Coalition governments

The essentials

From 1989 to 2014 every government at the Centre was either a coalition or a minority government. This marked the end of the long period in which one party usually won a clear majority.

Key points

• National Front (1989–90): led by V.P. Singh, with outside support from the BJP and the Left.
• Chandra Shekhar (1990–91): a short-lived government with outside support from the Congress.
• Congress minority government (1991–96): led by P.V. Narasimha Rao; it introduced the New Economic Policy.
• 1996: the BJP emerged as the largest party. A government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee lasted only 13 days because it could not prove its majority.
• United Front (1996–98): a coalition of the Janata Dal, regional parties and Left parties. H.D. Deve Gowda and then I.K. Gujral became Prime Minister, with outside support from the Congress.
• National Democratic Alliance (NDA) (1998–2004): led by the BJP with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister. The 1998 government lost a confidence vote in 1999 by one vote; the NDA won the 1999 election and completed its term.
• United Progressive Alliance (UPA) (2004–14): led by the Congress with Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. In its first term it had outside support from the Left parties, who later withdrew it. The UPA returned to power in 2009.
• In the 2014 and 2019 elections the BJP won a majority on its own, the first single-party majority since 1984, though it continued to govern with NDA allies.

Exam tips

• Remember the order: National Front, United Front, NDA, UPA.
• Learn which governments had “outside support” and from whom.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the United Front was led by the Congress; the Congress supported it from outside.
• Confusing the NDA (BJP-led) with the UPA (Congress-led).