ABSTRACT
This chapter describes and explains how and why the well-intended, socialist oriented development strategy embraced by the first government of independent India was gradually superseded by the emergence of an all-pervading patron-client regime. It deals with several forces which have supported the political development. The chapter describes the development of the rules, meaning and organisation of politics, and addresses a specific expression of this development: urban politics. It outlines the urban political landscape, including the positions of all the important political agents. In Andhra Pradesh, ideology has never played an overt role in Congress Party politics. Some of the more important features of the model are: parliamentary elections among competitive political parties, a non-political military apparatus, a free press, and more or less independent pressure groups such as trade unions and caste associations. The common man was engulfed by stories about corruption, nepotism, political intrigue and faction fights.
