Question

What changes have taken place in the nature of political parties in India?​

Answer 1

Instructions:

• First, trace the nature of the political party system back to the post-independence era.
• Then mention how this changed during the 1977 general elections and led to the formation of coalition governments.

Solution:

Era of single dominant party:

• The Congress was a strong political party in the post-independence period.
• Congress formed its government in the centre along with the government in the majority of constituent states.

Challenge to single dominant party system:

• The elections of 1977 were quite significant as it ended the era of a single dominant party system.
• Several non-congress parties came together and challenged the rule of Congress.

End of single dominant party system:

• The system of one party emerging as the dominant party ended after the 1989 Lok Sabha elections. Different parties began to come together to form coalition governments. The Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress Party experimented with establishing coalition governments.