Parties of Power: Understanding the Significance of Congress and BJP in Shaping Indian Democracy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18196/jsp.v14i2.312Keywords:
Political parties, Congress Party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Election, Policies and agendasAbstract
The Congress Party has a long history linked to India’s independence movement and is associated with a secular and socialist ideology. The BJP, founded in 1980, is associated with Hindu nationalism and has become increasingly influential in recent years. The parties have significant differences in policies and agendas, including economic and social issues. Understanding the role of political parties in Indian democracy is essential for gaining a deeper understanding of the country’s political landscape and the challenges it faces. This article compares the Congress Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two major political parties in India, and examines their historical backgrounds, ideologies, and election strategies. The role of political parties in Indian democracy is discussed, along with the challenges faced by both parties in recent elections. The article concludes by highlighting the significance of political parties in Indian democracy and discussing the future prospects of the Congress Party and the BJP.
References
Banerjee, P. (2020). The BJP in power: Indian democracy and religious nationalism. Cambridge University Press.
Chakrabarty, B. (2015). The rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India: Urbanization and the decline of the Congress Party. Routledge.
Chandra, K. (2004). Why ethnic parties succeed: Patronage and ethnic head counts in India. Cambridge University Press.
Chari, M. R. (2004). Hindu nationalism and India’s foreign policy. Security Dialogue, 35(3), 355-371. doi: 10.1177/0967010604047689
Chhibber, P., & Kollman, K. (2004). “Party Aggregation and the Number of Parties in India and the United States.” Comparative Political Studies, 37(8), 881-910.
Chhibber, Pradeep. (2018). “Coalition Politics in India: A Comparative Study of the Congress Party and the BJP.” Cambridge University Press.
Das, Ashok. “What Went Wrong for the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections?” The Diplomat, 29 May 2019, thediplomat.com/2019/05/what-went-wrong-for-the-con- gress-in-the-2019-lok-sabha-electioPres
Dasgupta, S. (2016). BJP and the evolution of Hindu nationalism: From periphery to centre. Routledge.
Deshpande, Rajeshwari. (2019). “Emergence of Regional Parties in Indian Politics: Implications for Congress and BJP.” Journal of Political Science, 45(2), 175-196.
Election Commission of India. (2021). List of Political Parties. Retrieved from https:// eci.gov.in/political-parties-in-india/
Election Commission of India’s website. (https://results.eci.gov.in/Result2021/ partywiseresult-S22.htm). (accessed on 15/08/2022).
Gowda, M.V. Rajeev. (2017). “Party Funding and Corruption in Indian Politics: A Comparative Study of the Congress Party and the BJP.” Economic and Political Weekly, 52(46), 39-46.
Gupta, S. P. (2014). The Indian National Congress: Historical Perspectives. Taylor & Francis. Hasan, Z. (2007). Politics and society between elections: The role of political parties in India. Sage Publications India.
Hasan, Z. (2010). “Politics and the State in India.” In: The Oxford Companion to Politics in India, edited by Niraja Gopal Jayal and Pratap Bhanu Mehta, 130-149. Oxford University Press.
IndiaTodaynews, https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/bjp-mani- festo-lok-sabha-polls-pm-modi-economic-development-1508387-2019-04-08
“India’s Congress party faces fight for survival.” BBC News, 12 May 2016, https:// www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36262008. (accessed on 19 March 2022).
Jaffrelot, C. (2019). “BJP versus Congress: The Ideological Divide.” Journal of Political Science, 45(2), 123-145.
Jaffrelot, C. (2019). The Hindu nationalist vision of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Oxford University Press.
Kohli, A. (2014). Poverty amid plenty in the new India. Cambridge University Press. Kudaisya, M. M. (2012). The Congress Party in India: Policies, practices, and politics. Routledge.
Kumar, R. (2019). “BJP Dominance and Democratic Concerns in India.” Contemporary Politics, 25(3), 330-347.
Mitra, S. K. (2020). The BJP and the politics of Hindu nationalism in India. Palgrave Macmillan.
Nair, Ajai. “Challenges Before the Congress and the BJP.” The Diplomat, 29 May 2018, thediplomat.com/2018/05/challenges-before-the-congress-and-the-bjp/.
Pai, Sudha. (2017). “Caste, Religion, and Identity Politics in Indian Elections.” Oxford University Press.
Ramakumar, R. (2019). Agrarian distress and rural livelihoods in India: Politics of the contemporary global discourse. Routledge
Sardana, Pavneet. “Election 2019: What Led to Congress’s Defeat?” India Today, 23 May 2019, indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/election-2019-what-led-to- congress-s-defeat-1532625-2019-05-23.
Saxena, Ravi. (2016). “Role of Social Media in Indian Elections: A Comparative Analysis of the Congress Party and the BJP.” Journal of Communication, 66(6), 938-958.
Sharma, A., & Dubey, A. (2018). “Political Dynamics in India: Challenges Faced by the BJP and the Congress Party.” Journal of Indian Politics, 45(2), 223-240.
Shendurnikar-Tere, Nidhi. (2019). “Women in Indian Politics: A Comparative Analysis of the Congress Party and the BJP.” Journal of Gender Studies, 28(4), 424-441.
Sinha, A. (2011). “The Congress and the BJP: A Comparative Study of Ideological Posi- tioning.” Indian Journal of Political Science, 72(3), 445-462.
Sridharan, E. (2014). Political parties and Indian democracy. Oxford University Press
The Constitution of India. (1950). Retrieved from https://legislative.gov.in/sites/default/files/A1950-26_0.pdf
“India’s Congress party faces fight for survival.” BBC News, 12 May 2016, https:// www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36262008.
Yadav, Y., & Palshikar, S. (2011). “BJP and Congress in Indian Politics: A Comparative Analysis of Electoral Strategies.” Economic and Political Weekly, 46(39), 67-77.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Jurnal Studi Pemerintahan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.
