১৯৯৯ৰ ভাৰতৰ সাধাৰণ নিৰ্বাচন

ভাৰতৰ সাধাৰণ নিৰ্বাচন, ১৯৯৯ ৫ ছেপ্টেম্বৰৰ পৰা ৩ অক্টোবৰলৈ কাৰ্গিল যুদ্ধৰ কেইমাহমান পিছতে অনুষ্ঠিত হৈছিল। ত্ৰয়োদশ লোকসভা গঠন কৰাৰ উদ্দেশে অনুষ্ঠিত কৰা এই নিৰ্বাচনৰ এক বিশেষ ঐতিহাসিক গুৰুত্ব আছে। প্ৰথমবাৰৰ বাবে ভাৰতত বিভিন্ন ৰাজনৈতিক দলসমূহৰ দ্বাৰা এখন সংযুক্ত মৰ্চা চৰকাৰ গঠন কৰা হৈছিল, যিখন চৰকাৰে এটা সম্পূৰ্ণ কাৰ্যকাল পাৰ কৰিবলৈ সক্ষম হৈছিল আৰু তেনেকৈয়ে ৰাষ্ট্ৰীয় পৰ্যায়ত ৰাজনীতিত দেখা দিয়া অস্থিৰতা দূৰ হৈছিল। ইয়াৰ পূৰ্বে ১৯৯৬ আৰু ১৯৯৮ত গঠন কৰা দুয়োখন লোকসভাই কাৰ্যকাল সম্পূৰ্ণ নহওঁতেই ভঙ্গ হৈছিল।

পৃষ্ঠভূমি

১৯৯৯ৰ লোকসভাৰ আস্থাৰ ভোট

১৭ এপ্ৰিল ১৯৯৯ৰ দিনা প্ৰধানমন্ত্ৰী অটল বিহাৰী বাজপায়ী নেতৃত্বাধীন ভাৰতীয় জনতা পাৰ্টি মৰ্চা চৰকাৰে লোকসভাত মৰ্চাৰ অন্যতম অংশীদাৰী দল অল ইণ্ডিয়া দ্ৰাবিড়া মুন্নেত্ৰা কাঝাগমে সমৰ্থন উঠাই লোৱাত মাত্ৰ এটা ভোটত আস্থাৰ ভোটত পৰাজিত হয়। এ.আই.এ.ডি.এম.কে. দলৰ নেত্ৰী জয়ললিতাই বাৰেবাৰে চৰকাৰক কিছুমান নিৰ্দ্দিষ্ট দাবী, বিশেষকৈ দ্ৰাবিড়া মুন্নেত্ৰা কাঝাগমৰ তামিল নাডু চৰকাৰক বৰ্খাস্ত কৰা দাবী মানি লবলৈ হেঁচা প্ৰয়োগ কৰি আছিল; অন্যাথা সমৰ্থন উঠাই লোৱাৰ ভাবুকি আছিল। বিজেপিৰ মতে তামিলনাডুৰ মুখ্যমন্ত্ৰী হৈ থকা কালত জয়াললিতাৰ বিৰুদ্ধে উঠা দুৰ্নীতিৰ অভিযোগৰ পৰা বাচিবলৈ এনে ধৰণৰ ভাবুকি প্ৰদান কৰি আছিল।^১

বিৰোধী দলনেত্ৰী তথা ভাৰতীয় কংগ্ৰেছ পাৰ্টিৰ শীৰ্ষনেত্ৰী স্বৰূপে ছোনিয়া গান্ধীয়েও লোকসভাত সংখ্যগৰিষ্ঠ হোৱাকৈ এখন মৰ্চা চৰকাৰ গঠন কৰিবলৈ সক্ষম নাছিল। কাজেই আস্থাৰ ভোটত হৰা পিছত ৰাষ্ট্ৰপতি কে আৰ নাৰায়ণনে লোকসভা ভঙ্গ কৰি দিয়ে আৰু নতুনকৈ নিৰ্বাচন পতাৰ ঘোষণা কৰে। নিৰ্বাচন হৈ নোযোৱালৈ ৰাষ্ট্ৰপতিয়ে অটল বিহাৰী বাজপায়ীক তত্ত্বাৱধায়ক প্ৰধানমন্ত্ৰী ৰূপে কাৰ্যভাৰ চলাই যাবলৈ দায়িত্ব অৰ্পণ কৰে।^২

Campaign

The incumbent ভাৰতীয় জনতা পাৰ্টী (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 ভাৰতীয় জাতীয় কংগ্ৰেছ, the long-traditional leftist 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 cooperation. 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.^৩

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.^৪৫

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 অসম. These final factors were to prove decisive in the election outcome of 1999.^৬৭

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.^৮৯

Results

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 party 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 উত্তৰ প্ৰদেশ (where it had been virtually wiped out in 1998). 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".^১০

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."^১১

Results by state

States

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