Suresh D. Tendulkar and T.A. Bhavani
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198085584
- eISBN:
- 9780199082087
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198085584.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter addresses some speculative suggestions about the sustainability and ownership of reforms. The critical role of the emergence of regional parties in national politics with neutral ...
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This chapter addresses some speculative suggestions about the sustainability and ownership of reforms. The critical role of the emergence of regional parties in national politics with neutral economic ideology is considered. The Congress Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took the imperative need for a rapid double-digit growth in their 2004 election manifestos,and the associated need for attracting private foreign investment to supplement domestic savings, along with the necessity to upgrade the technological base towards international competitiveness. As long as the instrumental role of rapid growth for classifying distributional conflicts in an orderly fashion is discerned by all the political parties in the coalition game, the reform process is bound to continue.Less
This chapter addresses some speculative suggestions about the sustainability and ownership of reforms. The critical role of the emergence of regional parties in national politics with neutral economic ideology is considered. The Congress Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took the imperative need for a rapid double-digit growth in their 2004 election manifestos,and the associated need for attracting private foreign investment to supplement domestic savings, along with the necessity to upgrade the technological base towards international competitiveness. As long as the instrumental role of rapid growth for classifying distributional conflicts in an orderly fashion is discerned by all the political parties in the coalition game, the reform process is bound to continue.
Pradeep K. Chhibber and Rahul Verma
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190623876
- eISBN:
- 9780190623913
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190623876.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This book challenges the view that party politics and elections in India are far removed from ideas. It claims that a dominant intellectual paradigm of what constitutes an ideology is not entirely ...
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This book challenges the view that party politics and elections in India are far removed from ideas. It claims that a dominant intellectual paradigm of what constitutes an ideology is not entirely applicable to many multiethnic countries in the twentieth century. In these more diverse states, the most important ideological debates center on statism—the extent to which the state should dominate society, regulate social norms, and redistribute private property, and on recognition—whether and how the state should accommodate the needs of various marginalized groups and protect minority rights from assertive majoritarian tendencies. Using survey data from the Indian National Election Studies (NES) and survey experiments from smaller but more focused studies, and evidence drawn from the Constituent Assembly debates, it shows that Indian electoral politics, as represented by political parties, their members, and their voters, is in fact marked by deep ideological cleavages, with parties, party members, and voters taking distinct positions on statism and recognition. This ideological divide can account for the replacement of the one-party-dominant system by a party system in which regional parties have become far more important and a right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had spectacular success in the 2014 national elections. The focus on ideology also explains why leadership is so important in contemporary Indian politics as well as the limited influence of patronage politics. The book shows how education, the media, and religious practice transmit the competing ideas that lie at the heart of the ideological debates in India.Less
This book challenges the view that party politics and elections in India are far removed from ideas. It claims that a dominant intellectual paradigm of what constitutes an ideology is not entirely applicable to many multiethnic countries in the twentieth century. In these more diverse states, the most important ideological debates center on statism—the extent to which the state should dominate society, regulate social norms, and redistribute private property, and on recognition—whether and how the state should accommodate the needs of various marginalized groups and protect minority rights from assertive majoritarian tendencies. Using survey data from the Indian National Election Studies (NES) and survey experiments from smaller but more focused studies, and evidence drawn from the Constituent Assembly debates, it shows that Indian electoral politics, as represented by political parties, their members, and their voters, is in fact marked by deep ideological cleavages, with parties, party members, and voters taking distinct positions on statism and recognition. This ideological divide can account for the replacement of the one-party-dominant system by a party system in which regional parties have become far more important and a right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had spectacular success in the 2014 national elections. The focus on ideology also explains why leadership is so important in contemporary Indian politics as well as the limited influence of patronage politics. The book shows how education, the media, and religious practice transmit the competing ideas that lie at the heart of the ideological debates in India.
John Stratton Hawley and Vasudha Narayanan
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520249134
- eISBN:
- 9780520940079
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520249134.003.0018
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
In regard to the question of militancy versus tolerance, this chapter reports on a trip the author made to Ayodhya in early 1993, a month after Hindu militants destroyed the mosque that had been ...
