This empirically rich volume presents a holistic picture of the electoral process in Indian states and the return of the BJP to power. Drawing on the 2019 elections, it presents ground-level data to understand various aspects of elections: the nature of campaigning, caste, class and identity politics, electoral issues, poll strategies of different parties in the fray, electoral issues, electoral verdicts, the contestants, the leadership factor, the formation of government, among other empirical details. The essays underline the determinants of electoral behaviour by looking into the correlation between the background variables of voters and their voting choices. The essays also compare and contrast the 2019 election verdicts from the earlier elections held in the state under study. A long view of Indian state politics, this book will be essential reference for scholars and researchers of politics, especially political processes, and South Asian studies.

This book explores the forms, patterns, and trends in political communication in India in the twenty-first century. It underlies the influence of context in political messaging laying bare its complex, overlapping, and multidimensional structures. The volume: Examines how political decision-making is shaped by media - through political speeches, community opinion leaders, and formal and informal public conversations. Explores a range of political communication channels- from community radio to social media. Presents an overview of the problems associated with message designing and message dissemination through communication channels in a political setting. Highlights how political communication impacts critical aspects of democracy and governance and goes beyond mere rhetoric. A comprehensive work on the production, diffusion, transmission, and impact of information in a political environment, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics, governance, democracy, media and communication studies, journalism, cultural studies, and South Asian studies.

This empirically rich volume presents a holistic picture of the electoral process in Indian states and the return of the BJP to power. Drawing on the 2019 elections, it presents ground-level data to understand various aspects of elections: the nature of campaigning, caste, class and identity politics, electoral issues, poll strategies of different parties in the fray, electoral issues, electoral verdicts, the contestants, the leadership factor, the formation of government, among other empirical details. The essays underline the determinants of electoral behaviour by looking into the correlation between the background variables of voters and their voting choices. The essays also compare and contrast the 2019 election verdicts from the earlier elections held in the state under study. A long view of Indian state politics, this book will be essential reference for scholars and researchers of politics, especially political processes, and South Asian studies.

"The last one decade has a special significance from the point of view of two major paradigm shifts in the whole schema of rural development: one, the initiation of economic reforms and two, decentralised governance. It is under serious debate that whether the global vis- -vis the local is contradictory or complementary to each other and also can these two co-exist amicably. There are major reshuffles in policies, programmes and strategies of rural development over the last one decade. The changes in rural areas are discernible in many ways. The volume is an attempt to identify, document and comprehend the broad trends emanating across the states. It is important to understand and analyse the process and direction of pace and pattern of the present paradigm shift, which would have a significant impact and critical lessons for charting out the future course of action for effective people-centric rural development across the country. Besides a crisp introduction by the editor in the beginning, the book is thematically divided into five parts, viz., Changing Patterns, Perspectives and Paradigms of Rural Development; Changing Policies, Strategies and Programmes of Poverty Alleviation; Scenario of Employment Generation in Rural India; Decentralised Governance and Responsive Administration; and Development, Deprivation and Environment. The book promises to be a valuable reference for all concerned - researchers, bureaucrats, policy makers, planners and those concerned with the development of rural India."

"Village communities have been in existence in India for over centuries and panchayats have been an intimate part of the Indian culture. Panchayat system is one of the unique democratic institutions evolved in India by country s own genius and ethos. The post-73rd amendment phase has generated immense interest among the observers and experts who were keen to understand this significant change in the pattern of governance at the grassroots level. In the continuation of the process of strengthening institutional governance at local level, an innovation of Gram Swaraj system was introduced in Madhya Pradesh in 2001. The book is an attempt to identify, document and comprehend the broad trends emanating from the field, based on the experience of three years functioning of Gram Swaraj in Madhya Pradesh. Three years is a short span of time for the dust to settle from such radical changes. However, it is important to understand and analyse the process and direction of institutionalisation of the present system and its status in the initial phase, which would have a significant impact and critical lessons for charting out the future course of action for effective people-centric development and governance not only in the state but across the country. The book will interest a range of readers including researchers, bureaucrats, policy makers, planners and those concerned with the development of rural India."