Syllabus Contents

Political Parties and Elections

Era of Congress dominance

Emergence of coalition politics

Changing patterns of voting behaviour

Structure of the Chapter

1. Political Parties
   1. Major Political Parties in Maharashtra
   1. Elections in Maharashtra
   1. The Indian National Congress
   1. Congress in Maharashtra
   1. Era of Congress dominance
   1. Causes of dominance
   1. Emergence of coalition politics
   1. Voting behaviour studies
   1. Changing patterns of voting behaviour

Political Parties

Man is a social animal, can’t lead a lonely life, forms various groups, institutions, organisations and depends on them for personal and social development.  Political parties are one of such institutions.  According to Almond and Verba they perform the function of interest aggregation as against the interest groups or the pressure groups performing the function of interest articulation. 

Political parties are different from pressure groups or interest groups.  Trade unions, student organisations, chambers of commerce, professional unions such as the unions of doctors, lawyers and chartered accountants are pressure groups.  They are institutionalised groups.  They are interest articulators in the sense that they articulate the interests of the groups to which they belong.  They are basically interested in furthering the interest of their group as against the overall well being of the society.  More often they place exaggerated claims in favour of their groups.  They are adept in the art of negotiations.  They use different tactics such as lobbying with the bureaucracy, ministers, writing articles in news papers and magazines, distributing pamphlets explaining their stance, organising public meetings, agitations, morchas, bandhs and gheraos.  

Political parties on the other hand don’t protect the interests of any particular section of the society.  They have a comprehensive plan for the development of the society.  They try to mitigate the conflicting interests of various pressure groups.  They aggregate their interests and try to present an all inclusive policy.       

The founding fathers of US constitution had banned the formation of political parties.  George Washington, the first President of United States was particularly concerned about the role of the political parties.  In his farewell address in 1796 when he retired as a President after two consecutive terms he warned the US citizens against the ill effects of the parties.  He says, “Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party”.  He was of the opinion that the parties divide the people and encourage factionalism, jealousy.   They try to further their own interests even at the cost of the interests of the nation.   “It serves always to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”

The only reference we find about political parties in the Indian constitution is the Tenth Schedule (Anti-defection law) added by the 52^nd amendment in 1985.  Otherwise the Indian constitution also doesn’t formally recognise the political parties.

Types of political parties

Nevertheless political parties are inevitable in democratic systems.  They enrich the democratic values.  There are mass parties such as the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.  Mass in the sense that normally anyone who applies for membership is admitted in the party without checking for his or her ideological credentials.  On the other hand the Communist party admits limited number of people only after thorough investigation of their ideological background.   Both these parties can also be classified as national parties.  Parties having nationwide operations are known as national parties.  (Election commission of India has laid down certain minimum qualifications for a party to be recognised as a national party.) 

There are regional parties restricted to a particular state or region.  For example the Shiv Sena, the Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena in Maharashtra the Telgu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, the Akali Dal in Punjab and the Assam Gana Parishad in Assam. 

Parties can also be classified on ideological basis such as the leftwing, rightwing and the centrist parties.  The Communist Party of India, The Communist Party of India (Marxist) are leftwing parties.  The Indian National Congress is a centrist party and the BJP and the Shiv Sena have some characteristics of right wing parties.

Party systems

There are three major political party systems recognised all over the world –

One party system – It is a political system (normally a country) where only one political party is officially recognised and allowed to function.  It’s always in power.   The voters have no choice.  Communist systems follow this type of party system.  e.g.  China, erstwhile USSR, Cuba etc. 

Two party system – a political system where two parties share the majority of votes between themselves and have the ability to form government, though other parties exist and contest elections.  UK and USA are the classical examples of two party systems.  This system indicates stability of the political system and a well integrated society. 

Multiparty system – a political system where there are many political parties competing for power.  It reflects the fragmentation of the society.  Indian political party system in the post 1990 era can be classified as a multiparty system. 

One dominant party system – a political system where there are many parties but only one party shares the majority of votes and has the ability to form the government.   Indian party system prior to 1990 was the best example of this type of party system.      

Elections

Elections form the foundation of the democratic system.   The Indian constitution declares India as a republic – which means the government is elected by the people.  Right from the member of the Gram Panchayat of the village to the President of India every office bearer is elected either directly or indirectly.  Periodical Elections are held for the rural and urban local self governments, the state legislatures, the Parliament (Sansad) and the posts of President and Vice President of India.   The normal gap between two elections for all posts is five years.  However in case of emergencies or extraordinary conditions elections can be either preponed or postponed.  All citizens above the age of 18 years can caste their votes.  The Election Commission of India (ECI) and the State election commissions conduct the elections.   Elections for the Parliament, state legislatures, President and the Vice President of India are conducted by the ECI whereas the state election commissions conduct and oversee the elections for rural and urban local self governments in respective states and union territories.  The number of voters participating in elections at all levels of government is largest in the world.  The elections machinery faces numerous problems.  The ongoing process of reforms has helped to solve some of those problems.   Issuing photo identity cards to the voters, use of electronic voting machines, use of information technology (supported by National Informatics Centre – NIC), continuous video recording of campaigns, restrictions and monitoring of election expenditure of candidates and  political parties – all these measures have curbed malpractices to a large extent.  In the recent past, particularly after Mr. T. N. Sheshan was appointed as the chief election commissioner of India, the election commission is proactively chasing reforms in the election process.  Ultimately the success of this process will depend mainly upon the level of enlightenment of the common people.   