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In regard to the question of militancy versus tolerance, this chapter reports on a trip the author made to Ayodhya in early 1993, a month after Hindu militants destroyed the mosque that had been built there by a lieutenant of the Mughal emperor Babar in 1528. A symbol of Muslim hegemony in India's past, the Babri Mosque had emerged in the 1980s as a central feature of the rhetoric of hindutva (“Hindu-ness”) that was spread by India's principal right-wing organizations. One of these is the Bharatiya Janata Party, which, until the elections of spring 2004, had led India's ruling political coalition. On the whole, the need to build a ruling coalition took precedence over the need to build Rama's temple. Yet as events in Gujarat and Maharashtra have shown, anti-Muslim Hindu militancy backed by the BJP and its associate organizations is far from dead.Less
In regard to the question of militancy versus tolerance, this chapter reports on a trip the author made to Ayodhya in early 1993, a month after Hindu militants destroyed the mosque that had been built there by a lieutenant of the Mughal emperor Babar in 1528. A symbol of Muslim hegemony in India's past, the Babri Mosque had emerged in the 1980s as a central feature of the rhetoric of hindutva (“Hindu-ness”) that was spread by India's principal right-wing organizations. One of these is the Bharatiya Janata Party, which, until the elections of spring 2004, had led India's ruling political coalition. On the whole, the need to build a ruling coalition took precedence over the need to build Rama's temple. Yet as events in Gujarat and Maharashtra have shown, anti-Muslim Hindu militancy backed by the BJP and its associate organizations is far from dead.
Chris Ogden
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198089551
- eISBN:
- 9780199082728
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198089551.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This book produces the first-ever analysis of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) security policy. It traces the impact of Hindu nationalism upon India’s contemporary security ...
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This book produces the first-ever analysis of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) security policy. It traces the impact of Hindu nationalism upon India’s contemporary security practice by investigating BJP policy before, during, and after their leadership of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Based upon primary sources and extensive interviewing, the volume principally analyses the BJP’s tenure in government from 1998 to 2004—a period of vital importance concerning India’s rise in international prominence. Specifically, it confirms the crucial impact of BJP internal policy sources on India’s external security practice—especially regarding nuclear transparency, a tilt towards the US, greater regional pragmatism and the use of realpolitik. Carried out in comparison with earlier Indian National Congress (INC) regimes, this investigation highlights the multiple, composite, and competing norms influencing India’s foreign policy, and shows how Indian security practice is absorptive, dynamic, and elastic. Most importantly, the author unveils how the BJP-led NDA legacy continues to critically inform the present-day trajectory of Indian security. The book thus yields an overview of foreign policy (and its making) in modern post-colonial India across different political generations, and the current core policies critical to its international emergence as a great power.Less
This book produces the first-ever analysis of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) security policy. It traces the impact of Hindu nationalism upon India’s contemporary security practice by investigating BJP policy before, during, and after their leadership of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Based upon primary sources and extensive interviewing, the volume principally analyses the BJP’s tenure in government from 1998 to 2004—a period of vital importance concerning India’s rise in international prominence. Specifically, it confirms the crucial impact of BJP internal policy sources on India’s external security practice—especially regarding nuclear transparency, a tilt towards the US, greater regional pragmatism and the use of realpolitik. Carried out in comparison with earlier Indian National Congress (INC) regimes, this investigation highlights the multiple, composite, and competing norms influencing India’s foreign policy, and shows how Indian security practice is absorptive, dynamic, and elastic. Most importantly, the author unveils how the BJP-led NDA legacy continues to critically inform the present-day trajectory of Indian security. The book thus yields an overview of foreign policy (and its making) in modern post-colonial India across different political generations, and the current core policies critical to its international emergence as a great power.
Chris Ogden
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198089551
- eISBN:
- 9780199082728
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198089551.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The Introduction lays out the structure of the book, including its theoretical foundations concerning norms and their usefulness for analysing Indian foreign policy across different political ...
