The Emergence of Consolidation of OBC Politics since1990 - From Marginalization to Mobilization

Abstract

This article tries to analyze the emergence and consolidation of OBCs after 1989 watershed moment of the Mandal commission recommendations implementation which makes a decisive shift in political arena of India. The study motive is to analyze the strengthening of OBCs mobilization and rise of caste politics after 1990 reform. The study also focuses on the impacts and political developments following its implementation. The article involves the use of secondary sources for research. The article highlights the increased relevance of regional parties based on caste and these regional parties view caste as their vote bank and started mobilizing and appealing to OBCs in their respective states. The study identifies that the affirmative policies has not only led to changes in job opportunities and political representation rather it has also increased social inequalities and rigidity of caste discrimination among the different caste-groups as well as within same caste-group (OBCs). The article also argues that the what started as step for ensuring representation and social and economic justice has now become a weapon of political mobilization. This article also highlights the emergence and dynamics of vote-bank politics. The implementation has changed the entire electoral behavior from “casting vote to voting their caste