Party Organization, Campaigns, and Mobilization in India

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

The panel explores the many faces of party politics in India, examining how religiously conservative parties mobilize women; why parties persist in mass outreach programs despite personalizable digital campaigns; how Hindu nationalist ideas and ideologies spread; and why Indian parties have centralization tendencies. Together, these papers address questions of how political parties have critical implications for the prospects of democratic citizenship in contemporary India.

The first paper, "Domesticating Politics: How Religiously Conservative Parties Mobilize Women in India," examines the paradox of women's mobilization by parties endorsing traditional gender roles. It formalizes the concept of "norm-compliant mobilization," whereby potentially transgressive activities can be rendered socially acceptable by framing them as congruent with existing cultural norms. Drawing on the case of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the paper shows how framing mobilization through the lens of the gendered norm of seva (selfless service) facilitates women's entry into political spaces without challenging the patriarchal status quo. This approach has broader implications for understanding how parties expand beyond their core base, how marginalized groups can be mainstreamed into politics and how conservative movements spread and sustain themselves.

Next, "Crowds as Content: Party Campaign Strategy in the Digital Age" investigates the persistence of mass rallies in the era of digital campaigning. The research posits a "content-complementarity" theory, suggesting that physical rallies serve as valuable content for online platforms and social media also shapes how in-person mass campaigning is conducted. The study, grounded in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh state election, uses a mix of observational and survey data to reveal how rally visuals and narratives shape voter perceptions and mobilization. This paper also discusses the broader consequences of this strategy for political participation and the digital divide.

The third paper, "How Ideas Spread: Expansion of Hindu Nationalism in India," explores the growth of Hindu nationalism in Uttar Pradesh. It analyzes the relationship between material changes and the movement's expansion, proposing a theory of "middle-class conservatism." This theory suggests that the movement's success is partly due to its appeal to egalitarian aspirations, enabling parties like the BJP to extend their support beyond traditional high-status groups. The paper sheds light on the mechanisms of ideological spread and its impact on party politics and electoral mobilization.

Finally, "Ordered Chaos: Political Centralization in India" addresses the phenomenon of political defection and its effect on party centralization. With a focus on the period from the 1970s to 2007, the paper argues that the instability caused by frequent party switching necessitates a centralization of power by party leaders. The study uses a regression discontinuity design to demonstrate that smaller, regional parties are particularly vulnerable to defections and rely heavily on the central figure of the party leader to maintain voter loyalty.

At a time when grave questions are posed about parties' roles in sustaining and deepening democracy, this panel offers an in-depth examination of political party development in India, analyzing both historical patterns and contemporary trends ranging from ideological dissemination, party-voter linkages and mobilization strategies, party-candidate dynamics and centralization of power.

Sub Unit

• Division 62: South Asian Politics

Individual Presentations

• Domesticating Politics: How Right-Wing Parties Mobilize Women in India - Anirvan Chowdhury, Harvard University

• Crowds as Content: Party Campaign Strategy in the Digital Age - Shahana Sheikh, University of Pennsylvania

• How Ideas Spread: Expansion of Hindu Nationalism in India - Pranav Gupta, University of California Berkeley

• Ordered Chaos: The Roots of Political Centralization in India - Neelanjan Sircar, Ahmedabad University

• Leader-Driven Campaigns and Party Organization in India - Resuf Ahmed, University of Lausanne; Feyaad Allie, Harvard University

Chair

• Tariq Thachil University of Pennsylvania

Discussants

• Poulomi Chakrabarti Harvard University

• Adam W. Ziegfeld Temple University