Introduction
India’s party system originated in the late nineteenth century as a response to the British colonial challenge. In the long drawn struggle against imperial domination, it represented an assertion of national solidarity of the Indian people for building eventually a new structure of democratic India.
Origin
The Indian party system started with the formation of the Congress as a political platform in 1885.
Growth
From a triumphant national movement, the Indian National Congress became a dominant political party. Other parties and groups emerged later. For example, The Muslim League in 1906, the All India Hindu Mahasabha in 1916 and the Communist party in 1925
For over six decades (1875-1947), under the shadow of the British Raj, the growth and role of the Indian party system was conditioned by the communalization of politics which fragmented national unity, divided the people on caste and community lines disrupting the development of a secular party system in India. Therefore, when India became independent, our party system was in disarray. After the adoption of a democratic Constitution (in 1950), a new and different party system emerged in the wake of the first General election based on the universal adult franchise in 1952.
In the Republic India, the party system is a part of our larger political system. It is a product not only of its political environment but also of its history, culture, geography and economy. Many aspects of the Indian political system have a bearing on the nature of our party system. These aspects include the character of the State, the declared national goals, the diversities of India’s regional cultures and compulsions of social change and economic development.
The democratic India:
- maintains an open society,
- promotes secular politics,
- respects free media,
- follows the pattern of separation of powers between the legislature,the executive and the judiciary and
- adheres to the principle of rule of law.
It is also the most stable and evolving democratic federal polity among the comity of the newly liberated countries of the world.
Contemporary Politics
Contemporary politics in India is really the politics of national reconstruction, the politics of modernization, the politics of integration and politics of development.
In this context, the party system in India plays the role of a political instrument of socio-economic change. It mobilizes people not merely for electoral politics arid winning of seats in Legislature, but more importantly for building awareness and enthusing people for nation building, state-building, citizen-building and democratic identity-building.
We are to note that the Indian federal system has an inbuilt tilt for a stronger centre, that is, a system in which the structural functional balance is in favour of the Centre.
Nature and Characteristics
In this background, three factors are important:
1. National unity and political integration, national socio-economic development and national defense and security. This characteristic has facilitated the emergence of the Congress as the dominant party in the Indian political system after independence;
2. The Indian polity has never been ideologically polarized. India is a classic example of depolarized polity. This aspect of Indian political culture has provided the frame-work for the growth of the multi-party situation in India and
3. The regions in India are sub-national units. Naturally, the rise and persistence of regional demands has resulted in the emergence and popularity of the regional parties.
As a consequence of these three factors, the Indian party system has exhibited its two main features:
- One party dominance, within the framework of the multi-party situation in the Centre, and
- A multi-party system in some States run by a combination of regional parties, or coalition of national and regional parties.
It is true that the party system is the life breadth of the successful working of Indian Parliamentary democratic system.