Major Political Parties in Maharashtra

The major political parties in Maharashtra are:-

1. Indian National Congress – INC or the Congress
2. Nationalist Congress Party – NCP
3. Shiv Sena – SS
4. Bharatiya Janata Party – BJP
5. Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena – MNS
6. Peasants and Workers Party – PWP
7. Republican Party of India – RPI
8. Janata Dal – JD
9. Bahujan Samaj Party – BSP
10. Communist Party of India – CPI
11. Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPM
12. Bahujan Maha Sangh
13. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana
14. Bahujan Vikas Aghadi

The Indian National Congress

Since independence the Indian National Congress has remained in power in the erstwhile Bombay state and Maharashtra except for a short period from 1978 to 1980 and a term from 1995 to 1999.  However the graph of its overall political influence shows many ups and downs during this period.  The legacy of the independence movement helped the Congress party to build its foundation in the Bombay state.  Its influence was weakened during the Sanyukta Maharashtra Movement, particularly after the formation of the Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti in 1956.  The decline was clearly visible in the 1957 assembly election results. Yeshwantrao Chavan built the party on solid foundations after 1960.

Sharad Pawar and the Nationalist Congress Party

Sharad Pawar has played an important role in the politics of Maharashtra since 1978.  Therefore it will not be out of place to discuss his politics in a bit detail.  The Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar was established in 1999.  Mr. Pawar was the leader of one of the factions within the Congress party.  Mr. Pawar defected from the Indian National Congress (the Congress Party) raising the issue of foreign nationality of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, who was then the President of the Congress party. 

Sharad Pawar started his political career with the Congress party.  He revered Yeshwantrao Chavan, the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra, as his political guru (mentor).  In 1978 he was a minister in the cabinet of Chief Minister Vasant Dada Patil.  While in power he defected along with few other MLAs.  The Congress government was in minority.  Vasant Dada Patil had to resign. 

Mr. Pawar joined hands with the socialist and leftist parties, formulated a progressive democratic front along with them and claimed the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra.  He was appointed as the chief minister and continued in power till 1980.  In 1980 his government was dismissed and Presidential rule was imposed in Maharashtra.  At that time Pawar was leading his own party – the Samajwadi Congress.  The media used the term S. Congress which also meant ‘Sharad Congress’.

During the 1980’s Mr. Pawar led the farmer’s agitations along with Sharad Joshi of the Shetkari Sanghatana, a pressure group working for the benefit of peasants in Maharashtra.

In 1986 after the end of ‘Indira era’ and at the beginning of ‘Rajiv era’ Pawar returned to the Congress party.  Majority of dissatisfied followers of Sharad Pawar joined the Shiv Sena in 1986.   (It is remarkable that the spread of Shiv Sena in all parts of Maharashtra coincided with this incident)

Pawar’s entry in the Congress party was resisted by majority of Congressmen.  Inspite of resistance from leaders in Maharashtra, the Congress high command supported Pawar and he became the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1988 and remained in that post till 1991.  For a brief spell up to 1993 he joined the central ministry and national politics.  He returned in Maharashtra as a chief minister in 1993.  It is alleged that he engineered the defection of Chagan Bhujbal from the Shiv Sena in 1994.  Bhujbal was appointed as a minister in his cabinet.  The Shiv Sena suffered a great setback.  Bhujbal was instrumental in mobilising the OBC masses and gaining a foothold for the Sena outside Mumbai in Thane, Nashik and Aurangabad district and later in all parts of Maharashtra.   

But despite these manoeuvres Pawar and the Congress party failed to win the 1995 elections.  The Shiv Sena-BJP won elections and remained in power till 1999.  In 1996 parliamentary elections Pawar was able to unite all factions within the Congress party.  He also successfully attempted to mitigate the differences amongst the various factions of the Republican Party of India and carved out a winning alliance with them.  He was also able to muster support from the Muslims and Adivasis.  But this experience was short-lived. 

In 1999 Pawar left the Congress party and formed the Nationalist Congress Party.  The party has its base in the southern parts of Maharashtra – Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Pune.  It is also known as the sugar belt, consisting majority of the cooperative sugar factories in Maharashtra.       

