Caste politics

In India in India, a caste can be described as an (usually endingogamous) social group in which the membership of a group is determined by birth.Castes typically have associated political views. The general rule is that Indian castes are split into Forward Castes Other Backward Classes Scheduled Castes as well as Scheduled Tribes, although Indian Christians as well as Indian Muslims may also be considered as castes. Reservation systems in India is essentially an an affirmative measure to give representation to caste groups who have been disadvantageed in a systematic way.

The Indian caste system has proven influential. Castes can restrict access to power land, as well as the police or judicial assistance.[citation required] They are also able to influence local politics due to being local to specific areas. Political parties everywhere are usually a representation of certain castes. Women who are involved in politics tend to be of higher social classes. [ Citation needed[ citation needed

In the period that was British India The British introduced caste discrimination in India's government institutions. In the 1990s, however there was a social movement to empower lower castes.

Political power and caste

The eradication of the distinctions that separated "civil society" and "political society" resulted in the fact that caste played a significant part in the political arena as well as influenced other government-run institutions like police and the judiciary system. While caste did not seem to determine who could access these institutions and the place of that caste played an equally important part. If a caste that was lower in rank were concentrated in a certain location, it would be able to convert that particular area of its participants into power, and ultimately contest the power hegemony of the locally dominating higher caste. Also, gender plays a crucial influence on the power dynamics of the caste system in politics. The representation of women in the political system is believed to be a function of their caste. Castes with lower, more conservative values are less likely to have female representation in political life than the upper socially liberal castes. This has resulted in a high proportion of women from upper castes to be elected to political offices when as compared to low-caste peers. The caste system's hierarchy and its position in politics, as well as access to resources and power has resulted in patron-client relations based on caste. This ultimately resulted in voting banking in which voters support only those candidates who belong to their own caste 2or have a relationship with the caste or official who they believe will be able to receive benefits.

The system of caste has always played a major role in determining the power of people. The upper castes who are privileged have more advantages by gaining significantly more political and economic power, whereas the lower castes have less access to those power. The system of caste distribution gives various castes the ability to earn money. The higher caste groups are able to influence the political and economic system to convert economic power to political influence.

It is claimed by Prof. Dipankar Gupta that the role of castes in Indian elections has been portrayed as a gimmick

Power access

In the countryside of North India, upper and middle-ranking castes are the most powerful in controlling possession of the land. They were able to convert the control of wealth to power-sharing over the Panchayat decisions. It is an local government entity which is responsible for resource distribution. The dominant caste group dominated leadership positions within the Panchayat which gave them greater opportunities for contract with the government, work and financing.

The ability to access police and judicial assistance is contingent upon which group one is a part of. Through bribing, manipulating and threatening police officers and judicial officials, rural north Indian upper and middle castes are more likely to influence the local police and judicial authority more effectively. This kind that involve politically-motivated rent seeking have also contributed to the secure rents that are paid to the dominant castes via different channels, including rigging Panchayat elections, taking over booths at elections, and employing intimidation tactics prior to contests for the assembly of state.  If an individual or group is able to raise enough funds to pay bribes continuously is contingent on their socioeconomic status based on caste. Therefore, the benefit of having access to resources that are economically beneficial does not just transfer to, but also strengthens the power of the major castes.

Certain activists and scientists like MIT Systems expert Dr. VA Shiva Ayyadurai, blame the caste system for slowing down the development of science and technology in India which makes it hard to maintain progress as regressive social organization prevails.

Caste, which is ascribed at birth can also be affected by the place where one was born. Political boundaries in India are often drawn according to caste lines but this is just one aspect of the tale. Caste is typically restricted to a specific region. The caste pockets are local caste that is dominant. Due to the political structure in India local power can be translated to regional supremacy. The concentration of the caste population has meant that the smaller and less influential castes have a chance to stake their claims in the power arena. But, if the non-dominant castes are not located in a specific area in a particular area, they aren't likely to be able to gain any representation without joining with a different caste to boost their influence. This implies that "localized concentration creates an opportunity for contesting the dominance of the dominant state-level caste". As an example, the caste of Maratha-Kunbi is home to a large number of people across all of the Indian states. This is why they were able to get the highest representation in the State legislature.

While the caste system is a factor significantly in determining who is part of the local elites however, it also plays an major part in determining women's power and their representation on the electoral system. In India's bicameral system of parliamentary representation women make up a tiny percentage of the houses. Of the people's assembly comprising 545 people, females make up just 5.2 percent. In the State assembly with 259 seats, women comprise just 8.8 percent. Both houses have witnessed a dramatic decline of female members in the last few decades In the past few decades. Of the 39 female representatives within the Indian Parliament, most were of the upper castes. Caste, which ultimately affects class, is among the primary factors the process of determining whether a woman is successful in her integration in the system of politics. This could be because higher castes are able to challenge the status as the typical Indian woman, and their position in the caste system offers them a wider array of choices not accessible to the lower, more traditional castes. The over-representation of elite castes in public office has meant that the effect their influence on policymaking is unjustly huge when compared to the actual number.