India′s 2014 Elections

India is now governed by a strong Modi-led majority party. A peaceful transference of power in terms of parties and structure as a consequence of India’s 16th national election highlights a notable degree of political maturity. The replacement of the Congress-led coalition after 10 years with a Bharatiya Janata Party clear majority is one obvious result of what can be considered a historic election. As a consequence of the 2014 elections, the emergence of a strong leader and a strong party coupled with continuing regionalism may provide a version of the state-nation system. It remains to be seen to what extent the new political structure coupled with India’s diversity will shape society, politics and governance during the next five years. Rich in empirical and quantitative data, this volume, along with the four previous volumes, comprise the best set of national- and state-level studies for understanding India’s politics in depth.  

Paul Wallace (PhD, University of California, Berkeley) is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He has been a consultant on South Asia to a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the US Attorney General’s Office, defense lawyers, and other agencies in North America and has received five Smithsonian-funded awards for national election studies in India. In September 2003, Professor Wallace served as the expert witness on Sikh violence at the Air India trial in Vancouver, Canada.His research in India includes a Senior Fulbright Research Award in 1972, and funding from the Ford Foundation, 1988–89, the American Institute of Indian Studies (1980–81), and various government and non-government groups in India. Professor Wallace is the author or editor of eight books and 40+ book chapters and articles. His last co-edited book is India’s 2009 Elections: Coalition Politics, Party Competition and Congress Continuity” published by SAGE Publications in 2011.