Lok Sabha Elections (2004-2019)

The 2004 Lok Sabha election marked a turning point: the Congress party, which had been out of power for years, embraced coalition politics on a large scale. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, was defeated. A new coalition government called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), led by the Congress, came to power. This government was supported from outside by the Left Front parties.

The 2004 election also saw a partial revival of the Congress party. For the first time since 1991, the Congress increased both its vote share and its number of seats in the Lok Sabha. However, the difference in votes polled by the Congress and its allies, and the BJP and its allies, was negligible — the contest was extremely close.

The UPA government completed its full five-year term, despite a major crisis in July 2008. The Left Front parties withdrew their support over the Indo-US nuclear deal, but the government survived with the backing of other parties.

The 15th Lok Sabha elections were held in 2009. The Congress party improved its performance further, increasing its seat tally from 145 in 2004 to 206 in 2009. The UPA returned to power, and Dr. Manmohan Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister for a second term, again heading a coalition government.

In September 2013, the BJP declared Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, as its Prime Ministerial candidate. The 16th Lok Sabha elections in 2014 produced a historic result. The BJP won 282 seats on its own — the first time any party had secured a single-party majority in 30 years. Despite this clear majority, the BJP chose to form the NDA government with its coalition partners. The year 2014 is widely regarded as a watershed moment in Indian politics. The Modi-led NDA government moved rapidly on decisions in the social sector, foreign policy, and economic policy. …