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The Introduction lays out the structure of the book, including its theoretical foundations concerning norms and their usefulness for analysing Indian foreign policy across different political ideologies. These foundations rest upon a norm-based and identity-driven account of security that scrutinises multiple norms simultaneously, and highlights the historical experiences of India’s elites in terms of how they perceive Indian security. Such an approach allows for the comparison of foreign policy norms prior to 1998 firstly with those of the BJP-led 1998-2004 NDA and then with subsequent post-2004 governments. It is argued that these ideational factors (primarily different political identities and their composite norms) provide a superior understanding of Indian security by highlighting the impact of temporal factors (such as history, experience, and interaction), and successfully linking domestic ideology with foreign policy.Less
The Introduction lays out the structure of the book, including its theoretical foundations concerning norms and their usefulness for analysing Indian foreign policy across different political ideologies. These foundations rest upon a norm-based and identity-driven account of security that scrutinises multiple norms simultaneously, and highlights the historical experiences of India’s elites in terms of how they perceive Indian security. Such an approach allows for the comparison of foreign policy norms prior to 1998 firstly with those of the BJP-led 1998-2004 NDA and then with subsequent post-2004 governments. It is argued that these ideational factors (primarily different political identities and their composite norms) provide a superior understanding of Indian security by highlighting the impact of temporal factors (such as history, experience, and interaction), and successfully linking domestic ideology with foreign policy.
Chris Ogden
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198089551
- eISBN:
- 9780199082728
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198089551.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter looks at the trajectory of the BJP’s (often contrasting) political origins, ideologies, and agendas concerning India’s domestic and foreign policies over the same 1947–1998 period. This ...
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This chapter looks at the trajectory of the BJP’s (often contrasting) political origins, ideologies, and agendas concerning India’s domestic and foreign policies over the same 1947–1998 period. This contrast is made apparent through its investigation of the BJP’s political heritage, an analysis of the origins of its Hindutva ideology and the party’s role as the political arm of the wider Sangh Parivar. After an analysis of the ideological basis of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) (the BJP’s predecessor) from its foundations in 1951 to its disbanding in the late 1970s, the analysis concentrates on the political rise of the BJP, charting its emergence onto the national stage in the 1980s. The chapter thus lays out the norms central to Hindu nationalism across multiple political generations, charts Hindutva‘s electoral rise, and sets up the evaluation in the next five Chapters of specific elements of Indian security under the BJP-led NDA regime.Less
This chapter looks at the trajectory of the BJP’s (often contrasting) political origins, ideologies, and agendas concerning India’s domestic and foreign policies over the same 1947–1998 period. This contrast is made apparent through its investigation of the BJP’s political heritage, an analysis of the origins of its Hindutva ideology and the party’s role as the political arm of the wider Sangh Parivar. After an analysis of the ideological basis of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) (the BJP’s predecessor) from its foundations in 1951 to its disbanding in the late 1970s, the analysis concentrates on the political rise of the BJP, charting its emergence onto the national stage in the 1980s. The chapter thus lays out the norms central to Hindu nationalism across multiple political generations, charts Hindutva‘s electoral rise, and sets up the evaluation in the next five Chapters of specific elements of Indian security under the BJP-led NDA regime.
Chris Ogden
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198089551
- eISBN:
- 9780199082728
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198089551.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The Conclusion sums up all of these perspectives and importantly notes how the BJP-led NDA government witnessed profound changes concerning the development and evolution of India’s security practice. ...
