Politics in South India
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Politics in South India is typically dominated by regional parties than by the larger national political parties such as the Congress (INC) or BJP (BJP). However, both the BJP and INC have had some success in forging alliances with regional parties. Unlike in North India, where religion plays an important role in driving local politics, South India's political issues of contention are mainly caste, language and ethnicity.
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[edit] Andhra Pradesh
In the 1980s, the establishment of the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh by former Telugu actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) broke the dominance of the Congress in Andhra Pradesh politics. NTR successfully challenged the INC's supremacy in the state and his party was voted into power a total of four times. In the 1996, a year after winning the state assembly election by a landslide, a dispute between NTR, his wife Lakshmi Parvati and his immediate family resulted in a split in the TDP. Concerned over undue influence over NTR and his policies, the bulk of the party favoured the family under the leadership of NTR's son-in-law, N Chandrababu Naidu, who later became Chief Minister of the state. Naidu is regarded as a visionary who promoted the growth of information technology in the state. There has been a recent growth in popularity of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Andhra Pradesh's northwestern Telangana region. The party's main mandate is the separation of Telangana from the rest of Andhra Pradesh. The Congress, in spite of being plagued by factionalism through the 1990s, has managed to remain in prominence in the state and has, under the leadership of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and with a strategic alliance with TRS, managed to oust the TDP from power in the last election by an overwhelming majority.
[edit] Karnataka
The Janata Dal has been far more successful in Karnataka than it has been in national politics. National political parties such as the BJP and INC have experienced more comparative success in Karnataka than they have in other states of South India. Karnataka's political environment is dominated by two rival caste groups — the Vokkaligas and the Lingayats.[1] Ramakrishna Hegde played an integral part in the ascent of the Janata Dal into the national foray in the late 1980s. However, it was his political rival H.D. Deve Gowda, then the Chief Minister of Karnataka, who later went on to become the Prime Minister of India. Caste has figured prominently in Karnataka politics. Anti-Hindi and anti-Tamil movements were prominent in Karnataka politics in the 1960s and 1970s.[2] The Kaveri water dispute with Tamil Nadu holds an important place in the politics of the state.
[edit] Kerala
Politics in Kerala comprises two major political alliances: the United Democratic Front (UDF — led by the Indian National Congress) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF — led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)). Kerala numbers among India’s most left-wing states. An interesting phenomenon of Kerala politics, is the alternate election of Congress and the Communists to power.
[edit] Tamil Nadu
INC's political influence over Tamil Nadu gave way to the rise of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1967, whose initial mandate was the secession of Tamil Nadu (Dravida Nadu) from the rest of India. In 1972, a split in the DMK resulted in the formation of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), lead by MG Ramachandran. Together, the AIADMK and the DMK currently command a 60% share in Tamil Nadu state elections.[3] The shift in political power in Tamil Nadu was due to the rise of Dravidan Nationalism spearheaded by leaders such as Periyar Ramasami and C. N. Annadurai, who extolled the achievements Tamilians in ways that the common man could relate to. The main facets of state politics in Tamil Nadu included language — the distinction between Tamil and non-Tamil speakers was an important tool used by the DMK in the 1960s and caste [3] — such as the Self-respect Movement. The imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi speaking areas of India has often been a contentious issue in Tamil Nadu. In January-February 1965, large scale Anti-Hindi agitations, a cause championed by the DMK,[4] occurred in Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is an important and sensitive issue in the politics of the state.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Price, Pamela. " Ideological Elements in Political Instability in Karnataka...". University of Oslo
- ^ Nair, Janaki. "Battles for Bangalore: Reterritorialising the City". Centre for the Study of Culture and Society. Bangalore, India.
- ^ a b Harris, Wyatt. "The Changing Politics of Tamil Nadu in the 1990s". Political Mobilisation and Political Competition. Dec 2004.
- ^ Guha, Ramachandra. "Hindi against India". 2006. The Hindu. The Hindu Group. 16 Jan. 2005
