Party Competition in Indian States

Description

The political storm that swept Indian politics in the 1990s consolidated the post-Congress polity, a condition in which the Indian National Congress was no longer in a position to set the national agenda and ceased to be the central pole against which all other political parties were arrayed.  Ever since, the states have emerged as the principal domain where electoral contests are fought, lost, and won. Focusing on electoral outcomes in twenty-four states between 2008 and 2013, this volume explores the complex dynamics of India’s electoral politics. The post-2008 phase is crucial as it saw the Congress adapt itself to the compulsions of coalition politics and survive as one of the competitors in the electoral arena—contrary to its erstwhile infallible standing. Focusing on both Parliamentary elections of 2009 and the Assembly elections in each state during the period, this book investigates how the two impact each other, and the broader patterns that emerge from their interaction. The state-specific accounts show that over the past few years the unsettling features of the post-Congress polity have waned leading to a condition which may be termed as normalization of the electoral competition. With the aid of rich post-election surveys, this work outlines the socio-economic features, political manoeuvres, and political causality that are manifest in the various patterns of party competition across Indian states.  

Table of contents

List of Tables and Figures
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
 

Introduction: Normalization of the 'Post-Congress Polity'
Suhas Palshikar , K.C. Suri , and Yogendra Yadav

1 . Between Fortuna and Virtu : Explaining Congress' Ambiguous Victory in 2009
Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar

2 . Modi's Political Craft and the Limping Congress
Ghanshyam Shah and Mahashweta Jani

3 . Rajasthan: Stable Two-party Competition
Sanjay Lodha

4 . Punjab: Towards Consolidation of a Bipolar Polity
Ashutosh Kumar and Jagrup Singh Sekhon

5 . Congress Win Reverses the Trend of Lok Sabha Elections in Haryana
Kushal Pal and Praveen Rai

6 . Himachal Pradesh: Continued Bi-party Competition
Shreyas Sardesai

7. 2009 Parliamentary Elections in Jammu and Kashmir
Rekha Chowdhary

8. Delhi Elections: Mandate for Policy Consonance
Biswajit Mohanty

9. Uttarakhand: Resurgence of the Congress
Annpurna Nautiyal

10. Uttar Pradesh: The Ebb and Flow of Party Support
Mirza Asmer Beg, Sudhir Kumar, and A.K. Verma

11. Bihar: Development Finally Delivered
Sanjay Kumar and Rakesh Ranjan

12. Permanent Incumbency Shattered: Development Dilemma and Electoral Choice in West Bengal
Jyotiprasad Chatterjee and Suprio Basu

13. Sikkim: A Case of Dominance of the Ruling Party
Banasmita Bora

14. Arunachal Pradesh: Ruling Party Syndrome
Nani Bath

15. Nagaland: Electoral Politics Amidst Insurgency
Amongla N. Jamir

16. Meghalaya's Fluid Party Alignments
R.K. Satapathy

17. Triumph for Congress in Assam
Sandhya Goswami

18. Jharkhand: Defies the National Trend
Harishwar Dayal and B.K. Sinha

19. Madhya Pradesh: Unexpected Gains for Congress
Yatindra Singh Sisodia

20. Chief Minister Wins Chhattisgarh for BJP
Anupama Saxena and Praveen Rai

21. Survival in the Midst of Decline: A Decade of Congress Rule in Maharashtra, 1999-2009
Suhas Palshikar, Rajeshwari Deshpande, and Nitin Birmal

22. Goa: Decline of the North-South Divide?
Maria do Ceu Rodrigues

23. Karnataka 2008-9: BJP Penetrates the South
Sandeep Shastri and Veena Devi

24. Andhra Pradesh: Political Shifts and Electoral Volatility
K.C. Suri, P. Narasimha Rao, and V. Anji Reddy

25. Kerala's Electoral Pendulum Swings Back and Forth
K.M. Sajad Ibrahim

Appendix I: A Short Introduction to National Election Study 2009

Appendix II: Details of UGC-ICSSR Support for Projects under National Election Study 2009

Index
Notes on Editors and Contributors