ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the nature of contemporary patterns of politics of a caste — the caste of the Lingayats — as it has unfolded through the work of its caste associations, in a subregion of the state of Maharashtra. The politics of caste always played a very important role in deciding the nature of regional politics in India. The chapter aims to locate the Lingayats and their politics in the overall social and political context of Maharashtra. It traces the history of the Lingayat caste associations in Sholapur, a city in the southern Maharashtra region, to link it to the rise of caste associations in the first phase of post-independence politics. The chapter focuses on the functioning of the Lingayat caste associations, arrival of new organisations, their demands and political negotiations that they try to enter into in the changing context of state politics.
