United Progressive Alliance | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | UPA |
| Founder | Sonia Gandhi |
| Founded | 6 May 2004; 21 years ago (2004-05-06) |
| Dissolved | 18 July 2023; 2 years ago (2023-07-18) |
| Succeeded by | Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) |
| Ideology | Liberalism[4] Social liberalism[10] |
| Political position | Centre tocentre-left[11] |
TheUnited Progressive Alliance (UPA) was apolitical alliance inIndia led by theIndian National Congress. It was formed after the2004 general election with support from left-leaning political parties when no single party got the majority.[12]
The UPA subsequently governed India from 2004 until 2014 for two terms before losing power to their main rivals, theBJP-ledNational Democratic Alliance. The UPA used to rule sevenStates and union territories of India before it was dissolved to form theIndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance on 18 July 2023 ahead of the2024 general election.[13][14]
UPA was formed soon after the2004 Indian general election when no party had won a majority. The then rulingBharatiya Janata Party-ledNational Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 181 seats[15] of 544, as opposed to the UPA's tally of 218 seats.
TheLeft Front with 59 MPs (excluding thespeaker of the Lok Sabha), theSamajwadi Party with 39 MPs and theBahujan Samaj Party with 19 MPs were other significant blocks that supported UPA at various times.[16][17] UPA did not achieve a majority, rather it relied on external support, similar to the formula adopted by the previous minority governments of theUnited Front, the NDA, the Congress government ofP. V. Narasimha Rao, and earlier governments ofV. P. Singh andChandra Shekhar.
An informal alliance had existed prior to the elections as several of the constituent parties had developed seat-sharing agreements in many states. After the election the results of negotiations between parties were announced. The UPA government's policies were initially guided by acommon minimum programme that the alliance hammered out with consultations withJyoti Basu andHarkishan Singh Surjeet of the 59-member Left Front.[18] Hence, government policies were generally perceived as centre-left, reflecting thecentrist policies of the INC.
During the tenure ofJharkhand Chief MinisterMadhu Koda, the constituents of the UPA were, by mutual consent, supporting his government.[19]
On 22 July 2008, the UPA survived avote of confidence in the parliament brought on by the Left Front withdrawing their support in protest at theIndia–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement.[20] The Congress party and its leaders along with thenSamajwadi Party leaderAmar Singh were accused of a "cash for vote" scam as part of thecash-for-votes scandal, in which they were accused of buying votes in Lok Sabha to save the government.[21][22][23] DuringUPA I, the economy saw steady economic growth and many people (100 million+) escaped poverty.
In the2009 Lok Sabha election, the UPA won 262 seats, of which the INC accounted for 206. DuringUPA II, the alliance won election in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh. However, there were several allegations of scams during its tenure that impacted UPA's image nationwide and the approval rating for the government fell. In addition, many members left forYSRCP. This started a domino effect with members leaving to form their own parties and parties such as DMK leaving the alliance altogether. During this time UPA struggled with state election and leadership stability. The alliance suffered a defeat in2014 Indian general election as it won only 60 seats. In addition, UPA won only one state election and got wiped out fromAndhra Pradesh where they previously had 150+ MLAs.
From 2014 to 2017, UPA won only 3 state elections. This was blamed on the alliance's failed leadership and weakness compared to the NDA. In addition the party lost power in states where they had once won state elections as in Bihar. In 2017 the alliance lost again. In 2018 UPA had a phenomenal comeback in the state elections as the party won important inKarnataka,Rajasthan and others. More parties joined the alliance and it was stronger than ever.
In the2019 Indian general election the UPA won only 91 seats in the general election and INC won 52 seats, thus failing to secure 10% seats required for the leader of opposition post. The alliance lost another state to the BJP with the party winning by-polls and pushing the UPA into the minority.
Towards the end of 2019, the alliance made huge gains inHaryana, won inJharkhand and formed a state-level alliance calledMaha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to form thegovernment in Maharashtra withUddhav Thackeray ofShiv Sena leading theministry. Shiv Sena had been a member of NDA for twenty five years. It left NDA and joined MVA in 2019.[24]
Since 2020, more parties joined the alliance. The alliance lost theBihar election that it was expected to win but in 2022, ruling partyJD(U) leftNational Democratic Alliance and rejoined Mahagathbandhan to form the government inBihar.
