Indian Democracy And Religion Essay

Smaller minority groups in India have a fundamental role in the electoral politics. Religion as a factor plays a vital role in effecting political status of different political parties. Some of the prominent and major political parties have lost elections since the minor groups converged against them in the elections and won. An example is where the Indian Congress Party lost its votes to the minority parties. This shows that the minority groups have the capability of winning the elections and that their dominance is enough to make them win over the most dominant parties. As such, some of the dominant parties have gone a long way in ensuring that they include minority groups. This would help in enabling them secure the votes in the relative regions of selected minority parties. An example of a party that exercises the inclusion policy is the Bahujan Samaj Party. This is one of the prominent parties in India. In addition, it has mobilized the minority groups to be part of its party. This clearly shows that these minority groups have a great significance in electoral processes.
Looking at the next question, there are two contradictory versions of the cause of religious violence. One that is derived from Ashutosh Vershney states that where there is a high social capital in the country, the religious conflicts appear on the rise. On the other hand, Steve Wilkinson states that when there is political competition, then the country is likely to encounter a religious conflict. The similarity in these two points is that both are geared towards emphasizing the importance of respect and unity during elections.
Finally, there are different notions concerning the causes of religious violence in India during the elections. Some of the political scientists claim that these forms of violence arise from political differences. On the other hand, others claim that it is caused by the high social or civic life. All these points have significance since they relate in one way or another.