List of Tables and Figures;
Editor/Contributors;
Preface;
1. National and State Coalitions in India: Theory and Comparison E. SRIDHARAN;
2. Why are Multi-party Minority Governments Viable in India? Theory and Comparison E. SRIDHARAN;
3. Competition and Coalition Formation in the New Party System K.K. KAILASH;
4. Coalitions in Maharashtra: Political Fragmentation or Social Reconfiguration? SUHAS PALSHIKAR, NITIN BIRMAL and VIVEK GHOTALE;
5. Coalition Politics in Bihar: From One-Party Dominance to Bipolarity to Uncertainty? SANJAY KUMAR;
6. Coalition Politics in Punjab: From Communal Polarisation to Catchall Parties? PRAMOD KUMAR;
7. Changing Dimensions of Coalition Politics in Kerala: A Puzzle or Pattern? G. GOPA KUMAR;
8. Coalition Politics in West Bengal: The Long-duration Left Front AMIYA K. CHAUDHURI;
9. Conclusion: Is there a Pattern to Power-sharing in Coalitions? E. SRIDHARAN;
Index.

India is in an era of coalition politics in which state politics plays a major role. This compact book breaks new ground in empirical discoveries about the basis of stable coalitions in Indian states, and also theorises the viability of multi-party coalition governments at the national level in comparative perspective, and examines the dynamics of competition and coalition formation. It consists of two chapters on national-level coalitions and five chapters on states that have had significant experience of coalition politics—West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra and Bihar. All chapters are based on extensive data collection and interview-based fieldwork with political actors. The key findings are summarised in the concluding chapter, that is, there is a clear pattern across states to the stability of coalitions at the state level over time, and consists of two central factors—stable pre-electoral seat-sharing and portfolio-sharing arrangements.