Smitana Saikia | Azim Premji University (original) (raw)

Papers by Smitana Saikia

Research paper thumbnail of Saffronizing the periphery: Explaining the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in contemporary Assam

The remotely located and relatively marginalized states of northeast India have historically been... more The remotely located and relatively marginalized states of northeast India have historically been a Congress bastion, despite posing continued challenges to the nation-building project through many insurgency movements. The success of the grand old party depended on creating 'umbrella coalitions' with diverse ethnic groups to sustain power. However, since General elections 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has successfully challenged the dominance of Congress, particularly in the state of Assam. In this context, this paper seeks to discuss recent shifts in electoral dynamics in Assam and its implication for a region hitherto considered peripheral. The paper situates the BJP's emergence as the new locus of power in the long-term processes of party politics in Assam and discusses the resultant shifts in social alignments, cleavages and political issues in the multi-ethnic landscape of the state. It also explores the role of the RSS in negotiating its larger ideological interests with local political realities of the state and its ability to appropriate local cultural symbols. The paper concludes that the unprecedented rise of the BJP, which is a result of the changing political opportunity structures in Assam, will nevertheless be tested severely due to the state's multi-ethnic character and complex, localized social fault lines.

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnic Outbidding and politics of 'homeland' in Assam's Bodoland

The 2014 Lok Sabha election marks a watershed for Indian politics. The elections in the state of ... more The 2014 Lok Sabha election marks a watershed for Indian politics. The elections in the state of Assam have been marked by interethnic violence, fuelled by issues of indigeneity and ‘illegal’ migration. This paper primarily discusses the electoral result from the Kokrajhar constituency in lower Assam, the heart of Bodo politics and a hotbed for ethnic conflict. Two decades of armed struggle resulted in concessions granted to the Bodos, the largest plains tribe in Assam, in the form of a territorial council, under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian constitution. In the 2014 election, for the first time in the history of the constituency, a non-Bodo candidate won, with an impressive 51% of the vote share. The electoral outcome may be seen as a further polarization of the existing ethnic cleavage between Bodos and non-Bodos in the region. Using the theory of outbidding, it will be shown that the victory of a non- Bodo in the constituency may be seen as an outcome of a history of inter-group conflict in the region as well as intra-group rivalry among various factions of the Bodo leadership. Further, this case also illustrates that the propensity of the outbidding effect to foment inter-ethnic violence is greater in contexts where political institutions (in this case autonomous/territorial councils) encourage a singular axis of identity as a basis of mobilization. In conclusion, the paper discusses the implications of this election result for the politics of ‘ethnic homeland’ in Assam.

Research paper thumbnail of General Elections 2014: Will BJP's gains polarize Assam further?

The emergence of BJP as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha elections 2014 has important im... more The emergence of BJP as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha elections 2014 has important impli- cations for realignments of social groups in the country. It has firmly established its foothold in many states thereby emerging as a national party, in the literal sense of the term. Its performance of 7 out of 14 seats in a state like Assam, which had been a Congress stronghold since independence, is no mean feat. The Congress, as elsewhere, managed to do poorly with only three seats and many party heavy- weights have been routed out this time. The article argues that this election has sealed the process of disintegration of the ‘catch-all’ nature of the Congress party in Assam, the unravelling of which had already begun in 1985 when Asom Gana Parishad won the assembly elections with a landslide victory. A major reason for this is the realignment of social groups with political parties leading to both ethnic polarization and ethnic accommodation in the state. This breakdown has been expedited on account of growing dissidence and factionalism within the Congress party as well as increasingly shifting loyalties of its core constituencies to other emerging loci of power in the state. Furthermore, the article argues that the emerging political constellation constituting parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and All India United Democratic Front have a potential to further polarize a much fragmented and fragile Assam.

Book Reviews by Smitana Saikia

Research paper thumbnail of Book Review Bethany Lacina Rival claims ethnic violence and territorial autonomy under Indian federalism

Regional and Federal Studies, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Saffronizing the periphery: Explaining the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in contemporary Assam

The remotely located and relatively marginalized states of northeast India have historically been... more The remotely located and relatively marginalized states of northeast India have historically been a Congress bastion, despite posing continued challenges to the nation-building project through many insurgency movements. The success of the grand old party depended on creating 'umbrella coalitions' with diverse ethnic groups to sustain power. However, since General elections 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has successfully challenged the dominance of Congress, particularly in the state of Assam. In this context, this paper seeks to discuss recent shifts in electoral dynamics in Assam and its implication for a region hitherto considered peripheral. The paper situates the BJP's emergence as the new locus of power in the long-term processes of party politics in Assam and discusses the resultant shifts in social alignments, cleavages and political issues in the multi-ethnic landscape of the state. It also explores the role of the RSS in negotiating its larger ideological interests with local political realities of the state and its ability to appropriate local cultural symbols. The paper concludes that the unprecedented rise of the BJP, which is a result of the changing political opportunity structures in Assam, will nevertheless be tested severely due to the state's multi-ethnic character and complex, localized social fault lines.

Research paper thumbnail of Ethnic Outbidding and politics of 'homeland' in Assam's Bodoland

The 2014 Lok Sabha election marks a watershed for Indian politics. The elections in the state of ... more The 2014 Lok Sabha election marks a watershed for Indian politics. The elections in the state of Assam have been marked by interethnic violence, fuelled by issues of indigeneity and ‘illegal’ migration. This paper primarily discusses the electoral result from the Kokrajhar constituency in lower Assam, the heart of Bodo politics and a hotbed for ethnic conflict. Two decades of armed struggle resulted in concessions granted to the Bodos, the largest plains tribe in Assam, in the form of a territorial council, under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian constitution. In the 2014 election, for the first time in the history of the constituency, a non-Bodo candidate won, with an impressive 51% of the vote share. The electoral outcome may be seen as a further polarization of the existing ethnic cleavage between Bodos and non-Bodos in the region. Using the theory of outbidding, it will be shown that the victory of a non- Bodo in the constituency may be seen as an outcome of a history of inter-group conflict in the region as well as intra-group rivalry among various factions of the Bodo leadership. Further, this case also illustrates that the propensity of the outbidding effect to foment inter-ethnic violence is greater in contexts where political institutions (in this case autonomous/territorial councils) encourage a singular axis of identity as a basis of mobilization. In conclusion, the paper discusses the implications of this election result for the politics of ‘ethnic homeland’ in Assam.

Research paper thumbnail of General Elections 2014: Will BJP's gains polarize Assam further?

The emergence of BJP as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha elections 2014 has important im... more The emergence of BJP as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha elections 2014 has important impli- cations for realignments of social groups in the country. It has firmly established its foothold in many states thereby emerging as a national party, in the literal sense of the term. Its performance of 7 out of 14 seats in a state like Assam, which had been a Congress stronghold since independence, is no mean feat. The Congress, as elsewhere, managed to do poorly with only three seats and many party heavy- weights have been routed out this time. The article argues that this election has sealed the process of disintegration of the ‘catch-all’ nature of the Congress party in Assam, the unravelling of which had already begun in 1985 when Asom Gana Parishad won the assembly elections with a landslide victory. A major reason for this is the realignment of social groups with political parties leading to both ethnic polarization and ethnic accommodation in the state. This breakdown has been expedited on account of growing dissidence and factionalism within the Congress party as well as increasingly shifting loyalties of its core constituencies to other emerging loci of power in the state. Furthermore, the article argues that the emerging political constellation constituting parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and All India United Democratic Front have a potential to further polarize a much fragmented and fragile Assam.