ABSTRACT
India’s democracy, with its vast spread, astounding depth and resilience, is remarkable. In consequence, democracy and social change, deeply entangled in a symbiotic process, have become an integral part of the agenda of the modern state, regardless of which political party happens to be in power at a given point of time. The reciprocal relation of dynamic social change and democratization of power, and popular elections as the great leveller, are the most significant facts of modern Indian politics. The Indian middle class, urban and English educated, grew steadily in numbers and constantly clamoured for representation in various advisory institutions to British colonial rulers, and jobs in colonial bureaucracy. The Indian state has devised an ingenious system of enhancing stability of the political system through a combination of federalisation and other forms of power-sharing. The success of India’s democracy, properly understood, has important significance for democracy in South Asia, as well as for broader democracy theory.
