Tribal Politics, Suits and Rock Music: Electioneering in Meghalaya

Abstract

ABSTRACTPublic discourse in India's northeastern state Meghalaya is dominated by issues of tribal identity and the threat of being overwhelmed by outsiders. In the context of national elections, local campaigners have to respond to and navigate between the different requirements of national and regional politics. Election campaigns, understood as a negotiation process during which campaigners act as brokers, provide insights into the narratives and characteristics of politics in Meghalaya. Manifestos, leaflets and large-scale events communicate a statement about organisational strength and a candidate's popularity, and subsequently about the capacity to ultimately deliver to the voter. Aesthetics used during campaigning such as music and clothing styles carry messages about the awareness and closeness of the campaigner to the imagination and needs of the local population. Although the entrance of social media into election campaigning is about to change elections and the role of campaigners in Meghalaya, local campaigners will remain important due to their ability to navigate between different levels of politics and to resolve contradictory campaign messages by drawing on different semiotic registers of campaigning.