Electoral Dynamics in the States of India

Description

This empirically rich volume presents a holistic picture of the electoral process in Indian states and the return of the BJP to power. Drawing on the 2019 elections, it presents ground-level data to understand various aspects of elections: the nature of campaigning, caste, class and identity politics, electoral issues, poll strategies of different parties in the fray, electoral issues, electoral verdicts, the contestants, the leadership factor, the formation of government, among other empirical details. The essays underline the determinants of electoral behaviour by looking into the correlation between the background variables of voters and their voting choices. The essays also compare and contrast the 2019 election verdicts from the earlier elections held in the state under study. A long view of Indian state politics, this book will be essential reference for scholars and researchers of politics, especially political processes, and South Asian studies. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of illustrations Contributors Preface Chapter 1 The 2019 Lok Sabha verdict at the state level: An Introduction Part I Northern states Chapter 2 Explaining the two Delhi verdicts in comparative perspective: Party identification, leadership, and welfare Chapter 3 The INC win in Punjab: An outlier in the north Chapter 4 Continuity and change in Haryana politics: Lok Sabha and assembly elections, 2019 Chapter 5 BJP’s clean sweep with a record margin left the INC clueless in Himachal Pradesh Chapter 6 Bharatiya Janata Party victory in Uttar Pradesh: A shift from caste-based politics Chapter 7 Electoral politics in a hill state: 2019 elections in Uttarakhand Part II Central states Chapter 8 Madhya Pradesh: Continued ascendance of the Bharatiya Janata Party Chapter 9 Decoding the sweeping BJP victory in Rajasthan Chapter 10 What sealed BJP’s victory in Chhattisgarh? Part III Western states Chapter 11 Maharashtra: (The pangs of) transitions into a new party system Chapter 12 Gujarat: Caste, region, and political leadership Chapter 13 Goa: BJP’s electoral slide but political triumph Part IV Eastern states Chapter 14 Bihar: A comprehensive victory for the NDA Chapter 15 ‘Jai Bangla’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’: Explaining the emerging political dynamics in West Bengal  Chapter 16 Odisha dual verdict: Leadership, welfare, Hindutva Chapter 17 Jharkhand: The ascendance of the BJP as a dominant party Part V Southern states Chapter 18 Its lone southern comfort: Lotus blooms in Karnataka Chapter 19 Andhra Pradesh: Dominant caste cleavages, continuities, and reflections Chapter 20 Kerala: Explaining the dominance of UDF Chapter 21 Verdict 2019: Reinforcing Dravidian identity politics in Tamil Nadu Chapter 22 Springing a surprise: Electoral politics in the state of Telangana Part VI North eastern states Chapter 23 Voting pattern in the North East: Special focus on Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Manipur Chapter 24 Assam: Saffron persists in an ethnic setting Index