politics in caste..explain
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Caste and Politics
Just like religion, caste to plays a big part in Indian politics. But this aspect is actually quite unique to our country. Nowhere else in the world is caste and casteism so deeply embedded in the society and politics of a country.
Our caste system, which has prevailed since the ancient times, was so rigid and widespread it has been difficult to eradicate it completely. We have made progress due to urbanization and modernization, but we have not been successful in eradicating it completely. While it is almost non-existent in major cities now, the caste system still somewhat prevails in villages and towns.
Political parties take advantage of the fact that people from one caste tend to vote alike. They choose a candidate based on his caste rather than his qualifications. You will notice during an election, if the demographic is largely comprised of people from one particular caste, all political parties will field candidates from the same caste. This could be at the expense of more qualified candidates.
One positive effect of this has been that people from the so-called lower caste or suppressed caste now have a voice at the policy level. They have representatives from among their own, who understand their struggles and problems. Because these people and their votes are important to the political parties, they finally have a say in our countries politics.
Caste and politics also have a reverse effect. Politics also affects caste in our country. One major change it has brought about is that many smaller castes and sub-castes unite for political reasons. They realize that they will have strength in numbers, and form alliances within themselves. There is also a further segregation happening according to political powers enjoyed by the group. We often see tags attached such as backward caste groups or forward class groups.