ABSTRACT
Nowhere is the subject of caste discussed more passionately in the modern public life of India than in the domain of democratic politics. Some go to the extent of saying that caste survives in India today because of its usefulness in electoral politics. From the lay public to psephologists of the popular media and serious academic analysts, almost everyone treats caste as an important variable influencing the working of the Indian political process. Caste communities are presented as determining electoral outcomes; they work as pressure groups and influence the governance agenda of the Indian state at the local, regional and national levels. Caste considerations also tend to structure political parties, their leaderships and programmes.
