MONEY, CASTE & ACCESS: THE WORKINGS OF A BUSINESS-DOMINATED POLITICAL ORDER IN AN INDIAN CITY

Abstract

The rising power and presence of business in India’s economic and political life since the 1990s is evident in the increasing number of businesspersons entering politics, particularly in Parliament and state legislatures. While scholars have noted this trend, detailed, biographical accounts of such political actors and their interventions in local politics remain under-researched. Who are these political figures, and how are they embedded in the local configurations of politics and the economy? Moreover, as influential local political figures, how do they respond to the elite constituency of local businesses? In answering these questions, this paper adopts a bottom-up approach by focusing on the rapidly transforming and business-dominated city of Surat in Gujarat, India. Through a case study of a businessperson-turned-politician named Anilbhai (name changed), the paper traces this politician’s journey from business to politics and the facilitative role he plays in intertwining the realms of business and politics. The paper demonstrates how such figures, embedded in interlocking networks of business, caste, and the party, are crucial in ensuring that business interests in the city are safeguarded through their active political interventions. By constructing a detailed account, the paper contributes to the growing literature on the rising influence of business in India’s political life, centring how business interests are served by this ever-expanding cohort of businessman-politicians that have emerged across India today