1999 Indian general election

Lok Sabha General elections were held in India between 5 September and 3 October 1999, a few months after the Kargil War. For the first time, a united front of political parties managed to win a majority and form a non-INC National government that lasted a full term of five years, thus ending a period of political instability at the national level in the country that had been characterised by three general elections held in as many years.

1999 Indian general election

5 September–3 October 1999

All 545 seats in the Lok Sabha
273 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout59.99% ( 1.98% ) [1]
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sonia Gandhi Harkishan Singh Surjeet
Party BJP INC CPI (M)
Alliance NDA INC+
Leader since 16 May 1996 19 March 1998 1992
Leader's seat Lucknow Amethi None
Seats won 182 114 33
Seat change 27 1
Popular vote 86,562,209 103,120,330 19,695,767
Percentage 23.75% 28.30% 5.40%
Swing 1.84% 2.48% 0.24%


Prime Minister before election

Atal Bihari Vajpayee
BJP

Subsequent Prime Minister

Atal Bihari Vajpayee
BJP

Background

1999 Lok Sabha Vote of Confidence

On 17 April 1999, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government led by prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee failed to win a confidence vote in the Lok Sabha (India's lower house) by a single vote due to the withdrawal of one of the government's coalition partners – the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The leader of the AIADMK, J. Jayalalithaa, had consistently threatened to withdraw support from the ruling coalition if certain demands were not met, in particular the sacking of the Tamil Nadu government, control of which she had lost three years prior. The BJP accused Jayalalithaa of making the demands in order to avoid standing trial for a series of corruption charges, and no agreement between the parties could be reached leading to the government's defeat.[2]

Sonia Gandhi, as leader of the opposition and largest opposition party (Indian National Congress) was unable to form a coalition of parties large enough to secure a working majority in the Lok Sabha. Thus shortly after the no confidence motion, President K. R. Narayanan dissolved the Parliament and called fresh elections. Atal Bihari Vajpayee remained caretaker prime minister till the elections were held later that year.[3]

Campaign

The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went into the election as the head of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition of over 20 parties. Several other parties in the election not part of the NDA also committed themselves to supporting a BJP led government on matters of confidence. The main opposition league was led by Sonia Gandhi's Indian National Congress, the long-traditional center-left dominant party in India. The opposition coalition comprised far fewer parties, and its alliances were generally weaker than those of the NDA. A so-called "third front" of left-wing, socialist and communist parties was also present, although this was not a strong electoral alliance so much as a loose grouping of parties that shared similar ideological viewpoints and had some inter-party co-operation. There were also nearly one thousand candidates of unaffiliated parties, independent candidates and parties who were unwilling to take part in coalitions that stood in the election.[4]

The campaign coalesced around a few key issues. Sonia Gandhi was a relative newcomer to the INC (having been elected to the presidency in 1998) and her leadership had recently been challenged by Maharastrian INC leader Sharad Pawar, on the grounds of her Italian birth. This led to an underlying crisis within the INC that persisted during the election and was capitalised upon by the BJP, which contrasted the "videsi" (foreign) Gandhi versus the "swadesi" (home-grown) Vajpayee. Another issue running in the BJP's favour was the generally positive view of Vajpayee's handling of the Kargil War, which had ended a few months earlier and had affirmed and strengthened the Indian position in Kashmir. During the past two years India had posted strong economic growth on the back of economic liberalisation and financial reforms, as well as a low rate of inflation and higher rate of industrial expansion. The BJP campaigned strongly on the back of these achievements, as well as cultivating some sympathy for the predicament which had led to the government's downfall.[5][6]

Perhaps most decisive though in the BJP's campaign was the solid alliance it had cultivated and the relatively strong performance it was able to deliver on regional and local issues. The 1991, 1996, and 1998 elections saw a period of consistent growth for the BJP and its allies, based primarily on political expansions in terms of cultivating stronger and broader alliances with other previously unaffiliated parties; and regional expansion which had seen the NDA become competitive and even the largest vote takers in previously Congress dominated areas such as Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Assam. These final factors were to prove decisive in the election outcome of 1999.[7][8]

