Gilles Verniers blog

Dynasticism has long been a defining feature of Indian politics. What distinguishes India from most other democracies, however, is not merely the number of dynastic legislators but the extent to which entire political parties function as family-run enterprises. Few countries in the world host so many parties that operate as privately-owned, family-controlled organisations. Read full…

Caste acquired a bigger profile in the state’s politics after Nitish Kumar’s caste survey. But this very fragmentation of caste groups also stops his ally BJP from emerging as the state’s uber-dominant party Amid Bihar’s electoral rolls row, and state polls mere weeks away, political parties have been refining their electoral strategies. But as usual,…