Routledge Electoral Politics in Punjab: Factors and Phases

This book examines electoral politics in the state of Punjab, India as it has evolved since the colonial period. It underlines the emergence of the state as a singular unit for electoral analysis in the last three decades. This book: Charts the common trends and developments that have dominated politics in Punjab, and those that continue to play an important role in the government of the state; Examines state parties and their leadership in the context of party alliances, campaigns and electoral verdicts; Presents a comparative study of the assembly and Lok Sabha elections held in the state after reorganisation in 1966 with the objective of highlighting differences in electoral issues taken up by the parties. An important intervention in the study of state-level politics in India, this book will be of great interest to students and researchers of politics, especially comparative politics and political institutions, political sociology and social anthropology, and South Asian studies. About the Author Ashutosh Kumar is Professor at the Department of Political Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. He has been associated with the Lokniti Network, CSDS, Delhi, India as state coordinator for Punjab. He was previously visiting faculty at the University of Tampere, Finland; Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Paris, France. His research centers around state politics, with a focus on the issues related to elections, identities and development. He is the editor of Rethinking State Politics in India (2011) and co-editor of Globalisation and Politics of Identity in India (2008) and How India Votes: A State-by-state Look (2019). He has also published extensively in various international journals such as India Review, EPW, South Asia Research, Japanese Journal of Political Science, Asian Ethnicity, International Journal of Punjab Studies, Journal of Sikh & Punjab Studies and Journal of Asian and African Studies, among others.