In the Hindutva Heartland: Bharatiya Janata Party’s Superficial Democratization in Gujarat

Sharik Laliwala

Studies in Indian Politics, 2020, vol. 8, issue 2, 247-265

Abstract: This article examines Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s hegemony in Gujarat by studying the changes inaugurated by the party in the caste profile of Gujarati political elites. I showcase the transition of BJP from a party of elite castes to a limited accommodation of a few Hindu backward castes, especially under Narendra Modi’s chief ministership. However, I argue that the recruitment of Hindu backward castes as ministers represents a case of superficial democratization as they were appointed in non-influential ministries or were co-opted only near election time. Indeed, Modi’s developmentalist regime solidified the dominance of upper castes and Patels from an urban background and a few Rajputs, and led to a rural backlash in the form of Patel agitation. In the final section, I analyse these still emerging trends in Gujarat’s polity, which became visible on a rural–urban continuum in the 2017 state election.

Keywords: Hindu nationalism; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); Gujarat; Narendra Modi; representation; asmita (pride) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:indpol:v:8:y:2020:i:2:p:247-265

DOI: 10.1177/2321023020963748

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