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The Conclusion sums up all of these perspectives and importantly notes how the BJP-led NDA government witnessed profound changes concerning the development and evolution of India’s security practice. It finds that these changes continued to be reflected in Indian security policy after the NDA left office in 2004 and have been maintained by successive Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments. In addition, the Conclusion highlights the efficacy of a fuller ideational account of India’s security practice through the norm-based comparison of differing political ideologies. Such an approach further indicates how norms can often have primacy over material factors. The Conclusion then finally discusses the future trajectory of Indian security and Hindu nationalism’s potential influence upon it, especially in light of their established position as India’s leading Opposition party and the forthcoming 2014 elections.Less
The Conclusion sums up all of these perspectives and importantly notes how the BJP-led NDA government witnessed profound changes concerning the development and evolution of India’s security practice. It finds that these changes continued to be reflected in Indian security policy after the NDA left office in 2004 and have been maintained by successive Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments. In addition, the Conclusion highlights the efficacy of a fuller ideational account of India’s security practice through the norm-based comparison of differing political ideologies. Such an approach further indicates how norms can often have primacy over material factors. The Conclusion then finally discusses the future trajectory of Indian security and Hindu nationalism’s potential influence upon it, especially in light of their established position as India’s leading Opposition party and the forthcoming 2014 elections.
Katju Manjari
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- August 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198790839
- eISBN:
- 9780191833281
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198790839.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism, Religious Studies
This chapter presents the history of Hindu nationalism, starting in the early twentieth century. It goes into the Hindutva ideology of Savarkar, Golwalkar, and other ideologues, and gives a history ...
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This chapter presents the history of Hindu nationalism, starting in the early twentieth century. It goes into the Hindutva ideology of Savarkar, Golwalkar, and other ideologues, and gives a history of key organizations such as the Hindu Mahasabha, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and the political party associated with them, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The chapter gives a broad background to some of the most difficult debates about Hindu identity today—that is, debates about ethno-religious chauvinism, and about the prospects for peaceful coexistence of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and other groups in India.Less
This chapter presents the history of Hindu nationalism, starting in the early twentieth century. It goes into the Hindutva ideology of Savarkar, Golwalkar, and other ideologues, and gives a history of key organizations such as the Hindu Mahasabha, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and the political party associated with them, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The chapter gives a broad background to some of the most difficult debates about Hindu identity today—that is, debates about ethno-religious chauvinism, and about the prospects for peaceful coexistence of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and other groups in India.
Mushirul Hasan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195695311
- eISBN:
- 9780199081509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195695311.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Culture
This chapter uses the recommendations of the government-appointed Sachar Committee to debate aspects of minority rights. “Majority” and “minority” are not unified, exclusive, or antagonistic ...
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This chapter uses the recommendations of the government-appointed Sachar Committee to debate aspects of minority rights. “Majority” and “minority” are not unified, exclusive, or antagonistic categories. A religious majority, that is the Hindus, is as fragmented as the minority, that is, the Muslims. The 1990s saw the rise of a new force in Indian politics — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the successor of the Jana Sangh. The BJP, riding on the crest of a popular Hindutva wave, was spurned by its own following in UP after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The same process is at work in Gujarat.Less
This chapter uses the recommendations of the government-appointed Sachar Committee to debate aspects of minority rights. “Majority” and “minority” are not unified, exclusive, or antagonistic categories. A religious majority, that is the Hindus, is as fragmented as the minority, that is, the Muslims. The 1990s saw the rise of a new force in Indian politics — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the successor of the Jana Sangh. The BJP, riding on the crest of a popular Hindutva wave, was spurned by its own following in UP after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The same process is at work in Gujarat.
Bidyut Chakrabarty
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195676761
- eISBN:
- 9780199081554
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195676761.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Indian Politics
This chapter discusses the coalition experiments of the Third Front—political parties opposed to both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It traces the evolution of the Third Front and ...
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This chapter discusses the coalition experiments of the Third Front—political parties opposed to both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It traces the evolution of the Third Front and identifies its ideological characteristics in the wider context of democratization in India. The main Third Front groups included the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which was in power from 1999 to 2004, and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which is currently the ruling party in India. This chapter contends that despite their short tenure and controversial track records, both the National Front and United Front governments are indicative of regionalization of Indian polity even at the national level.Less
This chapter discusses the coalition experiments of the Third Front—political parties opposed to both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It traces the evolution of the Third Front and identifies its ideological characteristics in the wider context of democratization in India. The main Third Front groups included the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which was in power from 1999 to 2004, and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which is currently the ruling party in India. This chapter contends that despite their short tenure and controversial track records, both the National Front and United Front governments are indicative of regionalization of Indian polity even at the national level.
