The Family Way: Manhood and Dabangai in the Making of a Dynasty in Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Only looking at the Congress Party can obscure the fact that political dynasties, in different forms and degrees, exist in a number of political parties in India. There are many examples of political families ruling the roost across the states but digging deeper shows us that the malaise goes to the village level as well. Therefore, to completely examine the extent to which Indian politics is dynastic, this article investigates strategies and networks of a local political dynasty in the Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh (UP). It explores how a family, by getting elected its sons into the local political bodies, becomes a powerful political dynasty over a period of time and how entry of this dynasty into the Indian political system is assisted by political parties and caste associations. Furthermore, this article shows the ways in which popular notions of leadership and manhood play important role in the making of a dynast along with the importance of dynastic ties for the marginalized rather than privileged groups.