Recent Developments in Indian Politics
Class 12 · Political Science
4 ideas in Class 12 Political Science, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
End of the Congress System
Part of: After the Old Order
Rajiv's 1984 415-seat wave crashed to 197 in 1989, ending the Congress system's centrality though Congress stayed weighty. Five shocks braided together: the 1989 fall, VP Singh's 1990 Mandal quotas sparking anti-quota fires, Rajiv-seeded 1991 market reforms, the Ayodhya shrine agitation steering secularism debates, and Rajiv's May 1991 assassination, after which Rao took charge.
Why it matters. Today's politics was born here. Learners see how falls, quotas, markets, faith and tragedy braided one knot.
Key words
- Congress fall
- : 1984 tally of 415 falling to 197 in 1989.
- Mandal issue
- : 1990 quota move for backward classes.
- New economic policy
- : 1991 market opening reforms.
- Temple movement
- : Ayodhya shrine movement.
- Rajiv assassination
- : May 1991 assassination during campaign.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask how 415 sank to 197.
- Discuss quotas, markets and shrines together.
- Ask why one death changed a party.
- Judge whether centrality can return.
Try at home. Ask elders where they were in 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Era of Coalitions
Part of: After the Old Order
1989 gave none a majority, so Janata Dal's National Front ruled with outside Left-plus-BJP props. The pattern stuck: United Front in 1996 on Congress props, BJP-led coalitions in 1998 and 1999 NDA, Congress-led UPA in 2004 and 2009. Eleven governments, all coalition or minority-backed, ruled till the BJP's solo 282 in 2014 and 303 in 2019, yet partners still matter.
Why it matters. Sharing power is the new grammar. Learners read fronts, props and partners as democracy's arithmetic.
Key words
- National Front
- : 1989 Janata Dal-led coalition.
- United Front
- : 1996 Janata-led coalition.
- NDA
- : BJP-led alliance from 1998.
- UPA
- : Congress-led alliance from 2004.
- Regional parties
- : Region-first parties as kingmakers.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask why 1989 gave no winner.
- Discuss odd backers: Left plus Right.
- Ask why 1996 needed Congress crutches.
- Judge whether 2014 ended coalitions.
Try at home. List four regional parties and the states they sway.
Mandal and Bahujan Politics
Part of: Quotas, Faith and Markets
OBCs, backward beyond SC and ST, found voice as Congress support ebbed and Janata wings rose. The 1978 Mandal panel found backward castes scarce in schools and jobs and urged 27 per cent quotas plus land reform; VP Singh's 1990 job-quota order lit fires, and the 1992 Sawhney ruling upheld quotas. BAMCEF's 1978 bahujan creed grew into Kanshi Ram's 1984 BSP, which broke through in UP in 1989 and 1991 on Dalit votes plus allies.
Why it matters. Numbers seek power. Learners see quotas and parties turning identity into representation.
Key words
- Mandal Commission
- : 1978 panel on backward classes.
- OBC reservation
- : 27 per cent quota for OBCs.
- Sawhney ruling
- : 1992 court nod to quotas.
- BAMCEF
- : 1978 Dalit employees federation.
- Bahujan Samaj Party
- : 1984 Kanshi Ram party.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask why north lacked quotas.
- Discuss 1990 fires and 1992 nod.
- Ask how numbers become power.
- Judge whether gains reach the neediest.
Try at home. List three groups quotas aim to lift.
Faith, Markets and Consensus
Part of: Quotas, Faith and Markets
Jana Sangh's heirs formed the BJP in 1980, first Gandhian-socialist then Hindutva-nationalist after poll failure; Shah Bano's 1985 maintenance win, nullified by the 1986 Act, fed appeasement charges. The Ayodhya shrine row, sealed since 1949 and unlocked in 1986, peaked in the 1992 demolition and closed with the 2019 5-0 verdict granting the site for a temple and land for a mosque. Meanwhile parties converged on markets, backward claims, regional say and pragmatic power-sharing.
Why it matters. Faith, markets and regions steer today. Learners see courts settling shrines and consensus taming rivalry.
Key words
- Hindutva
- : Cultural-nationalist creed of BJP.
- Shah Bano case
- : 1985 maintenance row over Muslim law.
- Janmabhoomi issue
- : Ayodhya shrine dispute.
- Supreme Court verdict
- : November 2019 5-0 shrine verdict.
- New consensus
- : Four-point all-party agreement.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask how 1980 BJP differed from the Sangh.
- Discuss law versus faith in Shah Bano.
- Ask how courts settled Ayodhya.
- Count the four consensus points.
Try at home. List two consensus points and one party each that backs them.
What your child will practise
- End of the Congress System: Desert Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- End of the Congress System: Ocean Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Era of Coalitions: Jungle Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Faith, Markets and Consensus: Desert Quest (Flip and Match)
- Mandal and Bahujan Politics: Jungle Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Quiz: End of the Congress System (8 questions)
- Quiz: Era of Coalitions (8 questions)
- Quiz: Faith, Markets and Consensus (8 questions)
- Quiz: Mandal and Bahujan Politics (8 questions)