The Limited Elite: Politics and Government in Two Indian Cities

In the case of national politics, a study of leading politicians may have important policy implications even if these are not directly verbalized; when one comes to research on Indian urban politics, however, the justifications are less readily translated into policy terms. At a time when demands for "relevant" research are growing, a study of politics in two Indian cities which merely attempts to describe and understand the situation as it is may appear to be of limited value. However, as previous studies of Indian politics have suggested, a proper understanding of what happens at the national or state levels in India depends upon adequate consideration of the economic, social and political arrangements which prevail at the local level. The success of Indian democracy in penetrating into the lower status groups of the city and countryside has made such an emphasis important; a reciprocal tendency toward localism in the larger political system has made it a subject of central concern to anyone interested in trying to think about the future course of Indian political development. Therefore, while this study tends to view the Indian political system from the bottom looking upward, much of what follows should also be viewed as the stuff of which the larger political order and its political fate are made. The author did considerable field research in India in preparation for this fairly detailed account of local political events in the cities of Agra and Poona between 1959 and 1969.