Changing Role of People’s Representatives in Populist Politics: Rural West Bengal Perspective

Populist politics changes the dimension of party politics in rural West Bengal.In any populist regime, the core values of politics are dominated by the popular manifestation of power, replacing earlier relationships between power and sanctity, process and priority, pattern and practices.The legitimacy of political power comes under threat as questions arise about the processes that generate power and the structures through which it operates.In this context, it is important to discuss the changing role of people's representatives in rural West Bengal.This article examines the influential role of local political actors in advancing populist goals through rhythmic expressions of power.It also explores how certain relationship patterns contrast with these roles, misconstruing the political vocabulary of power.The article highlights the pattern of acceptability that sustains rule and the range of reliability that stabilises it.Local politics, shaped by cultural struggles, prepares the backdrop for the determinism of political power.Thus, redefining the relationship between power and leadership portfolios is crucial to managing the impacts of political changes.A comparative analytical method, along with content analysis, has been adopted.The key findings are:(i) Local representatives' activities change when populist goals are accepted by core party members.(ii) As long as populist goals do not contradict the ideological roles of major political parties in rural Bengal, they are accepted by local representatives.(iii) The power of local leaders depends on the decentralised structure of their party, causing the influence of populist politics to vary from protest to appreciation.