07 – Money Matters: The Dynamics of Campaign Finance and Politics-Business Relations in India

October 2, 2025
2:00 pm
H03
This panel explores the evolution of politics-business interaction in India in the light of the growing costs of election campaigns. Over the past two decades the fusion of economic and political power has intensified, with significant implications for the nature of Indian democracy. Politicians have become wealthier and more likely to have business backgrounds, suggesting the oligarchization of India’s democracy. This panel delves into various aspects of this phenomenon, bringing together scholars from different disciplines studying different aspects of this important trend. The panel will involve analyses of the causes of this oligarchization process, such as analysis of the drivers of increased campaign spending. Contributions will look at how economic conditions - such as the dominance of the state in providing or withholding economic opportunities - foster the intertwining of business interests with political power. We also invite contributions about the rise of prominent business conglomerates, the role of state intervention, and the broader economic and political risks associated with these dynamics. Drawing together theoretical insights, fieldwork-based studies as well as quantitative analyses, this panel aims to discuss the implications of evolving business-politics interaction for economic policy, democratic accountability, and social equity.

Convenors

Dr Vignesh Rajahmani
Professor Ward Berenschot

Presentations

Between Faith and Power: The Construction of Saint Alphonsa in Bharananganam
ABY ANJANA - Institute for History, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
The Political Economy of Campaign Costs: A Comparative Study of Elections Across India
Rajahmani Vignesh - The Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, University of Leiden, Leiden, Netherlands
Bovines, Beef, and the Political Economy of Modi’s India
Nielsen Kenneth Bo - Department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Emerging Business-Elite Leadership and Vote-Buying Strategies in Telangana’s Electoral Politics: Implications for Democratic Accountability
Kumar Erram Naveen - University of Hyderabad, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
From ‘Aam’ to ‘Khaas’: The AAP’s Paradox of Anti-Corruption, Politics as Business and Public Service Provision in Delhi
Heintz Sofie - Department of Political Science and Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
MONEY, CASTE & ACCESS: THE WORKINGS OF A BUSINESS-DOMINATED POLITICAL ORDER IN AN INDIAN CITY
GHOSAL PRATIM - DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, OXFORD, United Kingdom
MLAs as Businessmen-Politicians in Northeast India: Profile, Practices and Implications
Casamitjana Roma - CESSP, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, France
When parties want to pay : comparing party-candidate linkage(s) and centralisation across India
Alembik Victor - Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands