Revision summary
Democracy organised caste as interest and identity. Kothari called this politicisation, not disappearance. Mandal and Dalit assertion expanded who counts as a political caste. Dominant castes converted land-numbers into legislatures. This is rising political caste, not a return of total ritual order.
Model answer
Copper italics in this answer — like this — are the key facts. Each one is unpacked in the Facts & figures rail.
Introduction
Caste has grown more significant in Indian politics even as some village ritual declined. Democracy did not dissolve jati; it organised it as a vote, a quota, and a public name.
Body
Why increasing
- Rajni Kothari’s politicisation of caste: parties need clusters, and caste is a ready cluster.
- Mandal and OBC assertion made the middle of the ladder a national political subject.
- Reserved seats, panchayat quotas, and census talk keep caste on the file.
What changed, not vanished
- Srinivas’s dominant caste entered Vidhan Sabhas. Beteille’s asymmetry means ritual rank is not the same as MLA power.
- Dalit parties and Ambedkarite symbols made the bottom a political identity, not only a disability.
Caution
- Caste in politics is not the same as the old jajmani. It is competitive dignity and share.
- Class and religion still cut it. A single caste rarely wins a nation.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD V[Vote quota] --> POL[Caste in politics] K[Kothari] --> POL M[Mandal Dalit parties] --> POL
Conclusion
Caste’s political significance has increased because the vote rewards organised ascriptive groups. That is transformation of caste, not proof that sociology should return to Dumont’s whole as the state.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Different forms of Dalit assertion
Next question on this syllabus topic (2016 · Q4(c)). View answer →
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Does more caste politics mean caste is stronger in marriage?
Not automatically. Endogamy can stay while occupation rules fade. Both can be true.
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Is this vote-bank only?
Vote-bank is the insult. Representation of graded inequality is the democratic claim.
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.
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2019 · Q2(b) · Sociology GS 2 · 20 marks
What is caste politics? Substantiate your answer with examples of how identities are defined by caste dynamics
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