Explained: Neither BJP nor Congress in 4-5 states, regional parties became kings or kingmakers, should there be a two party system in India too

New Delhi: In the Lok Sabha elections, 2024, the influence of regional parties has once again increased in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. These regional parties are either in a position to form the government or are in the role of kingmakers. In such a situation, once again the debate has gained momentum whether India should have a 2 party system like America. Are the voters’ minds moving towards a two-party system? What do the voters think? Let’s understand what is a 2-party system? Is the country showing more trust in regional parties? What is going on in the minds of voters?

For the first time in 1977, 11 parties formed a coalition government

In 1977, for the first time, 11 parties formed a coalition government at the centre under the leadership of Morarji Desai. After this, Chaudhary Charan Singh formed a coalition government in 1979. Then VP Singh, Chandrashekhar, HD Deve Gowda formed a coalition government.

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The country’s first minority government was Narasimha Rao

The first minority government in the country was the government of Narasimha Rao, who won after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. After this, the first 13-day government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was formed, which was coalition based.

The United Front government is also a coalition government

The United Front government was formed by 13 parties. First HD Deve Gowda and then Inder Kumar Gujral became its Prime Minister. After this Vajpayee returned again in 1998 and formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, which was supported by Jayalalitha’s AIADMK government. Between 1999 and 2004, the NDA formed the government, which was formed with the support of 20 allies. At that time, the Congress in the opposition had formed a coalition of 14 parties, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

Abhi India Alliance is a coalition of 27 parties

In current politics, the Congress-led All India Alliance is made up of 27 parties, whereas the BJP-led NDA alliance is made up of 38 parties.

America has a two party system

There is a two party system in American politics, where only the Democrats and Republican parties contest elections for power. In Britain too, politics is divided between the Labor Party and the Conservative Party. Australia also has two political systems, where there is the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal National Coalition. Actually, these countries have less population and diversity, so this system is suitable for these countries.

There are three types of party systems in the world, what about China and Pakistan

First- One party system means in this political system only one party is given the command to form and run the government. Usually only one party of the country runs the government. For example, in China only the Communist Party runs the government. Its head is the head of the nation.
Second- Two party system means that in this political system there are only two parties. In this, the party that gets the maximum number of seats in the election forms the government. This is the system in America and Britain.
third- A system with more than two political parties is called a multiparty system. In this, one party either forms a government with a majority or forms a coalition government with the support of many parties. This is the system in India, Brazil and South Africa.

There are many challenges of the 2 party system, understand them here

-In this, one party can become extremist to show itself different from the other. This can increase animosity and can paralyze the government work. That is, there can be difficulty in running the government.
-The general public may get disillusioned if there are two political parties. They will not find any alternative. Whereas if there are regional parties, people do not get any alternative.
-If there are only two parties, people may lose faith in the political system or they may even get bored. Their interest in politics may also decrease.

India has 1 MP for every 22 lakh population, far behind America

The Constitution of India does not put any restriction on forming a political party. In this country with a population of 140 crores, the number of representatives is less as compared to the population. In America, there is one MP for every 7 lakh population, whereas in India one MP represents 22 lakh people.

Duverger’s theory failed in India, what is the reason behind this

Separation of national and state elections in 1971 also gave a big boost to the division of parties. Supporters of a local issue or people of a limited caste can bring a small leader to power. Once such a party gets a little boost in the state elections, it also tries to win some parliamentary seats. This is also a big reason for the mushrooming of many parties in India. French political scientist Maurice Duverger said in 1951 that the majority single-vote system usually establishes a two-party system. Duverger’s theory has failed in Britain and India. In India, there are only small constituencies to elect MLAs and MPs, so these small parties emerge only in a few elections and their scope is also not at the national level.

There is an undeclared two-party system in these states of the country

In a two-party system, the one who has the support of the majority wins. There are many countries like America, England, Australia where the election battle is between the two biggest parties only and the smaller parties get very little public support. On the other hand, there are countries like Japan, Israel and Italy where there is a multi-party system and governments keep forming and falling. In India, regional parties have been ruling unofficially in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Goa, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

The two-party system also has several definite advantages

The two-party system has both advantages and disadvantages. This system ensures political stability in the country. There is no horse-trading of MLAs and MPs. Ticket distribution is also done in a democratic manner. There are several rounds of voting among the candidates for the ticket and finally the ticket is given to the one who is most popular in his/her party. There is no voting in the name of religion or caste in the elections and voters have to make a simple decision as to whom to vote for. The level of debate in the Parliament becomes very high, because those who get elected have complete information about their region, state and country.

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The constitution makers chose the parliamentary system for India

The Constituent Assembly chose the parliamentary system of governance in India because it was effective in Indian conditions. The Constitution makers gave importance to accountability over stability. They considered the government to be accountable to the citizens. In such a situation, despite many anomalies including division on the basis of caste, language, province and religion, India is the largest democracy in the world. Even though there may be coalition politics, criminalization in politics, lack of policy continuity in the democratic system, but due to this concept of pluralism, the democratic system is effective in India. In this, the executive and the legislature complement each other.