What NDA or National Democratic Alliance is?

NDA is the abbreviation for the National Democratic Alliance. The NDA is the alliance of the centre-right and right-wing Indian political parties, which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The alliance includes 17 parties. The NDA government was founded in 1998 by late Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

BJP is the only national party in the NDA alliance. Other than that, the alliance includes 25 members as of May 2020:

Janata Dal (United) (JD (U))

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)

Apna Dal (Sonelal) (AD (S))

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)

Jannayak Janata Party (JJP)

All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)

All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU)

National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP)

Pattali Makal Katchi (PMK)

Kerala Congress (J)

Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)

Bodoland People’s Front (BPF)

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK)

Tamil Maanila Congress (M) (TMC (M))

Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS)

Al India N.R Congress (AINRC)

Mahrashtrawadi Gomantak Paksha (MGP)

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)

Jana Sena Party (JSP)

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)

National Peoples Party

Mizo National Front

Sikkim Krantikari Morcha

History of National Democratic Alliance (NDA)

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was formed to contest general elections as a coalition government in 1988. It was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several regional parties were included in the NDA coalition, including the Samta Party, All India. Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), and also the Shiv Sena which is the only member of NDA to share the Hindutva ideology of the BJP. In 1988, the NDA won the majority number of seats and with it won the elections, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee again came into power as the Prime Minister. The win was possible because of the outside support that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). However, the government collapsed because of the withdrawal of the All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Later, few more regional parties joined the NDA, after which it again won the elections of 1999 and for the first time came into power for a full term of five years. Earlier the NDA came into power with Atal Bihari Vajpayee serving as the Prime Minister but for 13 days in 1996, then for 13 months from 1998-1999, and finally for a full term of five years from 1999 – 2004.

Formation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is one of the two major national political parties of India. One is the Indian National Congress (INC) and the other is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) among the two major parties. In 1951, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee formed the Bharatiya Janata Sangh, from where the BJP originated. In 1977, the State of Emergency emerged, and to form the Janata Party the Jana Sangh emerged with several other parties and defeated the Congress Party in the general elections of 1977. The Janata Party dissolved in 1980 after being in power for three years, and the former members of the Jana Sangh came together to form the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP then officially was formed in 1980. Initially, in the 1984 elections, it only won 2 seats but later it followed victories in state and national elections and 1996 became the largest party in the parliament. However, it lasted for only 13 days due to the lack of a majority in the lower house of parliament (Lok Sabha). In 1998, after the general elections the coalition government of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP came into power lasted for 13 months and then in 1999 for a full term of five years. However, in 2004 the NDA government faced defeat and Congress Party stayed in power for the next 10 years. In 2014, the BJP led NDA government finally regained its power and served for a full term of five years under Narendra Modi serving as the Prime Minister of India.