General elections were held in India on 16, 22 and 28 February 1998 to elect the members of the twelfth Lok Sabha. The elections were held three years ahead of schedule after the government led by Inder Kumar Gujral collapsed when the Indian National Congress (INC) withdrew its support in November 1997.[1]
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
543 of the 545 seats in the Lok Sabha[a] 272 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered | 605,880,192 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 61.97% ( 4.03pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
The result was another hung parliament, with no party or alliance able to muster a majority. However, Atal Bihari Vajpayee of the Bharatiya Janata Party was able to form a coalition government led by the National Democratic Alliance with the outside support of the Telugu Desam Party. He was sworn in as Prime Minister with support from 272 of 543 MPs. However, his government collapsed on 17 April 1999 when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam withdrew its support, after Vajpayee refused to meet the demands of its leader J. Jayalalithaa, namely halting the corruption cases against her and the sacking of the Tamil Nadu government led by her bete-noire M. Karunanidhi.[2] This led to fresh elections in 1999.[3]
The 1998 general election was the second consecutive election in which the party that received the most votes did not win the most seats.
Results
edit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Indian National Congress | 95,111,131 | 25.82 | 141 | |
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 94,266,188 | 25.59 | 182 | |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 18,991,867 | 5.16 | 32 | |
| Samajwadi Party | 18,167,640 | 4.93 | 20 | |
| Bahujan Samaj Party | 17,186,779 | 4.67 | 5 | |
| Janata Dal | 11,930,209 | 3.24 | 6 | |
| Rashtriya Janata Dal | 10,229,971 | 2.78 | 17 | |
| Telugu Desam Party | 10,199,463 | 2.77 | 12 | |
| West Bengal Trinamool Congress | 8,920,583 | 2.42 | 7 | |
| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 6,731,550 | 1.83 | 18 | |
| Shiv Sena | 6,528,566 | 1.77 | 6 | |
| Samata Party | 6,491,639 | 1.76 | 12 | |
| Communist Party of India | 6,429,569 | 1.75 | 9 | |
| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 5,308,388 | 1.44 | 6 | |
| Tamil Maanila Congress | 5,169,183 | 1.40 | 3 | |
| Biju Janata Dal | 3,669,825 | 1.00 | 9 | |
| Shiromani Akali Dal | 3,001,769 | 0.81 | 8 | |
| Lok Shakti | 2,548,725 | 0.69 | 3 | |
| All India Rashtriya Janata Party | 2,071,643 | 0.56 | 1 | |
| Revolutionary Socialist Party | 2,032,585 | 0.55 | 5 | |
| Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya) | 1,956,087 | 0.53 | 4 | |
| Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 1,602,504 | 0.44 | 3 | |
| Pattali Makkal Katchi | 1,548,976 | 0.42 | 4 | |
| Republican Party of India | 1,351,019 | 0.37 | 4 | |
| Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | 1,324,548 | 0.36 | 0 | |
| All India Forward Bloc | 1,213,965 | 0.33 | 2 | |
| Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) | 1,181,083 | 0.32 | 1 | |
| Asom Gana Parishad | 1,064,977 | 0.29 | 0 | |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | 912,698 | 0.25 | 0 | |
| Haryana Vikas Party | 875,803 | 0.24 | 1 | |
| Muslim League Kerala State Committee | 800,765 | 0.22 | 2 | |
| Jammu & Kashmir National Conference | 784,669 | 0.21 | 3 | |
| Bharatiya Kisan Kamgar Party | 711,080 | 0.19 | 0 | |
| Apna Dal | 562,946 | 0.15 | 0 | |
| All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen | 485,785 | 0.13 | 1 | |
| All India Indira Congress (Secular) | 457,510 | 0.12 | 1 | |
| Puthiya Tamilagam | 446,583 | 0.12 | 0 | |
| Janata Party | 444,305 | 0.12 | 1 | |
| NTR Telugu Desam Party (Lakshmi Parvathi) | 384,211 | 0.10 | 0 | |
| Karnataka Vikas Party | 371,346 | 0.10 | 0 | |
| United Minorities Front, Assam | 357,759 | 0.10 | 1 | |
| Kerala Congress (M) | 356,168 | 0.10 | 1 | |
| Kerala Congress | 327,649 | 0.09 | 0 | |
| MGR Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 278,324 | 0.08 | 0 | |
| Forward Bloc (Socialist) | 272,974 | 0.07 | 0 | |
| Peasants and Workers Party of India | 269,609 | 0.07 | 1 | |
| Marxist Co-ordination Committee | 263,901 | 0.07 | 0 | |
| Shiromani Akali Dal (Simranjit Singh Mann) | 248,529 | 0.07 | 0 | |
| Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Mardi) | 240,897 | 0.07 | 0 | |
| Bihar Jana Congress | 222,371 | 0.06 | 0 | |
| United Democratic Party | 213,924 | 0.06 | 0 | |
| Gondwana Ganatantra Party | 196,662 | 0.05 | 0 | |
| Manipur State Congress Party | 190,358 | 0.05 | 1 | |
| Autonomous State Demand Committee | 184,241 | 0.05 | 1 | |
| Jharkhand Party (Naren) | 181,018 | 0.05 | 0 | |
| Arunachal Congress | 172,496 | 0.05 | 2 | |
| Ajeya Bharat Party | 157,854 | 0.04 | 0 | |
| United Reservation Movement Council of Assam | 151,543 | 0.04 | 0 | |
| National Loktantrik Party | 147,706 | 0.04 | 0 | |
| United Goans Democratic Party | 132,558 | 0.04 | 0 | |
| Mahabharat People's Party | 115,785 | 0.03 | 0 | |
| Sikkim Democratic Front | 102,440 | 0.03 | 1 | |