The voting was conducted over five days. Elections were conducted in 146 seats on the Eastern coast of the country on 5 September, in 123 Central and Southern seats on 11 September, in 76 Northern and Upper-Central seats on 18 September, in 74 North Western seats on 25 September and in the 121 Western seats on 3 October. Despite some fears of voter fatigue, electoral turnout was comparable with previous elections at 59.99%. Over 5 million election officials conducted the election over 800,000 polling stations, with vote counting commencing on 6 October.[9][10]

Results

Atal Bihari Vajpayee's NDA Coalition, in concert with the Telugu Desam Party, secured a large majority in the Lok Sabha.

The results were decisively in favour of the BJP and the NDA, with the formal NDA picking up 269 seats, and a further 29 seats taken by the Telugu Desam Party, which gave support to the BJP-led government but was not strictly part of its alliance. The Congress party lost 23 seats, and its two key regional allies performed worse than expected, however it did regain ground in some states such as Uttar Pradesh (where it had been wiped out in 1998, not winning a single seat in the state). The leftist parties' fortunes continued to decline, with the Communist Party of India dropping to just four seats and losing its official status as a "national party".[11]

The result for the Indian National Congress was the worst in nearly half a century, with party leader Sonia Gandhi calling upon the party to take a frank assessment of itself – "the result calls for introspection, frank assessment and determined action. We will attend to this in the coming days. In the meantime, we accept unhesitatingly the verdict of the people". For the BJP, this marked the first occasion where a non-INC party had secured a stable government coalition. Previous non-INC governing coalitions had been formed in 1977, 1989 and 1996; however none of these administrations had been able to maintain a stable coagulation for more than a couple of years. One Senior BJP figure commented in the aftermath "It will certainly be a government of stability...I expect that Mr Vajpayee, with all his experience, will be able to handle our coalition partners."[12]

By alliance

Summary of the September–October 1999 Lok Sabha Election
Parties and Alliances Votes % Change Seats Change
   National Democratic Alliance (NDA) 135,103,344 37.06 −0.15 270 +16
Bharatiya Janata Party 86,562,209 23.75 −1.84 182
Janata Dal (United) 11,282,084 3.10 * 21 *
Shiv Sena 5,672,412 1.56 −0.21 15 +9
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 6,298,832 1.73 +0.29 12 +6
Biju Janata Dal 4,378,536 1.20 +0.20 10 +1
Nationalist Trinamool Congress 9,363,785 2.57 +0.15 8 +1
Pattali Makkal Katchi 2,377,741 0.65 +0.23 5
Indian National Lok Dal 2,002,700 0.55 * 5 *
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 1,620,527 0.44 4 +1
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference 454,481 0.12 −0.09 4 +1
Shiromani Akali Dal 2,502,949 0.69 −0.12 2 −6
Rashtriya Lok Dal 1,364,030 0.37 * 2 *
Lok Shakti 40,997 0.01 −0.68 0 −3
Asom Gana Parishad 1,182,061 0.32 −0.03 0
   Other BJP Affiliated Parties
Telugu Desam Party 13,297,370 3.65 +0.88 29 +12
   Indian National Congress 103,120,330 28.30 +2.48 114 −27
   Other INC Affiliated Parties 18,753,722 5.15 +4.83 21 +18
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 7,046,953 1.93 +0.10 10 −8
Rashtriya Janata Dal 10,150,492 2.79 +0.01 7 −7
United Democratic Front
0Kerala Congress 365,313 0.10 +0.01 1 +1
0Kerala Congress (Mani) 357,402 0.10 1
0Indian Union Muslim League 833,562 0.23 +0.01 2
   Communist Party of India (Marxist)19,695,7675.40+0.2433+1
   Samajwadi Party (Socialist Party)13,717,0213.76−1.1726+6
   Bahujan Samaj Party (Majority Society Party)15,175,8454.16−0.5114+9
   Other Seated Parties 24,826,373 6.79 * 30 *
Nationalist Congress Party 8,260,311 2.27 * 8 *
Communist Party of India 5,395,119 1.48 −0.27 4 −5
Revolutionary Socialist Party 1,500,817 0.41 −0.14 3 −2
All India Forward Bloc 1,288,060 0.35 +0.02 2
Akhil Bharatiya Lok Tantrik Congress 818,713 0.22 * 2 *
Janata Dal (Secular) 3,332,702 0.91 * 1 *
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation 1,220,698 0.33 +0.08 1 +1
Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangha 692,559 0.19 * 1 *
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimen 448,165 0.12 −0.01 1
MGR Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 396,216 0.11 +0.03 1 +1
Shiromani Akali Dal (Simranjit Singh Mann) 298,846 0.08 >+0.01 1 +1
Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) 297,337 0.08 −0.24 1
Peasants and Workers Party of India 282,583 0.08 +0.01 1
Himachal Vikas Congress 264,002 0.07 +0.05 1 +1
Manipur State Congress Party 222,417 0.06 +0.01 1
Sikkim Democratic Front 107,828 0.03 1
   Unseated Parties10,751,1762.990
   Independents9,996,3862.74+0.376
   Nominated Anglo-Indians2
Total364,437,294100%545

