ABSTRACT
The question ‘why India votes’ is provoked by two facts. First, India’s poorest and most marginalised citizens vote in high numbers. Second, India’s performance on eliminating poverty has been abysmal, and the country has higher levels of chronic poverty than sub-Saharan Africa even though its economic growth rates are among the highest in the world. These two facts when taken together raise an important question — why do poor people bother with voting when elected governments don’t seem to be making their lives any better?
