The Party System

This chapter provides an overview of the party system in India in respect of its evolution, key characteristics, determinants, and consequences. It discusses the various phases of the evolution of the Indian party system, beginning with the Congress’s dominance followed by its decline and the rise of regional parties, leading to fragmentation and emergence of coalition politics, and more recently, a shift towards the BJP’s dominance. The chapter’s main argument is that the party system in India has been shaped by various institutional, sociological and contextual factors. It highlights that parties in India function within the institutional framework of a federal structure and the single-member plurality electoral system (SMPS), and that the multiplicity of parties can be viewed as an outcome of the politicisation of the social cleavages of religion, caste, culture and region. The chapter also outlines the recent developments in the Indian party system especially the rise and dominance of the BJP at the national level as the country approaches its 18th national election in 2024. It concludes that the party system in India is likely to remain fluid and continue to reflect the country’s social and regional diversity amid the workings of the SMPS and a federal form of governance.