Q. Account for the legal and political factors responsible for the reduced frequency of using Article 356 by the Union Governments since mid 1990s.

Model Answer: 

Article 356 (President’s Rule), invoked over 90 times before 1994, witnessed a drastic decline in frequency post-1990s due to a confluence of robust judicial safeguards and evolving democratic dynamics.

1. Legal and Judicial Factors

1. Judicial Review (S.R. Bommai Case, 1994): The Supreme Court established that Presidential proclamations are subject to judicial scrutiny, effectively deterring arbitrary dismissals.
2. Floor Test Supremacy: Courts mandated majority testing exclusively on the Assembly floor, overriding subjective gubernatorial assessments (Nabam Rebia 2016, Maharashtra 2019).
3. Objective Material Requirement: The judiciary demanded concrete, objective evidence of constitutional breakdown rather than relying solely on Governor reports (Rameshwar Prasad Case, 2006).
4. Active Presidential Checks: Assertive Presidents exercised constitutional morality by returning politically motivated Cabinet advisories (President K.R. Narayanan regarding UP in 1997, Bihar in 1998).
5. Codifying Sarkaria Guidelines: The Supreme Court legally cemented the Sarkaria Commission’s recommendations, strictly restricting Article 356 as a “measure of last resort.”

2. Political Factors

1. Coalition Politics: The 1989-2014 coalition era made national governments structurally dependent on regional parties, making arbitrary state dismissals politically suicidal.
2. Rise of Regionalism: Assertive regional leaders commanded consolidated vote banks, imposing severe electoral costs and public backlash against central overreach.
3. Rajya Sabha Arithmetic: Ruling coalitions at the Centre frequently lacked Upper House majorities, risking parliamentary rejection of the proclamation within the mandated two months.
4. Institutional Dialogue: The activation of the Inter-State Council (1990) provided a formal platform for Centre-State conflict resolution, averting constitutional breakdowns.
5. Enhanced Accountability: 24/7 media scrutiny and heightened civil society activism made the political cost of blatantly subverting elected state governments unviable.

The curtailed misuse of Article 356 highlights the structural maturation of Indian democracy, replacing hyper-centralization with genuine cooperative federalism and ingrained constitutional morality.