The Oxford Companion to Politics in India provides one of the most comprehensive and authoritative overview of Indian politics till date. Incorporating the best social science knowledge available on the developments in Indian politics, it provides a methodical exposition of how such issues are best understood. The contributors-top political scientists from across the world-interweave analytical perspectives with existing influential scholarship to provide a rich narrative of the subjects covered.
The volume has been thematically organized in seven parts. It begins with a survey of the basic institutional framework of politics like Indian Constitution, Parliament, federalism, local governance, and the Indian party system from 1952 to 2009. The essays also examine how non-political institutions like the Supreme Court of India and Election Commission have shaped Indian politics. They discuss social cleavages like class, caste, and gender as well as regional and religious diversities that create identities and mould politics in various ways. The companion further examines the political processes through political parties and their performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, political mobilization, alliances, and political leadership. Ideological contestations like nationalism, secularism, political representation, and social justice have also been explored in detail. Highlighting the linkages between social movements and civil society, a section looks into issues related with farmers' movements, women movements, and the role of NGOs in Indian politics. In addition, the volume investigates economic transformations in the country through an analysis of politics, political economy, government accountability, political economy as well as India's external and defence policies. It concludes with a discussion on various ways of looking at Indian politics.