Bihar Political Crisis

Bihar Political Crisis

GS-II: Indian Polity

(UPSC/State PSC-Special Bihar)

Important for Prelims:

Nitish Kumar, ninth timeChief Minister of Bihar,Governor of Bihar,National Democratic Alliance (NDA) i.e. BJP, India Grand Alliance, Bihar coalition government.

Important for Mains:

Nitish Kumar's role in Bihar coalition government, Reappearance of coalition government in Bihar, About Coalition Government, Features of Coalition Government, Conclusion.

January 29, 2024

Why in News:

Amidst the political turmoil in Bihar, Nitish Kumar recently took oath as Chief Minister for the ninth time with the help of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) i.e. BJP, leaving the India Grand Alliance.

  • The present Governor of Bihar, Shri RajendraVishwanathArlekar administered the oath to him.
  • BJP leaders Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha were appointed as deputy CMs.
  • BJP's Prem Kumar, JDU's Vijay Choudhary, Vijendra Yadav and Shrawan Kumar, Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustan Awam Morcha's Santosh Kumar Suman and independent legislator Sumit Singh also took oath.
  • Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar’s U-turn will have implications not just for Bihar but for national politics.

Nitish Kumar's role in Bihar coalition government:

  • Political aliases: Sushasan Babu, Palturam
  • Nitish Kumar is an Indian politician and currently the Chief Minister of Bihar.
  • He assumed the post of Chief Minister for the first time on March 3, 2000, with the support of Samata Party and BJP.
  • After that, he became the Chief Minister for the 9th time from 2005 to 2010, from 2010 to 2014, then in 2015, from 2015 to 2017, from 2017 to 2020, from 2020 to 8 August, from 2022 to 2024 and again in 2024.
  • Formation of new government from JDU-BJP (NDA) alliance on 28 January 2024.
  • He is the longest serving Chief Minister of Bihar.
  • He is one of the prominent leaders of Janata Dal (U)(JDU) political party.
  • In his sixth term, Bihar caste based census 2023 started.
  • He is a shrewd political operator who has succeeded in trying to extract maximum leverage against the evolving realities of Bihar and national politics.

Reappearance of coalition government in Bihar:

  • Change of power, manipulation and alliance breaking and taking new shape have become a tradition in the politics of Bihar.

About Coalition Government:

  • A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election.
  • Meaning of Coalition Government: The term ‘coalition’ is derived from the Latin world ‘coalitio’ which means ‘to grow together’. Thus, technically, coalition means the act of uniting parts into one body or whole. Politically, coalition means an alliance of distinct political parties
  • Coalition usually occurs in modern parliaments when no single political party can muster a majority of votes. Two or more parties, who have enough elected members between them to form a majority, may then be able to agree on a common programme that does not require too many drastic compromises with their individual policies and can proceed to form a government.

Features of Coalition Government:

  • The features of a Coalition Government are highlighted below:
  • Coalition is formed for the sake of reward, material or psychic
  • A coalition implies the existence of a least two partners
  • The underlying principle of a coalition system stands on the simple fact of temporary conjunction of specific interest.
  • Coalition politics is not a static but a dynamic affair as coalition players and groups can dissolve and form new ones.
  • The keynote of coalition politics is compromise and rigid dogma has no place in it.
  • A coalition works on the basis of a minimum programme, which may not be ideal for each partner of the coalition.
  • Pragmatism and not ideology is the hall-mark of coalition politics. In making political adjustments, principles may have to be set aside.
  • The purpose of a coalition adjustment is to seize power.

Conclusion:

In India, coalitions have come up before or after elections. The pre-poll coalition is considered advantageous as it provides a common platform for all parties to woo the electorate on the basis of a joint manifesto. A post-election union is intended to enable constituents to share political power and run the government.

Source: Indian Express

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Mains Question:

Discuss the main features of the coalition government in the light of the changing trend of the coalition governmentin Bihar.