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In short:
A political alliance is a group of parties that come together to contest an election.
What is a political alliance?
- A political alliance is a group of parties that come together to contest an election.
- The two main alliances in India today are the NDA and the INDIA alliance.
- NDA stands for National Democratic Alliance, led by the BJP.
- INDIA stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, led by the INC.
Beyond the textbook. The book names these alliances but does not define the word alliance.
The two main alliances today
A political alliance
parties contesting together
NDA
National Democratic Alliance
Led by:
Led by the BJP
INDIA
Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance
Led by:
Led by the INC
Why do political parties form an alliance?
- Often no single party wins enough seats to form the government on its own.
- Parties join hands so that together they cross the majority mark.
Why parties join hands
No single party wins enough
often nobody crosses the majority mark alone
↓
Parties come together
they agree to contest or govern jointly
↓
Together they cross the majority mark and form the government
When did the concept of political alliance start in India? What happened before it?
- Before 1967, elections in India were dominated by a single party.
- The year 1967 witnessed an end to that era.
- An era of alliances began.
- Various states witnessed politics of alliance starting from 1967.
- At the national level, the first alliance government came only in 1977.
From one-party dominance to the era of alliances
Before 1967
a single party dominated elections
In 1967
that era ended and alliances began
In 1977
the first alliance government at the national level
↓
Various states saw alliance politics from 1967 onwards
Timeline of political alliances in India
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1952 to 1967 | Elections dominated by a single party. No alliance was needed |
| 1967 | The era of single-party dominance ends. Alliance politics begins in states |
| 1975 to 1977 | The National Emergency |
| 1977 | Various parties form the Janata Party. It forms the first coalition government at the national level, called the Janata Government |
| 1989 | The National Front forms a coalition government, led by the Janata Dal |
| 1996 | The United Front forms a coalition government of several parties |
| 1998 | The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is formed, led by the BJP |
| 2004 | The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is formed, led by the INC, and wins |
| 2014 | The NDA returns to power |
| 2023 | The UPA is dissolved and reconstituted as the INDIA alliance |
| 2024 | The NDA wins again. The INDIA alliance becomes the main opposition |
- A coalition government is a government formed by more than one party together.
- Since the late 1990s, the NDA and the UPA have been the major alliances.
Beyond the textbook. Five rows are added here to fill gaps in the timeline and are not in the book: 1952 to 1967, the 1989 National Front, the 1996 United Front, the forming of the NDA in 1998, and the forming of the UPA in 2004. The book gives only 1967, the Emergency, 1977, "since the late 1990s" for the NDA and the UPA, and 2023.
🔍 Let's Explore
- Find out the name and composition (number and name of the national and state parties) of the alliances that won in the following elections to the Lok Sabha.
Show Answer
Sample answer.
| Year | Alliance that won | National parties in it | Main state parties in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Janata Party | Janata Party itself, formed by merging Congress (O), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Socialist Party | Akali Dal, AIADMK and DMK supported it |
| 1999 | National Democratic Alliance | BJP | TDP, JD(U), Shiv Sena, DMK, BJD, Trinamool Congress |
| 2004 | United Progressive Alliance | INC, NCP | RJD, DMK, PMK, JMM, LJP |
| 2009 | United Progressive Alliance | INC, NCP | Trinamool Congress, DMK, National Conference, JMM |
| 2014 | National Democratic Alliance | BJP | Shiv Sena, TDP, LJP, Shiromani Akali Dal |
| 2019 | National Democratic Alliance | BJP | Shiv Sena, JD(U), LJP, AIADMK, Shiromani Akali Dal |
| 2024 | National Democratic Alliance | BJP, National People's Party | TDP, JD(U), Shiv Sena (Shinde), LJP (Ram Vilas), JD(S) |
- The 1977 Janata Party was a merger, not a loose alliance.
- Its four constituent parties gave up their separate identity to form it.
- The NCP was a recognised national party in 2004 and 2009. It is not one now.
- In 2004 the Left Front supported the UPA from outside. It was not a member.
- In 2024 the BJP won 240 seats, below the 272 needed for a majority.
- So the NDA runs the government as a coalition.
Worth remembering:
The first coalition government at the national level came only in 1977. Alliance politics started in the states ten years before it reached the centre. An alliance can also end. The UPA was dissolved in 2023.
1. What is a political alliance?
Show answer
A group of parties that contest an election together and form a government together.
2. In which year did the era of single-party dominated elections end?
Show answer
In 1967.
3. Which alliance formed the first coalition government at the national level?
Show answer
The Janata Party, in 1977.
4. What is the UPA called after 2023?
Show answer
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or the INDIA alliance.
--- All alliance figures in this section were checked in September 2026. The 2024 Lok Sabha election is the latest one; the next is due by 2029.
📝 What Have We Learned
- A political alliance is a group of parties that come together to contest an election.
- The year 1967 witnessed an end to the era of single-party dominated elections.
- The Janata Party formed the first coalition government at the national level, in 1977.