In addition UPA only won 1 out of the 5 state elections in 2021. However the alliance made significant gains in a number of MLA races.MVA lost control of Maharashtra due tocrisis and split inShiv Sena. Moreover, UPA lost inGujarat assembly elections however, it won the state election inHimachal Pradesh.
In 2023, UPA again failed in winning elections in theNorth-East but won the assembly in the very important state ofKarnataka.
The alliance was rebranded as theIndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance on 18 July 2023, with many parties joining the newly-formed alliance. The alliance contested the2024 Indian general election, serving as the primary opposition to the rulingNational Democratic Alliance.[25]
Current Members at the time of dissolution.
Members left before dissolution.
| Political Party | State | Date | Reason for withdrawal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRS | Telangana | 2006 | Differences over proposed statehood forTelangana | |
| BSP | National Party | 2008 | Congress opposed the UP government where the BSP was the ruling party | |
| JKPDP | Jammu and Kashmir | 2009 | Congress decided to supportNational Conference Government inJammu and Kashmir | |
| PMK | Tamil Nadu | 2009 | PMK declared that it would join theAIADMK led front | |
| AIMIM | Telangana | 2012 | Accused Congress led State Government of Communalism | |
| AITC | West Bengal | 2012 | AITC's demands on rollbacks and reforms not met, including the governments decision to allowFDI in retail and hike in the prices of railway tickets. | |
| SJ(D) | Kerala | 2014 | It merged withJanata Dal (United) on 29 December 2014. | |
| RLD | Uttar Pradesh | 2014 | Decided to leave after 2014 election performance. | |
| JD(S) | Karnataka | 2019 | After JD(S)-INC alliance govt fell in Karnataka, two parties decided to end alliance. | |
| RLSP | Bihar | 2020 | Withdrawn support before Bihar Assembly Election 2020 & Allied with BSP+ on 29 September 2020. | |
| VIP | Bihar | 2020 | Withdrawn support before Bihar Assembly Election 2020 & Allied withNDA | |
| KC(M) | Kerala | 2020 | Decided to joinLDF | |
| BPF | Assam | 2021 | Withdrew due to performance in2021 Assam election. | |
| AIUDF | Assam | 2021 | Party was expelled from the alliance. | |
| SS | Maharashtra | 2022 | Shiv Sena Split in 2022 | |
| Sr.no | Party | Seats Won | Seat Change | Vote% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Indian National Congress | 145 |  32 | 26.7% |
| 2. | Rashtriya Janata Dal | 24 | 17 | 2.2% |
| 3. | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 16 | 4 | 1.8% |
| 4. | Nationalist Congress Party | 9 | 1 | 1.8% |
| 5. | Lok Janshakti Party | 4 |  | 0.6% |
| 6. | Telangana Rashtra Samithi | 2 | | 0.6% |
| 7. | Pattali Makkal Katchi | 6 | 1 | 0.5% |
| 8. | Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | 5 | | 0.5% |
| 9. | Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 4 | | 0.4% |
| 10. | Indian Union Muslim League | 1 | 1 | 0.2% |
| 11. | Republican Party of India (Athawale) | 1 | | 0.1% |
| 12. | Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party | 1 | | 0.1% |
| Total | 218 | 83 | 35.4% | |
| Sr.no | Party | Seats Won | Seat Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Indian National Congress | 206 | 61 |
| 2. | Rashtriya Janata Dal | 4 |  20 |
| 3. | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 18 | 2 |
| 4. | Nationalist Congress Party | 9 | 1 |
| 5. | All India Trinamool Congress | 19 | 18 |
| 6. | Jammu & Kashmir National Conference | 3 | 3 |
| 7. | Bodoland People's Front | 1 | 1 |
| 8. | Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | 3 | |
| 9. | All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen | 1 | 1 |
| 10. | Indian Union Muslim League | 2 | 1 |
| 11. | Kerala Congress (Mani) | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 262 | 44 | |
Note that it refers to nomination by alliance, as the offices of President and Vice President are apolitical.
| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office Electoral mandates Time in office | Previous post | Vice president | Party[26] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 |  | Pratibha Patil (b.1934) | 25 July 2007 | 25 July 2012 | Governor of Rajasthan | Mohammad Hamid Ansari (2007–12) | Indian National Congress | |
| 2007 | ||||||||
| 5 years, 0 days | ||||||||
| 13 |  | Pranab Mukherjee (1935–2020) | 25 July 2012 | 25 July 2017 | Union Minister of Finance | Mohammad Hamid Ansari (2012–17) | ||
| 2012 | ||||||||
| 5 years, 0 days | ||||||||
| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death)[27] | Elected (% votes) | Took office | Left office | Term | President(s) | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 |  | Mohammad Hamid Ansari (b.1937) | 2007 (67.21) | 11 August 2007 | 10 August 2017 | 10 years, 0 days | Pratibha Patil | Indian National Congress | |
| 2012 (67.31) | Pranab Mukherjee | ||||||||
| No. | Prime ministers | Portrait | Term in office | Lok Sabha | Government | Cabinet | Constituency | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Tenure | |||||||
| 13 | Manmohan Singh | .jpg) | 22 May 2004 | 26 May 2014 | 10 years, 4 days | 14th | UPA I | Manmohan Singh I | Rajya Sabha MP FromAssam |
| 15th | UPA II | Manmohan Singh II | |||||||
| Election | Seats won | Change | Total votes | Share of votes | Swing | Status | UPA Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 262 / 543 | New | 158,305,006 | 36.66% | New | Government | Manmohan Singh |
| 2014 | 60 / 543 | 202 | 130,664,858 | 23.59% | 13.07% | Opposition | Sonia Gandhi |
| 2019 | 91 / 543 | 31 | 177,645,346 | 29.00% | 5.41% | Opposition | Rahul Gandhi |
The winter session of parliament in October 2008 came under intense criticism from the Left parties and the BJP to demand a full-fledged winter session instead of what was seen as the UPA to having "scuttled the voice of Parliament" by bringing down the sittings to a record low of 30 days in the year. The tensions between the UPA and the opposition parties became evident at an all-party meeting convened by Lok Sabha speakerSomnath Chatterjee when the leader of opposition,L. K. Advani questioned the status, timing and schedule of the current session of parliament.[28]
M. Karunanidhi had said he felt "let down" by the "lukewarm" response of the centre and had demanded amendments in the resolution on Sri Lanka -
The years 2005 to 2008 and 2010 to 2013 were the darkest parts of the UPA, due to the failure to prevent several terrorist attacks nationwide. The UPA had repealed thePrevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 in 2004, which softened the stand on acts of terrorism and reduced powers for the law enforcement while dealing with acts of terrorism.[30] The weakened legislation, along with intelligence failures, compromised law enforcement, and political interference, resulted in bombings in 2008 across cities likeJaipur,Bangalore,Ahmedabad andDelhi, led by theIndian Mujahideen under support from Pakistan-basedISI, as well as the2005 Delhi bombings,2006 Mumbai train bombings and2006 Varanasi bombings; allies of UPA such asSamajwadi Party were also criticized for labeling theBatla House encounter as fake and supporting the accused arrested byDelhi Police, which occurred less than a week after theDelhi bombings in September 2008.[31][32]
During theNovember 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, when 10 Pakistani terrorists from the banned terror outfitLashkar-e-Taiba under support fromPakistan Army andISI, came from the sea route and seized the city from 26 to 29 November 2008, the UPA Government came under serious fire and widespread condemnation from citizens and leaders of opposition for intelligence failures as well as not being able to provide quick transportation forNSG commandos, who neutralized 8 of the 10 terrorists at theTaj Mahal Palace Hotel, theOberoi Trident hotel, and theChabad House.[33][34] Furthermore,Congress leaderDigvijaya Singh, faced heavy criticism for launching a book which mentioned that theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was somehow linked to the attack, despite credible evidence and confessions fromAjmal Kasab, the only gunman who was captured byMumbai Police; Singh, along with several other UPA leaders, was also publicly criticized for coining the terms Hindu Terror and Saffron Terror.[35][36] The 2008 attacks in Mumbai subsequently led to resignation of several leaders likeVilasrao Deshmukh,R. R. Patil andShivraj Patil, on the grounds of moral responsibility as well as for making insensitive statements in the aftermath.[37][38][39] The UPA was later censured by media and several opposition leaders for being soft against Pakistan following the attack by avoiding military action against terrorist hideouts, as well as in the aftermath of Pakistan Army beheading soldiers of the Indian Army in 2013.[40]