| Peoples Democratic Party | 92,083 | 0.02 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Sena | 90,035 | 0.02 | 0 | |
| Indian National League | 86,697 | 0.02 | 0 | |
| Himachal Vikas Congress | 85,046 | 0.02 | 0 | |
| Mizo National Front | 82,047 | 0.02 | 0 | |
| Savarn Samaj Party | 76,980 | 0.02 | 0 | |
| Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party | 70,191 | 0.02 | 0 | |
| Jharkhand Party | 63,836 | 0.02 | 0 | |
| Hill State People's Democratic Party | 62,144 | 0.02 | 0 | |
| Loktantrik Samajwadi Party | 43,770 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Bahujan Samaj Party (Ambedkar) | 43,402 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Indian Congress (Socialist) | 36,677 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Uttarakhand Kranti Dal | 30,654 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bartiya Manav Seva Dal | 26,027 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| National Panthers Party | 24,638 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Marxist Communist Party of India (S.S. Srivastava) | 24,417 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Shoshit Samaj Dal | 24,303 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Proutist Sarva Samaj Samiti | 23,029 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha | 20,928 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Jammu and Kashmir Awami League | 20,843 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Amra Bangali | 20,372 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha | 19,202 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| Garo National Council | 16,280 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Jan Sangh | 14,284 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha | 14,160 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Plain Tribals Council of Assam | 12,952 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Vikash Party | 11,881 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| United Tribal Nationalist Liberation Front | 11,287 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rajasthan Vikas Party | 11,267 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Karnataka Rajya Ryota Sangha | 10,064 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| United Communist Party of India | 10,018 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharti Lok Lehar Party | 9,959 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Samajwadi Jan Parishad | 9,848 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Hindustan Janata Party | 9,476 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Jantantrik Parishad | 9,367 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Maharashtra Rashtravadi Congress | 8,623 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Jharkhand People's Party | 7,111 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Sarvadharam Party (Madhya Pradesh) | 6,671 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Rajivwadi Congress (Dubey) | 6,455 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Rajiv Congress | 6,122 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Kisan Vikas Party | 5,905 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Jai Telengana Party | 5,847 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Bhrastachar Normoolan Sena | 5,718 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| All India Rajiv Krantikari Congress | 5,588 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Pragtisheel Manav Samaj Party | 5,495 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Krantikari Kammand Party | 4,852 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Shoshit Samaj Party | 4,722 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rashtriya Aikta Manch | 4,596 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bahujan Kranti Dal (JAI) | 4,525 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| The Humanist Party of India | 4,439 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Revolutionary Communist Party of India (Rasik Bhatt) | 4,420 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rashtriya Ali Sena | 4,371 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Sanatan Samaj Party | 4,238 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Orissa Congress | 4,048 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) | 3,763 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rastreeya Praja Parishat | 3,688 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Minorities Suraksha Mahasangh | 3,030 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Golden India Party | 3,002 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Adarsh Lok Dal | 2,909 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Manava Party | 2,903 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Krantikari Manuwadi Morcha | 2,723 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Religion of Man Revolving Political Party of India | 2,503 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| All India Minorities Front | 2,480 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bahujan Kranti Dal | 