Over the last three decades, the growing number and strength of State parties has meant that national parties are increasingly compelled to form alliances with them to govern at the Centre. How has this shift strengthened both federalism and democracy in India? In your answer, explain the connection between coalition politics and the representation of diverse regional interests.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:19 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Over the last three decades, the number and strength of State (regional) parties expanded greatly, making Parliament more politically diverse. Since no single national party could secure a majority in the Lok Sabha on its own, national parties were compelled to form alliances with State parties. Since 1996, nearly every State party has been part of one or another national-level coalition government.
This strengthened federalism because regional parties brought the concerns and interests of their states directly into the central government. It strengthened democracy by ensuring diverse regional voices gained representation in governance, making the system more inclusive and responsive.
Source: Democratic Politics – II, Chapter 4 (State Parties section)
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Explanation
- The textbook directly states that coalition politics between national and State parties "contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy." Quote or closely paraphrase this.
- Key link to make: State parties = regional interests → coalition = those interests represented at Centre → federalism + democracy strengthened.
- Avoid over-explaining; 3 marks = ~3 clear points. Examiner looks for: (1) growth of State parties, (2) compelled alliances, (3) strengthened federalism and democracy with a brief reason why.