Karnataka over the yearsThe first few Chief Ministers of Karnataka belonged to the “dominant castes”, as delineated by the sociologist M.N. Breaking the hold of the previously dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga castes, he successfully united all the backward castes and minorities into a formidable front. Mr. Siddaramaiah, who belongs to the third largest community in Karnataka, the Kurubas, also came to power under the Congress banner. A game of one-upmanshipIn essence, this is the game of identity politics that the Indian voter has been playing for years. In Bihar, Lalu Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal united the large Yadav caste into a formidable political entity.

Source: The Hindu May 07, 2018 18:45 UTC