ABSTRACT
In 2000 the federal map of India was redrawn to create three new states, signifying a significant shift in the attitude of many of India’s major political parties towards territorial reorganisation. This paper suggests that a new era in the political economy of India – associated with economic liberalisation; the rise of the Hindu right; the regionalisation of politics; and the emergence of a coalitional system of government in New Delhi – provides a new ‘field of opportunities’ for regions demanding state recognition. The paper concludes that, in this matter, the major political parties are driven primarily by expediency and opportunism rather than, as is claimed, by an evaluation of the democratic and developmental potential of smaller states.
