Development has overshadowed the influence of caste in electoral behaviour in recent elections. Discuss.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Route 1 recent verdicts fought on vikas, welfare, leadership, security → claim: development has replaced caste
Route 2 Indian vote never single-factor → caste not erased, only reworked inside development politics
caste still long-term determinant (rural/state) → Kothari: democracy works through society, caste politicised by elites → Yadav’s “democratic upsurge” (OBC/backward/Dalit entry) → development’s real rise → Vaishnav “good economics → good politics”, verdicts reward welfare/governance/leadership → two logics combine, not cancel → Jaffrelot: caste relevant, form changes → welfare travels through caste/community networks → Yadav’s “Identity Plus”: caste works alongside development
Banerjee: voters still shaped by caste and religion → development talk sits atop older loyalties → caste not overshadowed at all
Route 1 development gives legitimacy, caste gives voice and networks
Route 2 combination, not replacement
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
Also asked on this head
Party System — 18 questions in the Vault.
- Elucidate the prominent trends in voting behaviour in contemporary India, and discuss how astroturfing affects the scenario.
- When there are multiple stakeholders of power, conversation and consensus become the natural ingredients of governance. Analyze with respect to coalition politics.
- Critically assess the role of pressure groups in the decision-making process of the government.
How this is taught
The same flow snapshot, built for every head of the syllabus, with the answer written in class.
The first session of Foundation 2027 is published in full.
Six programmes across three levels.