Return of Ideology
Outlook|July 01, 2024
The 2024 election campaign highlighted the ideological divide at the heart of Indian politics
Rahul Verma
Return of Ideology

THERE is an overwhelming consensus that the campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections compared to the previous two was a more humdrum affair—issues that could raise the emotive quotient nationally were missing. This sentiment was reflected in the results declared on June 4, with most states having one clear winner, but different ones. There is no single overarching factor that can explain all of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) setbacks in this election and the gains made by the INDIA bloc, especially the Congress party.

However, despite the consensus that state-level dynamics played a greater role in shaping the verdict, the 2024 election campaign also highlighted the ideological divide at the heart of Indian politics. Comparing the campaign narrative of the Congress party and the BJP, political scientist Suhas Palshikar wrote: “The two registers are speaking about two very different ideas of India.” And, the leaders of India’s two main national parties, Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, were the principal interlocutors of the two contrasting ideological images.

Ideology and Voter Mobilisation

The two very different ideas of India, as Pradeep Chhibber and I have outlined in Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India, are rooted in the process of state formation in India that involved two simultaneous challenges of regulating social norms and redistributing property (the politics of statism) and giving marginalised castes, which had faced significant discrimination, their just place in the state-building process (the politics of recognition).

These ideological divisions on the appropriate role of the state, we have argued, have influenced party politics in India since Independence. And, the movement of political parties in the ideological space marked the transition from the Congress-dominant system to a multi-party competition to a party system centred on the BJP now.

この記事は Outlook の July 01, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Outlook の July 01, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

OUTLOOKのその他の記事すべて表示
Trump's White House 'Waapsi'
Outlook

Trump's White House 'Waapsi'

Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may very well mean an end to democracy in the near future

time-read
6 分  |
November 21, 2024
IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Outlook

IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024

Shri Suresh Narayanan, Chairman Managing Director of Nestlé India Limited, congratulated and motivated graduates at IMT Ghaziabad's Convocation 2024

time-read
2 分  |
November 21, 2024
Identity and 'Infiltrators'
Outlook

Identity and 'Infiltrators'

The Jharkhand Assembly election has emerged as a high-stakes political contest, with the battle for power intensifying between key players in the state.

time-read
1 min  |
November 21, 2024
Beyond Deadlines
Outlook

Beyond Deadlines

Bibek Debroy could engage with even those who were not aligned with his politics or economics

time-read
2 分  |
November 21, 2024
Portraying Absence
Outlook

Portraying Absence

Exhibits at a group art show in Kolkata examine existence in the absence

time-read
4 分  |
November 21, 2024
Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains
Outlook

Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains

In Adivasi poetry, everything breathes, everything is alive and nothing is inferior to humans

time-read
5 分  |
November 21, 2024
Hemant Versus Himanta
Outlook

Hemant Versus Himanta

Himanta Biswa Sarma brings his hate bandwagon to Jharkhand to rattle Hemant Soren’s tribal identity politics

time-read
5 分  |
November 21, 2024
A Smouldering Wasteland
Outlook

A Smouldering Wasteland

As Jharkhand goes to the polls, people living in and around Jharia coalfield have just one request for the administration—a life free from smoke, fear and danger for their children

time-read
1 min  |
November 21, 2024
Search for a Narrative
Outlook

Search for a Narrative

By demanding a separate Sarna Code for the tribals, Hemant Soren has offered the larger issue of tribal identity before the voters

time-read
5 分  |
November 21, 2024
The Historic Bonhomie
Outlook

The Historic Bonhomie

While the BJP Is trying to invoke the trope of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, the ground reality paints a different picture pertaining to the historical significance of Muslim-Adivasi camaraderie

time-read
5 分  |
November 21, 2024