List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Preface
I: THEMATIC STUDIES
Introduction: Single Party and Strong Leadership Paul Wallace
The Resistance of Regionalism: BJP’s Limitations and the Resilience of State Parties Christophe Jaffrelot and Gilles Verniers
The Bharatiya Janata Party: A Victory for Narendra Modi Walter K Andersen
Gender Narratives and Elections: Mandate for Safety, Development or Rights? Rainuka Dagar
Civic Scrutiny, Organized Action and Democratic Consolidation Jyotirindra Dasgupta and Anshu N Chatterjee
II : ANALYTICAL STATE STUDIES
Northern Cluster
Understanding the BJP’s Victory in Uttar Pradesh Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar
Saffron Deluge Inundates Masters of Mandal Politics in Bihar Maneesha Roy and Ravi Ranjan
Reclaiming the Capital: BJP’s Clean Sweep in Delhi Ravi Ranjan
Decoding the Electoral Verdict in Punjab: Future of Regional Parties? Pramod Kumar
Kashmir and Western Cluster
Kashmir’s Contentious Politics: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same Reeta Chowdhari Tremblay and Mohita Bhatia
Mega Marketing and Management: Gujarat’s 2014 Elections Ghanshyam Shah
Maharashtra: Congress’ Dramatic Decline Suhas Palshikar and Nitin Birmal
Eastern and Southern Cluster
TMC Dethrones the LF in West Bengal after Thirty-four Years of Uninterrupted Rule Amiya K Chaudhuri
Tamil Nadu: Strategic Interaction and Alliance Choices Andrew Wyatt
Andhra Bifurcation and Electoral Outcomes: Contextual Change, Social Coalitions and Developmental Discourse Karli Srinivasulu
Karnataka: Change and Continuity in 2014 S S Patagundi and Prakash Desai
North East
BJP’s Consolidation, AIUDF’s Polarization and Congress’ Defeat in Assam Akhil Ranjan Dutta
About the Editor and Contributors
Index

India is now governed by a strong Modi-led majority party. A peaceful transference of power in terms of parties and structure as a consequence of India’s 16th national election highlights a notable degree of political maturity. The replacement of the Congress-led coalition after 10 years with a Bharatiya Janata Party clear majority is one obvious result of what can be considered a historic election. As a consequence of the 2014 elections, the emergence of a strong leader and a strong party coupled with continuing regionalism may provide a version of the state-nation system. It remains to be seen to what extent the new political structure coupled with India’s diversity will shape society, politics and governance during the next five years.

Rich in empirical and quantitative data, this volume, along with the four previous volumes, comprise the best set of national- and state-level studies for understanding India’s politics in depth.