The BJP and the compulsions of politics in India

"The recent emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as India's strongest political party has changed the face of Indian politics. The growth of Hindu nationalism, which the BJP largely represents, has been widely debated as a potential threat to the future of democracy in India, to Indian secularism, and to the constitutional protection of India's minorities." "This book examines systematically, for the first time, the history of the BJP and its current strategies and dilemmas. Well-known scholars with an intimate knowledge of India's states analyse the specific trajectory of the BJP at the regional level, the structure of its electorates, and the specific challenges it faces in major parts of India." "Topical and wide-ranging as well as rigorously historical and empirical, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the current transformation of Indian politics."--BOOK JACKET.