Coalition Politics in India

Abstract

This chapter explores the history of the coalition politics in India. Coalitions are articulated within an institutional framework, and two specific methods for this have been concretized in Indian constitutional law and practice. It suggests that the historical roots of coalition politics can be traced back to the nationalist movement, especially to the Gandhian conceptualization of Swaraj while its social roots can be found in the breakdown of the federal and coalitional pillars of the Congress in the 1970s which reinvigorated regional politics. It describes the links among the processes that contributed to a significant metaphorphosis of India's federal system, which highlights its multi-cultural spirit and suggests that the role of federalism in strengthening India's pluralist character can be traced back to the complex processes in which federalism is conceptualized historically.