| ID | 173328 |
| Title Proper | Communal realignment and support for the BJP, 2009–2019 |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Heath, Oliver |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | To what extent has the BJP managed to capture the rural vote? And how does the party’s level of support relate to poverty and literacy? Is the Hindu-Muslim divide becoming more pronounced – or has it faded as the party seeks to broaden its appeal? Using constituency level data linked to census data, this article examines support for the BJP and patterns of social realignment at the constituency level from 2009 to 2019. In particular, I examine the impact of social cleavages related to the level of urbanisation, poverty, and literacy within a constituency, as well as its religious and caste profile. Using OLS regression with state-level fixed effects I present a detailed analysis of the social profile of places where the BJP has prospered over the last ten years and the major socio-geographical fault lines that run through the country. The results show that over the last three election cycles support for the BJP has become increasingly polarised along communal lines. |
| `In' analytical Note | Contemporary South Asia Vol. 28, No.2; Jun 2020: p.195-208 |
| Journal Source | Contemporary South Asia Vol: 28 No 2 |
| Key Words | Communalism ; Realignment ; Indi |