Coalition Politics in India: Selected Issues at the Centre and the States

by E. Sridharan (Editor)

India is in an era of coalition politics in which state politics plays a major role. This compact book breaks new ground in empirical discoveries about the basis of stable coalitions in Indian states, and also theorizes the viability of multiparty coalition governments at the national level in comparative perspective, and examines the dynamics of competition and coalition formation. It consists of chapters on national-level coalitions and on states that have had significant experience of coalition politics—West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra, and Bihar. All of the writings are based on extensive data collection and interview-based fieldwork with political actors. The key findings are summarized and discuss how there is a clear pattern across states to the stability of coalitions at the state level over time, and consists of two central factors—stable pre-electoral seat-sharing and portfolio-sharing arrangements.

464 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2014