Party-people and local governance in an Indian state: a longitudinal study on the roots of electoral violence

Abstract

ABSTRACT West Bengal, in comparison to other states of India, witnesses large-scale political violence throughout the year which, however, sees an upswing particularly during the time of elections. Nonetheless, apart from a few sporadic mentions, such violence is yet to get scholarly attention. Based on my longitudinal ethnography (2008–2017) in four Gram Panchayats – the lowest to the three-tier local governance system, I show the ways in which political polarization and violence occupy a dominant position in everyday village life of the state. I show that while domains of dominance-subordination and hate speech shape much of the discursive spheres of the state, people, through a variety of formal and informal channels, tend to depend on political party and panchayat. Such politico-economic dependence, development of hooligan dominated political control, and continuation of violence through direct and subtler means are some of the major roots of violence.