Note 041
How Indian parties are organised: national, state, and regional
India has a multi-party system: hundreds of parties are registered, but only a smaller number are recognised by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as…
Indian Democracy in 100 Notes · Theme 5 of 10
📣 Parties & elections
How parties are organised, why coalitions became normal, what voters vote on, money in elections, turnout, and why state and national results differ.
Note 042
Coalitions: why no party governs alone anymore
This title is shorthand and needs a qualification. Parties have governed alone in seats at times — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a Lok Sabha…
Note 043
The BJP, Congress, and regional parties: a map for beginners
A beginner's map of Indian party politics has three broad layers: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Indian National Congress, and a wide set of…
Note 044
What voters vote on: identity, development, welfare, or leadership?
Voters rarely vote on one thing. Surveys and election studies in India usually find a mix: everyday economic concerns, welfare benefits, local…
Note 045
Election campaigns in the smartphone age
Indian campaigns once ran mainly through rallies, posters, newspapers, and television. Those tools have not disappeared — a large rally still signals…
Note 046
Money in elections: bonds, donations, and transparency debates
Elections cost money: rallies, travel, advertising, staff, and materials all need funding. The democratic question is not whether campaigns cost money…
Note 047
Turnout: who votes, who does not, and why it matters
Turnout is the share of registered electors who actually vote. It is not the same as enthusiasm in a crowd, and it is not the same as a party's vote…
Note 048
Women in politics: reservation, representation, and reality
Women are close to half of India's population and now vote at rates comparable to or slightly above men in national elections. Yet women's presence as…
Note 049
Caste, religion, and class in voting behaviour
No honest introduction to Indian voting can avoid caste, religion, and class. No honest introduction can reduce voting to them, either. These identities…
Note 050
State elections vs national elections: why results differ
It surprises many beginners that a party can win a state election and lose the national election in the same state a few months later — or the reverse.…