Electoral Politics in India in the Post-Liberalization Era
Submissions are invited for an upcoming edited volume exploring the development of electoral politics in India in the post-liberalization era. This comprehensive publication will be brought out by the Department of Political Science, Seth Soorajmull Jalan Girls’ College (Affiliated to the University of Calcutta), Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Concept Note:
Electoral politics has played a significant role in Indian democracy. The elections have become part and parcel of India’s day-to-day affairs. The Indian Constitution not only makes it mandatory to hold elections at regular intervals but also creates an atmosphere of celebration during them. Thus, it is this very electoral politics that helps our democracy thrive. However, the electoral process is not merely a matter of politics; it also involves large-scale financial arrangements. It requires human resources and the most important factor that drives Indian democracy: the desire to participate in this process. This participation has to come from everyone eligible to vote, including those directly involved in the day-to-day politics of the state, as well as those who are covertly active.
Compartmentalization in the social sciences is illogical and undesirable not only academically but also in terms of policy-making. Politics and economics are so closely connected that it is impossible to contemplate decision-making in one sphere without considering the other. It is in this context that this book seeks to understand and delve into the various aspects of how electoral politics evolved in the post-liberalization period of Indian democracy. This book shall include chapters focusing on various aspects of electoral politics since the days of Liberalization, Privatization, and Globalization (LPG) in India in the 1990s.
Systematic critical insights are invited on the following (but not limited) sub-themes:
- Rise of Coalition politics.
- The impact of liberalization on electoral politics.
- Growth of regional politics: Federalism and Electoral Politics.
- Identity Politics and Social Justice.
- Election Commission and Electoral Reforms
- Criminalization in politics.
- Gen-Z and New voter demographics.
- S.I.R and electoral politics.
- Welfare Politics and Populism.
- Women and electoral participation
- Electoral politics and migration.
- Role of Print Media in Electoral Politics.
- Caste in electoral politics.
- Decline of Ideology in electoral politics.
- Social media and its impact on electoral politics.
Submission Guidelines:
1. Manuscripts must be typed in MS Word using Font Times New Roman, Size: 12 pts., 1.5 spaced with 1inch margin on all sides, and submitted in doc/docx format at ssjgcplsc@gmail.com
2. Word limit: 3000-5000 words, inclusive of in-text citations and references.
3. Submission must include an abstract of the article of about 200 words, along with 4-5 Keywords and a short bio-note of 50 words.
5. All manuscripts should strictly follow the latest APA Style of Citation. An incomplete or improper citation may lead to immediate rejection.
6. Manuscripts should be written in English. The submission must be original and unpublished. Submission will imply that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere.
7. All submitted manuscripts must be free from plagiarism. Any manuscript with a similarity index exceeding 10% will be summarily rejected. Submissions with an AI content detection score of more than 20% will not be accepted.
8. The last date of submission of manuscripts: 30 June 2026.