The united colours of Congress: social profile of Congress voters, 1996 and 1998
- 1999
- p.2518-528
- 21 Aug & 28 Sep
Though the decline of the Congress in Indian politics has been discussed, the changes in the social profile of Congress voters has been ill-researched and therefore little understood. Congress has been a `catch-all' party and at the aggregate national level its support has cut across caste and class divides. But a study of election results from individual states shows that Congress support does vary with caste and class depending on its major rival. At one time the Congress had acquired and cultivated a diverse social profile through active political mobilisation. Today, it is reduced to picking up the leftover votes that other political parties have not mobilised. - Reproduced