Synopsis The year 1967 turned out to be a watershed in Indian politics. Riding on the crest of mounting non-Congressism, non-Congress coalitions in the form of Samyukta Vidhayak Dal governments were formed in several states. They had ideological heterogeneity. The exceptions were coalitions in West Bengal and Kerala. The coalition in West Bengal was an alliance of left parties whereas in Kerala there was a coalition government of left and democratic front. The Samyukta Vidhayak Dal coalitions in states collapsed in course of time, as a result of their inner contradictions in the realm of ideology and political orientations of the constituents. Because of relative ideological, political and programmatic homogeneity, the coalitions mainly of the left parties in West Bengal and of left and democratic forces in Kerala had a greater degree of stability and as such they could survive and revive. The central government continued to be under the dominant Congress Party rule. Many political analysts had persistently pleaded that though the non-Congress coalition governments ruled in several states, it was not so easy to change the political scenario at the centre.