INDIA'S COALITION POLITICS SHIFT India's 2024 election marked a structural realignment: the BJP lost its single-party majority for the first time since 2014, forcing reliance on coalition partners—a return to the 1990s-2000s pattern when no party consistently commanded 272+ Lok Sabha seats. Historically, India's coalitions (1996-2004 period) delivered stable governance despite fragmentation, with average government tenure exceeding three years. Current dynamics differ because regional parties now demand substantive policy concessions rather than just ministerial posts, reshaping how defense, economic, and religious-nationalist policies get negotiated. This matters because it may constrain unilateral policy shifts on contentious issues like constitutional amendments, Hindu nationalism initiatives, and economic reforms—issues that previously faced fewer institutional checks.