Book Review: Mukulika Banerjee. Why India Votes?
| Published date | 01 June 2015 |
| Date | 01 June 2015 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/2321023015575238 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
References
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291–303.
Saez, L. (2002). Federalism without a center. New Delhi: SAGE.
Sinha, A. (2005). The regional roots of developmental politics in India. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Aseema Sinha
Claremont McKenna College, California, USA
E-mail: sinhaaseema7@gmail.com
Mukulika Banerjee. Why India Votes? New Delhi: Routledge. 2014. 286 pages. `495.
DOI: 10.1177/2321023015575238
India’s democratic institutions have been pilloried in recent years. All available surveys probing the
esteem in which citizens hold their elected representatives and political parties reveal how critical Indians
are of their political class. Yet participation in elections has never been so high. The recent 2014 general
elections saw a record 68 per cent turnout, more than most European democracies with similar
non-obligatory voting systems. Women’s turnout—significantly lower than men’s for a long time—is
now at least at par in most states. There are few examples of countries where a growing disenchantment
with politics and the rejection of politicians go hand in hand with greater participation in the democratic
process. This puzzle is what makes this book a timely and important contribution. The literature on
electoral politics in India essentially focuses on explaining for whom people vote and why and not on
why people vote in the first place and whether the reasons pushing people to turn out on the election day
have anything to do with...
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