The Role of Regional Political Parties in Indian Coalition Politics a Case Study of Tamil Nadu

In India the coalition governments have mainly been the result of multiparty system. As sometimes, a single political party was able to muster clearcut majority in the Legislative Assembly, the parties were obliged to seek support and cooperation of other groups to form the government. Sometimes coalitions are also formed before the elections and a number of political parties chalk out an agreed programme and contest elections on the basis of the programme from a common platform. India has had the experience of coalition governments in the State as well as the Centre in recent times. As the author analyses the coalitions in India he has to keep in mind the background of various experiments of coalitions of different parts. The present volume admirably addresses the issues which are of considerable contemporary relevance. As we have seen the emergence of regional political parties because the regional political leaders wanted to assert their importance and the feeling of regionalism has been very strong in India and has manifested itself in the shape of demand for a separated state, interstate disputes and sometimes even succession from the union. The regional feelings of regionalism in India have been partly due to feelings of neglect and discrimination among certain areas or sections and partly due to the growing political awareness of the henceforthbackward people. The composition of Cabinet, the nature of its working, the style of the Prime Minister/Chief Minister, the character of electoral politics and the party system, and even the composition of the legislature to a limited extent are likely to be affected by the nature of coalition politics. The present volume is going to be of great topical value to the students of Political Science, researchers, readers as well as Indian politicians.