2,466 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Ashok Sena | 2,392 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Republican Party of India (Khobragade) | 2,167 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Gareebjan Samaj Party | 2,009 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Andhra Nadu Party | 1,915 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| All India Muslim Forum | 1,866 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bahujan Vikas Party | 1,833 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Pragati Sheel Party | 1,828 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rashtriya Janandholan Paksha | 1,708 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Tamilaga Janata | 1,697 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Berozgaar Party | 1,609 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Prism | 1,595 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| United Citizens Party | 1,591 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Jan Sabha | 1,425 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rashtriya Unnatsheel Das | 1,394 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Socialist Party (Lohia) | 1,321 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Revolutionary Shoshit Samaj Dal | 1,277 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Agrajan Party | 1,269 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Ekta Krandi Dal U.P. | 1,246 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| All India Gareeb Congress | 1,222 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Republican Presidium Party of India | 1,215 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Garib Mazdoor Kisan Party | 1,199 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Indian Bahujan Samajwadi Party | 1,162 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Parivartan Morcha | 1,111 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Nagaland Peoples Party | 1,066 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Momin Front | 1,045 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Manav Samaj Party | 1,036 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rashtriya Mazdoor Ekta Party | 946 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Hindustan Inqualab Party | 883 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Jan Samanta Party | 828 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bhrishtachar Virodhi Dal | 754 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Janata Congress | 751 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Ambedkarbadi Party | 736 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rashtriya Muslim Mujhahid Party | 710 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Shivsena Rashtrawadi | 703 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| National Republican Party | 694 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Hind Kisan Mazdoor Party | 614 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bhartiya Loktantra Party | 609 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Hind Morcha | 590 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Punjab Pradesh Vikash Party | 576 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Uttar Pradesh Republican Party | 552 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Kranti Dal | 501 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Jan Jagruti Party | 494 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya General Labour Party | 412 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Bharatiya Asht Jan Party | 363 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Telangana Praja Party | 344 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rashtriya Rajdhani Congress Delhi | 343 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Azad Hind Party | 306 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Rashtriya Janta Congress | 297 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad (Prem Vallabh Vyas) | 150 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Indian Republican Front | 118 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Independents | 8,719,952 | 2.37 | 6 | |
| Nominated Anglo-Indians | 2 | |||
| Total | 368,376,700 | 100.00 | 545 | |
| Valid votes | 368,376,700 | 98.12 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 7,065,039 | 1.88 | ||
| Total votes | 375,441,739 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 605,880,192 | 61.97 | ||
| Source: ECI | ||||
By state and alliance
editNotes
edit- ^ Two seats were reserved for Anglo-Indians and filled by presidential nomination
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Government Falls, Indian Premier Quits; Coalition Splits Amid Gandhi Assassination Debate". The Washington Post. 29 November 1997. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ "BJP's one-vote defeat in 1999 was narrowest in history". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ "The 1999 No-Trust Motion That Former PM Vajpayee Lost by One Vote". The Quint. 20 July 2018. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.