Bidyut Chakrabarty
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195676761
- eISBN:
- 9780199081554
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195676761.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Indian Politics
This chapter analyses the dynamics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) that came into being in 1999. It discusses the significance of the NDA in the context of ...
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This chapter analyses the dynamics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) that came into being in 1999. It discusses the significance of the NDA in the context of a search for an alternative to single-party rule in India and highlights the level of understanding among the partners and maturity of the leaders of this twenty-four-party coalition that steered it through despite occasional hiccups. This chapter also describes the accomplishments of the NDA and suggests that it epitomized the federalization of Indian politics by guaranteeing legitimate space to regional political forces that remained integral to its existence.Less
This chapter analyses the dynamics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) that came into being in 1999. It discusses the significance of the NDA in the context of a search for an alternative to single-party rule in India and highlights the level of understanding among the partners and maturity of the leaders of this twenty-four-party coalition that steered it through despite occasional hiccups. This chapter also describes the accomplishments of the NDA and suggests that it epitomized the federalization of Indian politics by guaranteeing legitimate space to regional political forces that remained integral to its existence.
Manjari Chatterjee Miller
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780804786522
- eISBN:
- 9780804788434
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804786522.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter turns to the contemporary period to show that PII and, specifically, victimhood matter today. It analyzes India's decision to declare nuclear weapons state status in 1998. It uses PII to ...
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This chapter turns to the contemporary period to show that PII and, specifically, victimhood matter today. It analyzes India's decision to declare nuclear weapons state status in 1998. It uses PII to explain why India decided to conduct further nuclear tests after the first halting tests in 1974, and why it conducted them in 1998. To do so, it utilizes thousands of articles in the Indian print media in 1974 and in the 1990s to demonstrate that a sense of victimization and entitlement regarding the nuclear issue did not exist in 1974, but had appeared by the 1998 decision.Less
This chapter turns to the contemporary period to show that PII and, specifically, victimhood matter today. It analyzes India's decision to declare nuclear weapons state status in 1998. It uses PII to explain why India decided to conduct further nuclear tests after the first halting tests in 1974, and why it conducted them in 1998. To do so, it utilizes thousands of articles in the Indian print media in 1974 and in the 1990s to demonstrate that a sense of victimization and entitlement regarding the nuclear issue did not exist in 1974, but had appeared by the 1998 decision.
Juan Pablo Luna
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199642649
- eISBN:
- 9780191778643
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199642649.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Chapter 7 analyzes the external validity of the argument by using a large-N cross-national analysis combining fuzzy-set analyses with simple econometric models. The descriptive and explanatory ...
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Chapter 7 analyzes the external validity of the argument by using a large-N cross-national analysis combining fuzzy-set analyses with simple econometric models. The descriptive and explanatory framework is extended to four comparative vignettes, testing the framework’s suitability for cases lacking the structural and historical conditions found in Chile and Uruguay. This exercise complements the most-similar systems design applied in the book with a most-different systems exploration, analyzing the segmentation of electoral appeals in the following cases: the PT(Brazil), the MAS in Bolivia, ARENA in El Salvador, and the BJP in India. In addition to permitting the testing of specific propositions identified in Chapter 6, the four shadow cases also support a crucial causal claim made in the book: in unequal societies, parties can prosper by simultaneously segmenting and strategically harmonizing diversified appeals to socially distinct constituencies.Less
Chapter 7 analyzes the external validity of the argument by using a large-N cross-national analysis combining fuzzy-set analyses with simple econometric models. The descriptive and explanatory framework is extended to four comparative vignettes, testing the framework’s suitability for cases lacking the structural and historical conditions found in Chile and Uruguay. This exercise complements the most-similar systems design applied in the book with a most-different systems exploration, analyzing the segmentation of electoral appeals in the following cases: the PT(Brazil), the MAS in Bolivia, ARENA in El Salvador, and the BJP in India. In addition to permitting the testing of specific propositions identified in Chapter 6, the four shadow cases also support a crucial causal claim made in the book: in unequal societies, parties can prosper by simultaneously segmenting and strategically harmonizing diversified appeals to socially distinct constituencies.
