The Lok Sabha elections of 1989 led to:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Formation of the National Front Government
Option (1) Formation of the United Front government Incorrect. The United Front government came after the 1996 elections, with H. D. Deve Gowda and then I. K. Gujral as Prime Minister, supported by the Congress from outside.
Option (2) Formation of the National Front Government Correct. The 1989 elections defeated the Congress but gave no party a majority. The National Front, an alliance of the Janata Dal and some regional parties, formed a coalition government with V. P. Singh as Prime Minister.
Option (3) Emergence of the BJP as the largest party in the Lok Sabha Incorrect. The Congress was still the largest party in the Lok Sabha; as it had no clear majority, it decided to sit in the opposition.
Option (4) BJP and the Left Front joining the government Incorrect. The BJP and the Left Front, two diametrically opposite groups, supported the National Front government but did not join it.
NCERT (2026-27): “Era of Coalitions … Elections in 1989 led to the defeat of the Congress party but did not result in a majority for any other party. Though the Congress was the largest party in the Lok Sabha, it did not have a clear majority and therefore, it decided to sit in the opposition. The National Front (which itself was an alliance of Janata Dal and some other regional parties) received support from two diametrically opposite political groups: the BJP and the Left Front. On this basis, the National Front formed a coalition government, but the BJP and the Left Front did not join in this government.” |