Democracy and Caste Politics in India: A Sociological View

Democracy and caste politics in India are deeply interconnected dimensions of the country's political and social transformation. Although the Indian Constitution establishes equality, prohibits discrimination on the basis of caste, and provides institutional safeguards for historically disadvantaged communities, caste continues to shape political mobilization, electoral competition, representation, public policy, and access to state resources. Rather than disappearing with modernization and democratic development, caste has been reorganized and politicized within democratic institutions. Electoral competition has enabled subordinated caste groups, particularly Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), to transform caste identity into a resource for political mobilization and collective bargaining. At the same time, caste-based politics has generated concerns regarding identity polarization, patronage, political fragmentation, and the reproduction of social divisions. This paper examines the historical evolution, institutional foundations, and contemporary manifestations of caste politics in Indian democracy. It focuses particularly on the politicization of caste, electoral mobilization, affirmative action, Dalit and OBC political assertion, caste-based political parties, representation, and the changing relationship between caste, class, and democratic citizenship. The paper argues that caste politics should not be understood simply as a distortion of democracy. It is simultaneously a consequence of India's unequal social structure and an instrument through which historically marginalized groups seek representation, recognition, redistribution, and political power. The democratic challenge, therefore, is not merely to eliminate caste from politics but to transform caste-based political mobilization into broader forms of substantive equality, social justice, and inclusive citizenship.