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This study constitutes an analysis of factionalism between rival groups in the dominant Congress Party in Maharashtra. The principal question examined is whether a politician`s decision to oppose or `rebel against` party authority is determined or can be predicted by certain characteristics of the individual concerned and his environment (e.g. the amount of land he owns, or the level of education, urbanization, prosperity, etc., of the area in which he operates politically). About 160 Congress Party members on four district councils were interviewed, and their answers provided the main source of information for the analysis. The legally defined jurisdiction of the district councils is rural Maharashtra, and the political factions examined thus operate in a rural milieu. Dr Carras analysis suggests that the factional behaviour of the councilors interviewed corresponds with rational (or calculable) economic interests. Thus her study challenges a common assumption about Indian political behaviour, that alignments are determined by irrational (i.e. emotional) and often unpredictable factors, such as persona, family or caste loyalties. Her basic finding is that the fundamental political cleavage in the state (and possibly also at the all-India level) may be traceable to competing forms of economic organization, represented by private enterprise groups on the one hand and collective or cooperative economic interests on the other. ISBN - 9780521058957
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Pages : 312
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