Conveners: IndOx
Speakers: Professor Sudha Pai; Dr Rahul Verma
Uttar Pradesh, one of the largest and the most populous province in India, has long held the distinction of being the bellwether for national-level politics. Defying the anti-incumbency trend of the last four decades, the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Elections brought the Bharatiya Janata Party back to power for a second consecutive term with a sizable majority. How did the BJP pull off this victory despite the economic unrest in the countryside? What explains the dramatic collapse of the Bahujan Samaj Party? Is Uttar Pradesh headed towards a two-party system? This event brings together two of the leading experts on UP’s political and social landscape to address some of these questions and reflect on the implications of the electoral results for the wider landscape of Indian politics.
Prof. Sudha Pai is the former Professor of Political Science at the Jawaharlal Nehru University where she also served as the Rector (Pro-Vice Chancellor). Her research interests include Dalit politics, state politics in India, agrarian change, and globalization and legislative governance. She is the author of several influential books, including Dalit Assertion and the Unfinished Democratic Revolution, Dalit Assertion (Oxford India Short Introduction), and Constitutional and Democratic Institutions in India.
Dr. Rahul Verma is a Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) based in New Delhi and a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University. His research interests include voting behaviour, party politics, political violence, and media. He is the co-author (with Pradeep Chhibber) of the widely acclaimed book Ideology and Identity: The Changing Party Systems of India. He is a regular columnist for various news platforms and has published papers in Asian Survey, Economic & Political Weekly, and Studies in Indian Politics.
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/99741667557
If you are unable to access via Zoom, you can also join us via the livestream on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RSlWCm1iZwg