Source: Electoral Commission of India, Statistical Report on General Elections, 1999 to the 13th Lok Sabha

By state

States Party Seats won % of Votes Alliance
Andhra Pradesh Telugu Desam 29 39.85 BJP affiliated parties
Bharatiya Janata Party 7 9.90 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 5 42.79 Indian National Congress
Independent 0 1.41 None
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen 1 6.05 None
Arunachal Pradesh Indian National Congress 2 56.92 Indian National Congress
Arunachal Congress 0 16.62 National Democratic Alliance
Bharatiya Janata Party 0 16.30 National Democratic Alliance
Nationalist Congress Party 0 7.77 None
Others 0 2.39 None
Assam Indian National Congress 10 38.42 Indian National Congress
Bharatiya Janata Party 2 29.84 National Democratic Alliance
Asom Gana Parishad 0 11.92 National Democratic Alliance
Independent 1 9.36 None
Others 1 10.46 None
Bihar Bharatiya Janata Party 23 23.01 National Democratic Alliance
Janata Dal (United) 18 20.77 National Democratic Alliance
Rashtriya Janata Dal 7 28.29 None
Indian National Congress 4 8.81 None
Others 2 19.12 None
Goa Bharatiya Janata Party 2 51.49 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 0 39.01 None
Nationalist Congress Party 0 3.79 None
Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party 20 52.48 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 6 45.44 None
Independent 0 0.67 None
Nationalist Congress Party 0 0.52 None
Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party 5 29.21 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Lok Dal 5 28.72 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 0 34.93 None
Haryana Vikas Party 0 2.71 None
Others 0 4.43 None
Himachal Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party 3 46.27 National Democratic Alliance
Himachal Vikas Party 1 12.37 None
Indian National Congress 0 39.52 None
Independent 0 0.48 None
Others 0 1.36 None
Jammu & Kashmir Jammu & Kashmir National Conference 4 28.94 National Democratic Alliance
Bharatiya Janata Party 2 31.56 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 0 17.83 None
Independent 0 9.63 None
Others 0 12.04 None
Karnataka Indian National Congress 18 45.41 Indian National Congress
Bharatiya Janata Party 7 27.19 National Democratic Alliance
Janata Dal (United) 3 13.28 National Democratic Alliance
Janata Dal (Secular) 0 10.85 None
Others 0 3.27 None
Kerala Indian National Congress 8 39.25 Indian National Congress
Communist Party of India (Marxist) 8 27.90 None
Communist Party of India 0 7.57 None
Bharatiya Janata Party 0 6.56 None
Others 4 18.62 None
Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party 29 46.58 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 11 43.91 None
Bahujan Samaj Party 0 5.23 None
Samajwadi Party 0 1.37 None
Others 0 2.91 None
Maharashtra Shiv Sena 15 16.86 National Democratic Alliance
Bharatiya Janata Party 13 21.18 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 10 29.71 None
Nationalist Congress Party 6 21.58 None
Others 4 10.67 None
Manipur Manipur State Congress Party 1 24.89 National Democratic Alliance
Nationalist Congress Party 1 13.49
Manipur Peoples Party 0 16.25
Orissa Biju Janata Dal 10 33.00 National Democratic Alliance
Bharatiya Janata Party 9 24.63 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 2 36.94 None
Punjab
Shiromani Akali Dal 2 25.58 National Democratic Alliance