Julia M. Eckert
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195660449
- eISBN:
- 9780199082001
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195660449.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Indian Politics
This chapter investigates the expansion of the Shiv Sena into the Maharashtrian rural areas after the mid 1980s, and the socio-political context of the ‘Congress-system’. Inspired by the ideology of ...
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This chapter investigates the expansion of the Shiv Sena into the Maharashtrian rural areas after the mid 1980s, and the socio-political context of the ‘Congress-system’. Inspired by the ideology of Hindutva, the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance formed the only effective alternative to the Congress’ structures in Maharashtra, and thus were able to attract many who sought alternative avenues of political mobility. The electoral campaigns of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance were run on the common terrain of Hindu nationalism and communalism. The politics of the Shiv Sena towards Dalits illustrates the party’s usual strategy to win over minorities: offers of acceptance with threats of violence. The author discusses the alliance arithmetic of the Shiv Sena and the BJP, and how factionalism within the Congress helped in their victory in the 1996.Less
This chapter investigates the expansion of the Shiv Sena into the Maharashtrian rural areas after the mid 1980s, and the socio-political context of the ‘Congress-system’. Inspired by the ideology of Hindutva, the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance formed the only effective alternative to the Congress’ structures in Maharashtra, and thus were able to attract many who sought alternative avenues of political mobility. The electoral campaigns of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance were run on the common terrain of Hindu nationalism and communalism. The politics of the Shiv Sena towards Dalits illustrates the party’s usual strategy to win over minorities: offers of acceptance with threats of violence. The author discusses the alliance arithmetic of the Shiv Sena and the BJP, and how factionalism within the Congress helped in their victory in the 1996.
Shreyas Sardesai
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198099178
- eISBN:
- 9780199082988
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198099178.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Indian Politics
This chapter attempts to understand as to why Himachal Pradesh was the only State in North India to have bucked the overall positive mood of the region in favour of the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha ...
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This chapter attempts to understand as to why Himachal Pradesh was the only State in North India to have bucked the overall positive mood of the region in favour of the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. Explaining the parliamentary verdict in the mainly mountainous State vis-à-vis the 2004 Lok Sabha and the 2007 Assembly election verdicts, the chapter tries to ascertain the possible reasons for the Congress’s dismal showing in Himachal in 2009. The chapter demonstrates how the party ruling in Shimla has almost always had an advantage in the Lok Sabha elections that have followed, and in that context, it also discusses briefly the outcome of the 2012 Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh which saw the Congress returning to power in the State. Himachal’s politics has been characterized by a bipolar competition between the Congress and the BJP and factionalism within these two parties is another factor that influences the electoral outcomes, something that the chapter also touches upon.Less
This chapter attempts to understand as to why Himachal Pradesh was the only State in North India to have bucked the overall positive mood of the region in favour of the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. Explaining the parliamentary verdict in the mainly mountainous State vis-à-vis the 2004 Lok Sabha and the 2007 Assembly election verdicts, the chapter tries to ascertain the possible reasons for the Congress’s dismal showing in Himachal in 2009. The chapter demonstrates how the party ruling in Shimla has almost always had an advantage in the Lok Sabha elections that have followed, and in that context, it also discusses briefly the outcome of the 2012 Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh which saw the Congress returning to power in the State. Himachal’s politics has been characterized by a bipolar competition between the Congress and the BJP and factionalism within these two parties is another factor that influences the electoral outcomes, something that the chapter also touches upon.
Yatindra Singh Sisodia
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198099178
- eISBN:
- 9780199082988
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198099178.003.0020
- Subject:
- Political Science, Indian Politics
This chapter analyses the electoral politics of Madhya Pradesh in the context of the outcomes of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and 2008 assembly elections .Politics in the state of Madhya Pradesh has ...
