Rajni Kothari Politics In India [exclusive] Jun 2026

Political stability comes from elites (political, bureaucratic, business, landowning) bargaining behind the scenes. Mass participation is real but mediated through elite-led organisations.

In his 1973 work, , Kothari famously rejected the idea that caste and democracy were incompatible. He introduced the concept of the "politicisation of caste," arguing that politics uses caste as much as caste uses politics. Role of caste in Indian politics - The Times of India rajni kothari politics in india

Rajni Kothari (1928–2015) remains one of the most towering intellectuals in the landscape of Indian political science. At a time when Western political theories were routinely imported to explain the post-colonial condition, Kothari insisted on developing an indigenous framework to understand the complexities of the Indian state. His seminal work, Politics in India (1970), was not merely a textbook but a paradigm shift that offered a structural-functional analysis of how India managed to democratize despite poverty, illiteracy, and diversity. Kothari’s scholarship moved beyond the binaries of tradition and modernity, arguing instead for a unique model where traditional structures adapted to modern political processes. This essay explores Kothari’s core arguments, particularly his thesis on the "Congress System," the role of caste, the transition from a dominant party system to the politics of turbulence, and his critique of the developing state. He introduced the concept of the "politicisation of

One of Kothari’s most enduring contributions is his theorisation of the . He argued that in the decades following independence, the Indian National Congress functioned not just as a political party, but as a "party of consensus". His seminal work, Politics in India (1970), was

Sharma, A. K. (2003). Rajni Kothari: A Tribute. Economic and Political Weekly, 38(36), 3635-3637.

One of Kothari’s most enduring contributions was his analysis of caste in politics. While Western modernization theory predicted that caste would wither away with industrialization and democracy, Kothari demonstrated that caste had actually been revitalized by democracy. He famously argued that caste had moved from a "structure of traditional authority" to a "structure of political power."