Question

explain the characteristics of dominant party system in India (about 250 word)

Answer 1

was a multi-party system where the ruling party played an overwhelmingly dominant role.

Although a number of other political parties existed and operated politically, yet the central space of politics was occupied by the Indian National Congress only. The dominance of the Congress was determined by its immense organisational strength as well as its capability to capture large number of seats both in the Union Parliament and the state legislatures.

2. Dominance of the Congress as the ruling party did not mean absence of competition. The numerous parties in opposition provided competition. Yet, such competition did not result in effectively challenging the dominant position of the ruling party. Morris-Jones aptly described this phenomenon as ‘dominance coexisting with competition but without a trace of alteration’.

In electoral terms, it implied that although a number of opposition parties entered the electoral arena but none of them singly or in combination could secure substantial number of seats to replace the Congress as the ruling party.

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These parties were fragmented and poorly represented in the Union and the state legislatures. Congress continued to return its candidates in large numbers, in fact, in proportionately large numbers than the votes polled in its favour.

3. Due to their inability to provide an alternative to the ruling party or even to challenge its position of dominance, the opposition parties did not play the traditional role of opposition. On the contrary, their role was limited to that of constantly pressurizing, criticising the ruling party. The parties in opposition, therefore, operated as the parties of pressure.

4. One of the important features of the Congress party that helped it to sustain its position of dominance was its capacity to represent divergent social groups and interests. As it drew its support from differ­ent sections of society, it played the role of a great umbrella party.

During the nationalist movement it had accommodated diverse groups into its fold and had stressed on the need for their unity within the same organisational structure. It had therefore assumed the character of a broad coalition.

In the post- independence period, it continued to absorb the dominant social elements and balance interests that helped it to maintain its unchallenged position of power. Through its accommodative and adaptive politics, it could curb the role and relevance of opposition.

5. Being a plural party representing diverse interests and ideologies, the Congress had a number of factions. Of these, some were relatively more dominant and played important role in the decision making of the party. Others were the dissident factions. Several of these factions of the Congress were also ideologically closer to some of the opposition parties.

The reason for this being, that almost each of the party in opposition had been a part of the Congress at one time or the other and while choosing to form an independent party outside it, had left a faction of similar ideological orientation within it.

Therefore, there always remained continuity between the politics of the Congress and that of the opposition parties. This continuity made it possible for the opposition parties to put pressure on the Congress and influence its decision making.

6. The party system, therefore, worked on the basis of a consensual model. It was a politics of broad consensus round the political values shared by all the political actors whether operating from within the ruling groups or from the opposition. Ideological divisions within the Congress or outside it were blurred.