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This chapter analyses the electoral politics of Madhya Pradesh in the context of the outcomes of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and 2008 assembly elections .Politics in the state of Madhya Pradesh has remained by and large confined to a two-party system with some presence of other smaller political parties. Although Madhya Pradesh has a sizeable population of ST and SC and also a large middle-caste population, other political parties like BSP and SP could not galvanise the votes in their favour in elections to make any significant change in terms of seat tally. Despite expectations of a repeat of the December 2008 assembly verdict, the Congress made major gains in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh due to anti-incumbency against individual sitting MPs from the BJP; support for central government; under-mobilization of voters from the BJP, resulting in low voter turnout; and absence of the BJSP and underperformance of the BSP.Less
This chapter analyses the electoral politics of Madhya Pradesh in the context of the outcomes of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and 2008 assembly elections .Politics in the state of Madhya Pradesh has remained by and large confined to a two-party system with some presence of other smaller political parties. Although Madhya Pradesh has a sizeable population of ST and SC and also a large middle-caste population, other political parties like BSP and SP could not galvanise the votes in their favour in elections to make any significant change in terms of seat tally. Despite expectations of a repeat of the December 2008 assembly verdict, the Congress made major gains in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh due to anti-incumbency against individual sitting MPs from the BJP; support for central government; under-mobilization of voters from the BJP, resulting in low voter turnout; and absence of the BJSP and underperformance of the BSP.
K.M. Sajad Ibrahim
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- June 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198099178
- eISBN:
- 9780199082988
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198099178.003.0026
- Subject:
- Political Science, Indian Politics
There is one important trend in the electoral outcomes in Kerala over the past three decades: the incumbent party loses out unless extraordinary circumstances come into play. The results of the 2009 ...
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There is one important trend in the electoral outcomes in Kerala over the past three decades: the incumbent party loses out unless extraordinary circumstances come into play. The results of the 2009 Lok Sabha election were exactly a reversal of the results of the 2004 elections – a complete swing from left to right. The victory of the UDF in the Lok Sabha election 2009 can be attributed to multiple factors: one is the anti-incumbency syndrome that Kerala experiences in election after election, another is the high percentage of vote for the UDF among the minorities – the LDF lost nearly 15 percent of Muslim votes compared to the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. It is better to say that the future of bipolar coalition politics of Kerala heavily depends on the performance of the fronts as well as the attitude of minority communities which depends on the configuration of political parties at the national and state levels.Less
There is one important trend in the electoral outcomes in Kerala over the past three decades: the incumbent party loses out unless extraordinary circumstances come into play. The results of the 2009 Lok Sabha election were exactly a reversal of the results of the 2004 elections – a complete swing from left to right. The victory of the UDF in the Lok Sabha election 2009 can be attributed to multiple factors: one is the anti-incumbency syndrome that Kerala experiences in election after election, another is the high percentage of vote for the UDF among the minorities – the LDF lost nearly 15 percent of Muslim votes compared to the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. It is better to say that the future of bipolar coalition politics of Kerala heavily depends on the performance of the fronts as well as the attitude of minority communities which depends on the configuration of political parties at the national and state levels.
Zoya Hasan
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- July 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780199489626
- eISBN:
- 9780199097548
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199489626.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
The 2014 general election heralded a major shift in Indian politics. For the first time since Independence, India elected a right-wing party to power at the Centre and in several states. The Gujarat ...
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The 2014 general election heralded a major shift in Indian politics. For the first time since Independence, India elected a right-wing party to power at the Centre and in several states. The Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, won the election on the basis of the much-publicized Gujarat model and his track record of development represented by it. The chapter examines the genesis of this model and its role in shaping the emergence and consolidation of a BJP dominated political system, which has resulted in the exclusion and marginalization of minorities. It highlights the limitations and inconsistencies of this model and contrasts it with the development policies of the UPA government. It also examines the elitist and communal dimensions of the Gujarat model which has been a source of considerable disillusionment with it.Less
The 2014 general election heralded a major shift in Indian politics. For the first time since Independence, India elected a right-wing party to power at the Centre and in several states. The Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, won the election on the basis of the much-publicized Gujarat model and his track record of development represented by it. The chapter examines the genesis of this model and its role in shaping the emergence and consolidation of a BJP dominated political system, which has resulted in the exclusion and marginalization of minorities. It highlights the limitations and inconsistencies of this model and contrasts it with the development policies of the UPA government. It also examines the elitist and communal dimensions of the Gujarat model which has been a source of considerable disillusionment with it.
