This study examines the Mahars of Maharashtra, a community prominently associated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. It provides a historical account of how this Scheduled Caste group learned to use political mobilization as a tool for social uplift and assertion, laying the groundwork for later Dalit politics.

This is a counter-intuitive point in the article. Kothari argues that by entering politics, caste actually lost its religious/ritual significance and became secular.

Your PDF’s Page 15 is not a dusty archive piece. It is a living diagnostic tool.

Kothari's work emphasizes that caste is an integral component of Indian politics, influencing the behavior of political parties, leaders, and voters. She argues that the caste system, with its hierarchical structure and endogamous rules, has been a dominant social institution in India, conditioning the interactions between individuals and groups. The translation of caste into a political factor has been facilitated by the democratic process, which has enabled marginalized groups to assert their claims and challenge the dominance of upper castes.

Given the filename structure, your PDF is almost certainly a scanned copy of the 1970 Orient Longman edition of Caste in Indian Politics , specifically the Introduction. Page 15 in that edition begins with a paragraph on how electoral politics creates new solidarities across sub-castes (jatis).

Renowned sociologist André Bétaille contributes a study on Tamil Nadu . It examines how the interaction between caste, class, and party politics leads to the formation of specific political groups, moving beyond a singular focus on caste to consider the interplay of multiple social hierarchies.

Parties often select candidates based on the dominant caste in a constituency.

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