L'Inde, democratie dynastique ou democratie lignagere?
In: Critique internationale: revue comparative de sciences sociales, Heft 4, S. 135-152
ISSN: 1149-9818, 1290-7839
In India, the hereditary nature of political functions is a tradition dating back to the beginning of the Republic. The princes who entered the electoral arena after 1947 were the first to observe a practice well in accordance with their ancestors' dynastical logic. These heirs were nevertheless dismissed from the political game when they demonstrated a lack of any political devotion to the state. Such a rule is perfectly well illustrated by the Scindia lineage who recently inaugurated its third generation of members of parliament. The Nehru/Gandhi family incarnates the resonance of the dynastical repertory in the Indian policy in a more continuous way. But then again, nothing is automatic in the perpetuation of generations in power, either because the heirs are rejected by the electorate or they do not wish pursue their ancestors' activity. All in all, Indian politics seems to reflect a logic of lineage rather than dynasty, even if the modes of succession at the head of certain regional political parties has apparently been challenging such a model in recent years. Adapted from the source document.