Mohammad Reyaz
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- July 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780199489626
- eISBN:
- 9780199097548
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199489626.003.0009
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
At the peak of the 2014 election campaign, Delhi was dotted with posters like ‘Na Doori Na Khaai, Modi Hamara Bhai’ (neither difference nor gap, Modi is our brother). These posters announcing ...
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At the peak of the 2014 election campaign, Delhi was dotted with posters like ‘Na Doori Na Khaai, Modi Hamara Bhai’ (neither difference nor gap, Modi is our brother). These posters announcing Narendra Modi as ‘our brother’, were put up by Maulana Suhaib Qasmi of Jamaat Ulema-e-Hind, aligned to the BJP. Several such groups of BJP’s Muslims worked to mobilize Muslim votes for the right-wing Hindutva party. Drawing upon field reporting, covering the 2014 elections, and interviews with some of the political leaders and stake-holders of these organizations (and their literature), this chapter examines three key issues: contradiction between BJP’s outreach programmes towards Muslims and their condemnation of similar initiatives by other political parties as ‘Muslim appeasement’; perception of Muslim identity among leaders engaging in such initiatives; and whether such outreach programs had any impact in drawing Muslim voters towards the BJP?Less
At the peak of the 2014 election campaign, Delhi was dotted with posters like ‘Na Doori Na Khaai, Modi Hamara Bhai’ (neither difference nor gap, Modi is our brother). These posters announcing Narendra Modi as ‘our brother’, were put up by Maulana Suhaib Qasmi of Jamaat Ulema-e-Hind, aligned to the BJP. Several such groups of BJP’s Muslims worked to mobilize Muslim votes for the right-wing Hindutva party. Drawing upon field reporting, covering the 2014 elections, and interviews with some of the political leaders and stake-holders of these organizations (and their literature), this chapter examines three key issues: contradiction between BJP’s outreach programmes towards Muslims and their condemnation of similar initiatives by other political parties as ‘Muslim appeasement’; perception of Muslim identity among leaders engaging in such initiatives; and whether such outreach programs had any impact in drawing Muslim voters towards the BJP?
Jayanta Sengupta
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780198099154
- eISBN:
- 9780199085224
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198099154.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
This chapter examines Orissa’s brush with India’s ‘crisis of governability,’ dramatized by the rise of Hindutva politics in the Orissa countryside, raging debates on religious conversion, frequent ...
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This chapter examines Orissa’s brush with India’s ‘crisis of governability,’ dramatized by the rise of Hindutva politics in the Orissa countryside, raging debates on religious conversion, frequent instances of murderous violence against Christian missionaries, and the emergence of Maoist extreme left-wing movements in many tribal areas. It also takes stock of the current trends in party politics in the state, with special reference to the increasing importance of the tribal population of the Orissa hills for the electoral arithmetic of Congress, BJP and the Biju Janata Dal. It concludes that along with the rising political assertiveness of the region’s backward castes, these developments point towards a reorientation of Orissa’s politics of relative quiescence, ushering in an era of mounting community conflict.Less
This chapter examines Orissa’s brush with India’s ‘crisis of governability,’ dramatized by the rise of Hindutva politics in the Orissa countryside, raging debates on religious conversion, frequent instances of murderous violence against Christian missionaries, and the emergence of Maoist extreme left-wing movements in many tribal areas. It also takes stock of the current trends in party politics in the state, with special reference to the increasing importance of the tribal population of the Orissa hills for the electoral arithmetic of Congress, BJP and the Biju Janata Dal. It concludes that along with the rising political assertiveness of the region’s backward castes, these developments point towards a reorientation of Orissa’s politics of relative quiescence, ushering in an era of mounting community conflict.
