Introduction. Indian Federalism under One-party Dominance

This essay introduces a collection of articles that explores the idea of federalism and its discontents in contemporary India. It exposes the central concern of the special issue, namely, why what might be considered federal values are being contested in India because of the return of a one-party dominant system presided over by an ethnic nationalist party. On the one hand, as articles in the special issue demonstrate, we see the vigorous defense and promotion of the idea and significance of federalism by regional political actors. On the other, the rise of a more unitarian majoritarian nationalism has brought India’s status as a federal system, and what federalism in the Indian context entails, back into essential contention. This introduction presents the institutional and ideational contours of federalism in India, provides an overview of the articles in the special issue, and offers a discussion into how political changes to the landscape of federalism—the main focus of the special issue—must be seen within a wider political economy context of widening regional economic inequality and the (un)sustainability of the existing framework of fiscal redistribution.