Following the2011 Mumbai bombings, which claimed 26 lives and injured 130+, UPA leader and INC General SecretaryRahul Gandhi remarked that it was impossible to stop every terror attack, adding that "We work towards defeating it, but it is very difficult to stop all the attacks. Even the United States, they are being attacked in Afghanistan.".[41] His comments were slammed from some quarters of the Indian political spectrum, who criticised him for equating the Mumbai attacks with those in Afghanistan and called it an insult to those killed in the blasts.[42][43] The ineptness towards national security, the insensitive statements made by Congress leadership following the terror attack, and the inaction against Pakistan sponsored terrorist groups was one of the few factors that led to the UPA suffering a major defeat in the 2014 General elections.[44]
The UPA was criticised for its alleged involvement scams such as theCommonwealth Games Scam of 2010, the2G spectrum case, theIndian coal allocation scam, and theAgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. Apart from the above-mentioned scams, the UPA has been under intense fire for the alleged doles handed out to the son-in-law of the Gandhi family,Robert Vadra, by UPA-run state governments.[45] The UPA was also rebuked for shielding and not prosecuting RJD leader and Railway Minister during UPA 1Lalu Prasad Yadav, for his involvement in several corruption cases, including the fodder scam case as well as creating Jungle Raj in Bihar between 1990 and 2005, which affected economic and social standing of the state. Additionally, the UPA faced serious criticism on mishandling the national carrierAir India, which led to its financial crisis in 2006–07, before being sold to the Tata group in 2022.[46][47]
The UPA Government has been severely condemned for mishandling the aftermath of the2012 Delhi gang rape case. As per several media houses, the Government had failed to act positively or give credible assurances to the protesters and instead used police force and lathi-charging against protesters, while pushing the media out of the scene, and shutting down metro rail stations.[48] In the aftermath of the incident, while the Government passed anamendment of the laws against rape and sexual assault, which ensured stricter punishments for rape convicts, the amendment was criticized and labeled as an eyewash, as the changes in the laws failed to serve as a deterrent to rising incidents of rape.[49] Furthermore, several key suggestions were ignored, including the criminalisation of marital rape and trying military personnel accused of sexual offences under criminal law, which was severely condemned by several women's safety activists.[50] The UPA was also slammed for inaction against political leaders such asDigvijaya Singh andMulayam Singh Yadav for their comments which promoted misogyny and anti-women views, with Yadav and his party leadership being labeled in 2014 as supporters and defenders of rape and rapists;[51] Yadav was previously condemned for opposing theWomen's Reservation Bill in March 2010 and warning to withdraw from the alliance, making a sexist comment that "if the bill is passed it will fill Parliament with the kind of women who invite catcalls and whistles".[52][53][54]
During its tenure between 2004 and 2014, as well as before, the UPA faced widespread condemnation for indulging in appeasement politics for vote-bank of the Muslim community across India. Following the introduction ofMuslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, which criminalizedtriple talaq or instant divorce and replaced theMuslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986, several leaders from the UPA opposed the law.[55] In addition, the UPA faced immense criticism for the formation of theWAQF Board to appease the Muslim community, which has been responsible for land grabbing and forcible acquisition of properties nationwide, while evicting the original owners who possessed legal documents of ownership.[56]
The UPA, in its opposition, faced immense criticism by the NDA Government for banking frauds, mostly by giving unsecured loans to fugitive businessmenVijay Mallya,Nirav Modi andMehul Choksi during the tenure of then Prime MinisterManmohan Singh.[57][58] Mallya owes money to a consortium of 17 banks, from whom he took loan to fund his now closedKingfisher Airlines, and Modiowes money to thePunjab National Bank.[59][60] While Mallya and Modi have been apprehended in the Great Britain and awaiting extradition, Choksi acquired citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda, with a warrant against him to extradite to India for the bank fraud.[61][62][63]
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