Bharatiya Janata Party 1 n/a National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 8 23.13 None
Others 2 n/a None
Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party 16 23.01 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 9 17.83 None
Tamil Nadu
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 12 23.1 National Democratic Alliance
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 10 25.7 INC affiliated parties
Pattali Makkal Katchi 5 8.2 National Democratic Alliance
Bharatiya Janata Party 4 7.1 National Democratic Alliance
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 4 6.0 National Democratic Alliance
Indian National Congress 2 11.1 Indian National Congress
Communist Party of India (Marxist) 1 2.4 None
MGR Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 1 1.5 National Democratic Alliance
Uttar Pradesh
Bharatiya Janata Party 29 27.64 National Democratic Alliance
Bahujan Samaj Party 14 22.08 None
Samajwadi Party 26 24.06 None
Indian National Congress 10 14.72 Indian National Congress
Akhil Bharatiya Lok Tantrik Congress 2 1.51 None
Rashtriya Lok Dal 2 2.49 None
Independent 1 3.62 None
Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) 1 0.46 None
West Bengal
Communist Party of India (Marxist) 21 35.57 None
Nationalist Trinamool Congress 8 26.04 National Democratic Alliance
Communist Party of India 3 3.47 None
Indian National Congress 3 13.29 Indian National Congress
Revolutionary Socialist Party (India) 3 4.25 None
All India Forward Bloc 2 3.45 None
Bharatiya Janata Party 2 11.13 National Democratic Alliance

References

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  2. BBC World Service (19 April 1999). "Jayalalitha: Actress-turned-politician". BBC News. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  3. Oldenburg, Philip (September 1999). "The Thirteenth Election of India's Lok Sabha". The Asia Society. Archived from the original on 4 June 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  4. Oldenburg, Philip (September 1999). "Appendix 2 : Major Electoral Parties". The Asia Society. Archived from the original on 1 October 2006. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  5. Hardgrave, Bob (1999). "The 1999 Indian Parliamentary Elections and the New BJP-led Coalition Government". Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  6. CSIS (1999). "Election-Watcher's Guide – 1 September 1999". South Asia Program. Archived from the original on 10 July 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  7. Heath, Oliver (2006). "Anatomy of the BJP's Rise to Power: Social, Regional and Political Expansion in 1990s". In Zoya Hasan (ed.). Parties and Party Politics in India. Oxford India Paperbacks. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-566833-9.
  8. Wallace, Paul; Ramashray Roy (2003). India's 1999 Elections and 20th Century Politics. Sage. ISBN 978-0-7619-9598-2.
  9. Electoral Commission of India. "Elections India". Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  10. BBC (1999). "Indian Elections 1999". BBC News. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  11. Hardgrave, Bob (1999). "The 1999 Indian Parliamentary Elections and the New BJP-led Coalition Government". Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  12. BBC (8 October 1999). "Indian election: What they said". BBC News. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
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