical domains—as channels of voicing individual grievances, vehicles of
political ambitions, and platforms for interest groups to forge political settlements.
Nature and Legacy of the Indian Party System
The rise of nationalism in India in the 19th century served as the backdrop for the emergence
of a political party. The British colonial rule produced enormous resistance and resentment
among Indians. This acrimony resulted in the development of feelings of nationalism and the
construction of the imagination of India as a nation. It also helped the country to consolidate
itself as a unified political entity. In 1885, an association of middle-class professionals along
with Allan Octavian Hume, created the Indian National Congress (INC). It is the oldest political
party in India and one of the oldest parties in the world. By presenting Indian interests to the
British Crown in a systematic and organized manner, the INC soon became a leading voice of
the Indian middle class, constantly clamouring for more jobs under the colonial government
and for greater political participation.
The contribution of the INC to the independence movement and in shaping the political system
in the post-independence period has been seminal. It acted as the core of nationalistic assertion.
This umbrella organization provided a national platform for all kinds of forces to unite against
the colonizers. Even in the post-independent era, Congress has been able to harmonize easily
its basic elements of leadership with national appeal and acceptability, a pan-Indian ideology
with recognition and accommodation of local and regional spirit and district-level cadre.
The evolution of the Party System in India
Political parties do have their own organisational life, but they are also nested in party systems.
They are components or ‘parts’ of the system, and therefore, changes in the system naturally
have repercussions on the parts. It is agreed that the party system in India has seen at least four
transformations since the very inception. In the first-party system (1952-67), the Congress was
the predominant party winning both at the national level and in most states, overshadowing
other parties, thus famously described as the ‘Congress system’. The next phase was marked
by the emergence of Opposition against the Congress party in several states, resulting in the
polarisation of state party systems (1967-89). While the Congress continued to win nationally,
the non-Congress opposition parties started winning larger proportion of seat and vote shares.
The third phase marked the beginning of the post-Congress polity—a competitive multi-party
system (1989-2014) in which the Congress was no longer the dominant player nationally. The
period witnessed the formation of coalition governments at the national level since no party
could get a majority on its own. State-based parties acquired a greater voice both in the states
and at the national level in this phase. The current party system began with the formation of a
single-party majority of the BJP in 2014. With a consecutive victory in 2019 and the party’s
increasing presence, it was clear that India has entered in its second-dominant party system
phase anchored around the BJP. The median seems to have shifted so far towards the right that
even the Opposition is either mute or coloured in strategy and tactics.
In a nut shell

1952-64 :The Nehruvian era of national consensus

The Congress Party was the dominant party and Indian democracy was essentially a one
party system also termed as ‘Congress system’.

•
o Congress evolved as the party that was like a big umbrella under which
all communities and interests and ideologies sought and got a place.
o There were many small parties competing with the Congress but they
acted mainly as a kind of pressure groups.

1964-77: An Uneasy Transition

•
 o With the death of Jawahar Lal Nehru, and 1967 elections posed
challenge to dominance of the congress system.
▪ The Congress failed to secure majorities in eight states and its
majority in the Lok Sabha was reduced to very narrow 54% of the
seats.
o Regional parties started growing all over the country.
o The dismal performance of the Congress led to a series of power
struggles with in congress.
o Ultimately, the party was split in 1969 and Indira Gandhi’s supremacy
was established both in the party and the government.
o However, some leaders like Morarji Desai in Gujarat and JP (Jaiprakash
Narain) in Bihar carried out a successful movement against
Congress corruption and arbitrary rule.
o Their movement peaked in 1975 when Indira Gandhi for the first and
only time in Indian history decided to impose in Internal emergency.

1977-80: A Period of a New Consensus and Increasing Inter-Party Conflict

•
o New coalition emerged led by Janata Party in 1977.
o This led to Emergence of a Multi-Party System in India.
o Many smaller parties had come together to fight the Congress dominance
rather than any ideological consensus.
o But, the lack of ideologically coherent policy led to fall of Janata
party and congress gained the rise of power in 1980.

1980-89: Tussle between the Congress at the centre and the newly emerged regional
parties at the state level

•
o Frivolous use of President’s rule under Article 356.
o However, the regional parties got strengthened and started playing a more
assertive role in centre politics.
▪ In the eighth Lok Sabha Elections (1984), the Telugu Desam, a
regional party of Andhra Pradesh, emerged as the main
opposition party.

1989 to till date: Multi-party system and Coalition politics

 • The death of Rajiv Gandhi, corruption cases (Bofors scandal), and economic
crisis, all set the tone for an era of coalitions that has lasted for almost twenty-
five years of coalition governments.
• The modern era of coalition politics has come into being as a consequence of
the development of the multi-party system.
• However, this period is marred by compulsions of coalition.
o Growth of Regional Parties also lead to ‘rainbow’ coalitions, so called
because like the rainbow, they last only a short time.
▪ The period of 1996 – 1999 had 3 general elections, which cost a
lot of public money.
o Policy paralysis and delay in decision making and bills all result from
coalitions.
▪ In times of emergency, coalition coordination can lead
to unacceptable delays.
o Coalition government can obstruct the process of decision-making and
the conduct of decision implementation.
o Coalition government has turned the politics of north India into one
of competition for vote banks based on caste and community etc.
• On the contrary, during times of coalitions, regional parties served as
a moderating force upon exclusionary national parties.
o Regional parties fill a vacuum for protecting minorities.
o The coalition politics has led to the empowerment of regional parties from
the states and has added to India’s search for true federalism.
▪ Thus, it paves the way for a kind of ‘electoral federalism’.
o Since 1996, twenty-three regional parties have been sharing power at the
national level. there is a strong sense of Indianness, or what is called
a federal unifier.

Summary
Clearly, there have been remarkable shifts in the dynamics of party politics, redefining
its character at periodic intervals. Engagements with the changing trends in party
system in India produces a fascinating account of electoral politics, the prevalence of
one-party dominant phase and its gradual breakdown.
• For some time, there remained projection of multiparty system, especially in the
coalition era, where regional parties became formidable in their power and influence.
From this time onwards, there is no denial of the fact that party system has become
truly federal as regional parties have started enjoying greater share in moulding
national politics.
• Interestingly, the power dynamics of electoral politics has taken another turn again and
the 2014 Lok Sabha elections has given way to two party system in India, represented
by the BJP and the Congress. However, it is yet to be seen how long this phase lasts.
In that sense, the upcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2019 will be decisive in a major
way.
• The party system in India remains beset with challenges. Parties that aspire to remain
at the core of the Indian party system need to truly engage with the objective of social
justice. This is a massive challenge for BJP as if it remains fraught with the
contradictions, securing another historic mandate in next general election will become
extremely difficult to achieve. Therefore, parties must genuinely try to bring every
section in its fold by evening out the asymmetrical developments and working on the
rightful claim of citizens.