Loyal Partisans but Disloyal Voters? Partisan Attachment & Vote Choice in India

• In Event: Identity and Partisan Politics in Contemporary India

Abstract

Partisanship is often correlated with stable voting behavior in advanced democracies. In developing democracies, high electoral volatility implies that voters seldom repeat their voting choices. We look at the sub-section of voters who identify with a political party to reflect on the circumstances under which we are likely to see stable partisan voting even in less institutionalized contexts. Drawing on the Indian National Election Studies, constituency-level election returns at the state and national level, and an original field survey, we explore partisanship, its correlates and its consequences in India. At first glance, less than half the voters repeat their voting preferences in the next election -- a clear indicator of the high volatility that characterises Indian elections. Digging deeper, we find that contrary to claims of low partisan voting, partisans are actually quite loyal to their own party brands, voting party line at levels comparable to most advanced democracies. These predictable and stable choices are made in an environment of low information and unreliable party platforms, which makes this finding even more note-worthy. Exploring mechanisms behind such choices, we find that ethnic linkages play a big role in filling the information deficiency for Indian voters: those with greater attachment to their community identity are more likely to make precise, predictable and strategic voting choices. For partisans however, closer community ties do not lead to more effective voting, suggesting that party loyalty trumps ethnic ties. These results have implications for understanding partisan loyalty in contexts of low party system institutionalization.

Authors

• Ankita Barthwal, University of Oslo

• Francesca R. Jensenius, University of Oslo