The twentieth century has witnessed a tremendous reinforcement of the concept of democracy. In a period of about one hundred years, the virtues of democracy have been greatly extolled and the world has witnessed a process of democratization. In the sixty years since its inception, Indian democracy too has developed indigenous roots and is emerging as a unique example of parliamentary democracy. The important question today is not the survival of Indian democracy, but the nature of India’s democratic politics.

The present volume is an attempt to understand the development of democratic polity in India. It covers a wide range of issues – theoretical concepts, political institutions, federalism, electoral process, individual and group rights and mass media – drawing attention to the significant broadening of Indian democracy. But the benefits of political democracy are yet to reach the masses – political institutions are dominated by the elite, civil society has been politicized and the interventionist state has become an arm of the elite. The solution to these problems lies in further democratization of the political process.

M Manisha and Sharmila Mitra Deb are Senior Lecturers in the Department of Political Science, Loreto College, Kolkata.

Anthem South Asian Studies

List of Contributors; Introduction: DEMOCRATIC POLITICS IN INDIA: CONCEPTS, CHALLENGES AND DEBATES; RECONSTRUCTING DEMOCRATIC CONCERNS IN INDIA; ARE WE READY FOR DEMOCRACY? A FEW OBSERVATIONS; DEMOCRACY AND POVERTY IN INDIA; DEMOCRACY AND FEDERALISM IN INDIA; INDIA’S COALITION FUTURE?; HOW DEMOCRATIC IS OUR PARLIAMENT?; DEMOCRACY’S JANUS FACE; THE NATURE OF THE OPPOSITION IN INDIA’S PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY; RESTYLING DEMOCRACY?; THE POOR WORKING WOMEN; HOW IS DEMOCRACY IN SOUTH ASIA?