|
|
Article: Caste and votes: the Indian elections. (upcoming elections in India will almost certainly be determined by instructions by caste and religious leaders)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- February 28, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
MUZZAFFARNAGER, UTTAR PRADESH
"FORGET party manifestos. Only caste and creed matter here," says a cynical police officer in Muzzaffarnager, a sugar-producing town in India's largest state, Uttar Pradesh. Confirmation follows from the trailer-loads of villagers coming to attend Sonia Gandhi's election meeting. Many are jats, the local land-owning caste. One says, "We have come to see Sonia. But we will vote for whomever Ajit tells us to." Ajit Singh is the local leader of the jats, whose regional party has teamed with the Congress party backed by Mrs Gandhi. She has glamour, but Mr Singh commands tribal loyalty, and that matters more.
Less vocal but no less ...