A Social, Political and Economic Assessment

Since their emergence in the late nineteenth century, political parties and party systems have been one of the most effective instruments for analysing social change and resultant political instability in a democratic polity. Existing literature shows that during periods of deep-seated differences and political crisis, parties due to their functions of interest articulation and aggregation, not only reflect changes in society, but can also actively intervene. By mobilising along the fault lines of social cleavages, parties can either contribute to aggravation of existing divisions; or by building a new national consensus on conflicting issues they can help in the re-establishment of stability and legitimacy in the political sphere (Durverger 1967). A third possible form of intervention is that of “elite accomodation ” by party leaders across social groups, leading to the establishment of consociational democracy in countries, which have social diversities, that cannot be easily bridged. (Lijphart 1980) Recent Indian experience points to the close link between rapid social change, breakdown of consensus on fundamental issues in society and the role of political parties, to deal with the resultant political instability. Since the late 1980s, India has undergone a number of significant developments in its polity, economy and society: breakdown of the consensus o