Votebank

Votebank(also spelledvote-bankorvote bank), in the political discourse ofIndiaandPakistan,is a term referring to a loyalblocofvotersfrom a singlecommunity,who consistently back a certaincandidateor political formation indemocraticelections.Such behavior is often the result of an expectation of benefits, whether real or imagined, from the political formations, often at the cost of other communities. Votebank politics is the practice of creating and maintaining votebanks through divisive policies. As it encourages voting on the basis of self-interest of certain groups, often against their better judgement, it is considered harmful to the principles ofrepresentative democracy.Here, community may be of acaste,religion,language,orsubnation.

Etymology

The term was first used by noted Indiansociologist,M. N. Srinivasin his 1955 paper entitledThe Social System of a Mysore Village.He used it in the context of political influence exerted by a patron over a client. Later, the expression was used byF. G. Bailey,a professor ofanthropologyat theUniversity of California, San Diego,in his 1959 bookPolitics and Social Change,to refer to theelectoralinfluence of the caste leader. This is the usage that has since become popular.

Examples

Some of the first identified votebanks were along caste lines. Others based on other community characteristics, such asreligionandlanguage,have also occurred. Votebanks are generally considered undesirable in electoral politics. For example,Thapar (2013)argues that votebanks based on either caste or religion stand in the way of secularisation.Katju (2011)identifies accusations of votebanking as a rhetorical tool used byHindu nationalistsin complaints about special rights or privileges granted to non-Hindus in India. Other examples include:

• In 1989, theBadaga peopleof South India petitioned the Indian government to be recognized as an official tribe, demonstratingen masseon 15 May of that year to imply the strength of the Badaga votebank.

• In 1985,Rajiv Gandhiacted against Shah Bano judgement under influence of Muslim conservatives.

Remedy

Some arguethat the Votebank politics can be disabled by limiting the provisions ofTenth ScheduleofIndian Constitutionto afew critical issues.

See also

• Ethnocultural politics in the United States
• Client politics
• Clientelism
• Constituency
• Indian politics
• Identity politics
• Electoral system
• Political campaigning
• Social disintegration
• Blocks of Five
• Red states and blue states

Bibliography

• Bailey, F. G.(1959),Politics and Social Change,Berkeley: University of California Press
• Basu, Partha (2007), ""Brand Buddha" in India's West Bengal: The Left Reinvents Itself ",Asian Survey,47(2): 288–306,doi:10.1525/as.2007.47.2.288
• Grillo, Ralph; Needham, Rodney (2000), "Obituary: M. N. Srinivas",Anthropology Today,16(1): 22,doi:10.1111/1467-8322.00007,ISSN0268-540X,JSTOR2678199
• Heidemann, Frank (2014), "Objectification and Social Aesthetics: Memoranda and the Celebration of" Badaga Day "",Asian Ethnology,73(1/2): 91–109,doi:10.18874/ae.73.1-2.06
• Katju, Manjari (2011), "The Understanding of Freedom in Hindutva",Social Scientist,39(3/4): 3–22
• Srinivas, M. N.(1955), "The Social System of a Mysore Village", in Marriott, McKim (ed.),Village India: studies in the little community,Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 1–35
• Thapar, Romila (2013), "The Secular Mode for India",Social Scientist,41(11/12): 3–10

Further reading

• Shourie, Arun (2012). Falling over backwards: An essay on reservations and judicial populism. New Delhi: HarperCollins Publishers.ISBN978-9350293553
• Syed Ali Mujtaba,‘Monolith India’ and the vote bank,Himal South Asian,2004