Elections in Maharashtra

13^th Elections[1] for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly[2] were held in 2009.  First elections were held in 1952.  They were held for the erstwhile Bombay State.  The Congress party was victorious.  The PWP posed a formidable challenge to the Congress party during the campaign period – but the threat couldn’t be materialised.  The results of the elections were clearly in favour of the Congress party.  The second elections in 1957 were fought on the issue of Sanyukta Maharashtra Movement in the newly formed bilingual Bombay state.  The Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti[3], an alliance of 11 non-Congress parties, scored impressive gains but couldn’t defeat the Congress party.  From 1962 to 1990 all the seven elections were won by the Congress party.  In 1978 after winning the elections the Congress lost power within a period of six months because of defection by Sharad Pawar.  Pawar formed the Progressive Democratic Front with the help of some leftist parties and became the new Chief Minister.  He was ousted from power in 1980 when Mrs. Indira Gandhi regained power at the Centre.  1980 elections were again won by the Congress party.  The trend continued in 1985 and 1990 elections.  From 1985 onwards the Shiv Sena started gaining strength in the politics of Maharashtra – its presence was felt all over Maharashtra.  The Sena forged an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and contested the 1990 elections with the aim of forming a first real non-congress government.   But the hopes of the Shiv Sena – BJP combine to form the government were dashed and Congress maintained its hold in the state.  In 1995 elections the Sena – BJP alliance was victorious.  But failed to continue in 1999 elections and since then in the three elections (1999, 2004, and 2009) the Congress party has won the elections.  In 2004 and 2009 elections it formed an alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party and some other parties anticipating the fact that it can’t win power if it contested the elections alone. 

The Indian National Congress 

Congress in Maharashtra

Era of Congress Dominance

The era of Congress dominance

Causes of Dominance

The Legacy of the independence movement

Weak opposition

The benefit of being in power

Role of Yeshwantrao Chavan

The cooperative movement and the panchayati raj institutions

The Maratha caste cluster

Emergence of coalition politics

1957 Elections

After Emergency

The Progressive Democratic front

The Sena-BJP alliance

Congress-NCP alliance

Third front

Congress and the Dalits

Voting behaviour studies

Voting behaviour of citizens is studied through surveys conducted by academic and other research institutes.  Research institutes conduct sample surveys.  A sample basically means a small representative part of the whole.  A sample of the population is selected.  The basis of selection of the sample may be different.   For example sometimes random numbers having some logical sequence such as 2, 20, 38, 56, 74, 92  Depending upon the type of samples the surveys can be classified into various types such as random sample survey or stratified sample survey.  Random numbers are generated with the help of statistical methods When a sample is selected randomly based on the concept of random numbers in statistics

Changing patterns of voting behaviour

End Notes

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[1] Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Elections – The first election in 1952 were held for Bombay state and second in 1957 were held for the bilingual Bombay state formed on 1^st November 1956 as per the recommendations of the States reorganization commission which was also known as the Fazal Ali Commission.  

1. 1952
2. 1957
3. 1962
4. 1967
5. 1972
6. 1978
7. 1980
8. 1985
9. 1990
10. 1995
11. 1999
12. 2004
13. 2009

[2]  List of Chief Ministers of Maharashtra

Sr. No.	Name of the Chief Minister	From	To	Political Party
1	Yeshwantrao Chavan	01-May-60	19-Nov-62	INC
2	Marutrao Kannamwar	20-Nov-62	24-Nov-63	INC
3	Vasantrao Naik	05-Dec-63	01-Mar-67	INC
4	Vasantrao Naik	01-Mar-67	13-Mar-72	INC
5	Vasantrao Naik	13-Mar-72	20-Feb-75	INC
6	Shankarrao Chavan	21-Feb-75	16-Apr-77	INC
7	Vasantdada Patil	17-Apr-77	02-Mar-78	INC
8	Vasantdada Patil	07-Mar-78	18-Jul-78	INC
9	Sharad Pawar	18-Jul-78	17-Feb-80	Progressive Democratic Front
10	President’s Rule	17-Feb-80	08-Jun-80
11	Abdul Rehman Antulay	09-Jun-80	12-Jan-82	INC
12	Babasaheb Bhosale	21-Jan-82	01-Feb-83	INC
13	Vasantdada Patil	02-Feb-83	01-Jun-85	INC
14	Shivajirao Nilangekar Patil	03-Jun-85	06-Mar-86	INC
15	Shankarrao Chavan	12-Mar-86	26-Jun-88	INC
16	Sharad Pawar	26-Jun-88	25-Jun-91	INC
17	Sudhakarrao Naik	25-Jun-91	22-Feb-93	INC
18	Sharad Pawar	06-Mar-93	14-Mar-95	INC
19	Manohar Joshi	14-Mar-95	31-Jan-99	Shiv Sena
20	Narayan Rane	01-Feb-99	17-Oct-99	Shiv Sena
21	Vilasrao Deshmukh	18-Oct-99	16-Jan-03	INC
22	Sushil Kumar Shinde	18-Jan-03	30-Oct-04	INC
23	Vilasrao Deshmukh	01-Nov-04	04-Dec-08	INC
24	Ashok Chavan	08-Dec-08	15-Oct-09	INC
25	Ashok Chavan	07-Nov-09		INC

[3] The constituents of the Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti were –

1. Praja Socialist party
2. Communist party of India
3. Peasants and workers party
4. Scheduled Castes Federation
5. Maharashtrawadi Congress party
6. Janasangh
7. Lal Nishan Gat
8.