Question

Explain the various forms of caste in politics.

Answer 1

Hint: Caste refers to a social group where the membership is decided by birth. Political parties in India represent different interests and ideologies of different caste groups.

Complete Step by Step Answer: Casteism is rooted in the belief of an individual in which he/she belongs to by birth. It is the sole basis of a social community and can take various forms in politics.

The political parties of India mainly focus on the caste sentiments to muster support for elections. Mostly, all the political parties of India favour themselves to the ideology of some caste and are seen as their representatives.
-The political leaders while campaigning for parties try to get support from their own community.
-Parties also choose their candidates keeping in mind the caste composition of the electorate. Thus, they nominate candidates from various castes to muster support to win the elections.
-The Universal Adult Franchise is very much influenced by the caste system. It is a feeling of belongingness that influences the votes of individuals.
-The principle of one vote one person compelled the political leaders to gear up to secure political support.
-In many places, the voters cast their vote based on caste and thus fail to elect a suitable candidate.

Note: Do not confuse yourself with caste and community, as both the terms are totally different from each other. Caste is inherited by birth whereas community is about a small group of social unit which has something in common such as beliefs, norms, values or religion.