India's Political Parties/ Peter Ronald DeSouza

Cover; Contents; List of Tables; List of Abbreviations of Political Parties; Preface by the Series Editors; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: The Evolution of Political Parties in India; 2. A Plea for the Reconstruction of the Indian Polity; 3. Politics without Party; 4. The Congress 'System' in India; 5. Party System and Electoral Politics in the Indian States, 1952-2002: From Hegemony to Convergence; 6. Party Politics and Electoral Behaviour: From Independence to the 1980s; 7. The Challenge of Hindu Nationalism: The Bharatiya Janata Party in Contemporary Indian Politics. 8. Communalization of the Indian Polity9. The Communist Parties in India; 10. Shiv Sena: A Tiger with Many Faces?; 11. Telugu Desam Party; 12. Parties, the Party System and Collective Action for State Funding of Elections: A Comparative Perspective on Possible Options; 13. Selection of Congress Candidates: The Formal Criteria; 14. 'No' to Zenana Dabbas: Deghettoizing Women's Politics and Enhancing Their Representation in Legislatures; 15. Political Nomadism and the Party System in India: The Struggle between the Fence and the Field; About the Editors and Contributors; Index.